The members of Team BRIT, for British Racing Injured Troops, set out as go-karters, with KartForce, also founded by Martyn Compton (read story):

We started 5 years ago in karting. With limited funds and around 20 injured troops, team endurance karting was the obvious route to take. These injured soldiers are the type of characters that thrive on pushing themselves to their limits, and then keep pushing beyond the pain barriers of bruised ribs, blistered hands and other aches and pains. We would enter 2-hour races, and found that they would complain it wasn’t long enough. So we started entering longer 12-hour and 24-hour races, reducing the size of the teams to three or four drivers. This is where they excel. And being soldiers, they look after each other, work really well as a team and follow instructions to the letter.

KartForce has taken part in the annual 24-Hour Go-Kart race at Le Mans three times in the past few years. In 2015, they competed in two 6-hour races, coming first by over 42 laps in one race and 12th out of 68 teams at Silverstone. This year though, Team BRIT will be running a 24H Series campaign in preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Do you know what car will you be running?

No – it’s too early to be able make that decision. We were aiming to race with an LMP (Le Mans Prototype) car, but recent discussions with a potential partner might mean we need to re-consider this.

However, two of the three drivers are already certain: Martyn Compton himself and Mark Allen his Britcar teammate. Gemma Trotter, an above knee amputee, has recently joined the team. She is undergoing an intensive driver development program and will compete in 4- to 6-hour races next season, as well as some 12-hour and 24-hour races.

Trotter is training hard at Silverstone. She knows that the road to Le Mans will be a long one, for all concerned:

It’s going to be the hardest and longest road we’ll ever take! We have a fantastic and totally dedicated team, all with the same goal. We work well together and are accustomed to enormous challenges, finding ways to overcome them. We are in no doubt that we’ll only reach the end of the road if we want it enough – we need to make it happen, as no one will make it happen for us.

All the same, financial support has come from an unexpected source, the group Coldplay.

The Coldplay sponsorship has been a huge help this year. It wasn’t just about just the funds, but having the support of Coldplay has helped us attract sponsors, and given us more media exposure in the process. We now have fans from all over the world, including the beautiful Monica Huerta in Chile. We have some very exciting plans being discussed with Coldplay that will all be revealed over the coming months. Their bass guitarist, Guy Berryman, is a huge petrolhead – he restores cars himself and has a very interesting collection.

Team BRIT is looking to collect trophies and would like nothing more than to raise the trophy of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

If you make it to Le Mans, what will the next step be?

Maybe we’ll retire to a small village with a fantastic country pub and talk about how we made it to Le Mans. But I don’t think that will happen, as these guys will find a new target to set their aim on. And the story will start up once again.

Cécile Bonardel / ACO

PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), 24H KARTING 2013. Team KartForce raced at the 24H Karting in 2013.