If you’d had three brushes with death in your lifetime, you would be forgiven for prefering to play safe and stay at home. Martyn Compton has other ideas. When his tank was hit by a bomb in Afghanistan, he was able to drag himself out of the burning remains but was shot as he tried to escape.

He suffered horrific burns to 70% of his body and despite reconstruction surgery, his face bears witness to his ordeal. When discharged from hospital, the young man spent a while holed up at home before venturing out to rediscover the delights of go-karting and motorsports. Nowadays, he readily responds to media attention - and he is attracting quite a following since he announced his attention to take part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With his go-kart team KartForce and Team BRIT, for British Racing Injured Troops, he is pursuing a dream and raising money for other combat-wounded soldiers.

Compton feels like this is a beginning of a new life: Motorsport has changed my life. It has given me back the adrenaline and re-awoken the adrive and determination I lost after being injured. I was in a dark place and missed being part of a team. Racing has made me a new person. Our team will get to Le Mans, as what we have had to face and overcome in life has made us stronger than people can imagine. I am who I am today as the result of my past experiences – and they were no walk in the park!

The road to Le Mans will not be an easy journey either, but Compton is taking his time and preparing conscientiously. He has already begun the groundwork. For me, fitness is a big part of racing. I go to the gym daily, as it helps me to cope with endurance racing. I spend time on simulators getting to know the next track I’ll be racing on, which helps enormously when visualizing what I need to prepare for. Healthy food and plenty of hydration are also an important part of my preparation.

Healthy mind, healthy body as they say. Endurance racing has already helped Compton, whose team KartForce has raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans Go-Kart race three times. Endurance racing – especially team endurance racing – is what drives me to push myself to achieve the best I can, from my team and myself. Discovering new walls and smashing through them has brought me back to life, and it’s also revived the competitive animal in me.

That team spirit stands Team BRIT in good stead. Compton’s co-driver Mark Allen was named best newcomer of the year in the Britcar championship, despite his handicap. Allen had both his legs amputated at the age of nineteen. My teammate, Mark Allen, and I went to Le Mans this year to experience the atmosphere and give us a taste of things to come. In Army language, this was a reconnaissance! It was like nothing I have ever been to. At the start of the race, my heart was pounding and I could imagine what the drivers were feeling – the overload of adrenalin. We watched 23hrs of the race, both making a pledge that we’d be back… to race next time.

The team will not be racing this year as they have a lot to prove before they can seek an invitation. But to Compton, one thing is certain: We’re not coming Le Mans just to make up the numbers on the grid – we’re coming to fight for that podium. This is the message myself and my team want to share: you can do it too, but only if you make it happen and want it badly enough.

Interview by Cécile Bonardel / ACO - Translation by Emma Paulay / ACO

PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, SUNDAY 14 JUNE 2015, PODIUM. Martyn Compton and Mark Allen traveled to Le Mans in 2015.