Dr Andy Palmer Joins Team BRIT

Dr Andy Palmer joins Team BRIT’s Le Mans Efforts

Dr Andy Palmer, the former COO of Nissan and the former CEO of Aston Martin Lagonda has announced that he’s joining the all disabled racing outfit, Team BRIT.

The ground-breaking team have been going from strength to strength over the last couple of years and their plans to enter the world famous Le Mans 24 Hour race as the first-ever all disabled racing team looks more and more certain to happen with each passing day.

That’s why Palmer has joined the team so that he can help them in achieving this history making goal.

With over 42 years of experience in the motorsport industry, Palmer will be a fine addition to Team BRIT, especially as he acts as a liaison with the ACO and supports the team through valuable introductions, providing sponsorship advice and general guidance. Dr Palmer has worked to support inclusion in the automotive industry throughout his career.

In 2021 he received the ‘Men as Allies’ award by the Women’s Engineering Society and has founded a charitable foundation to fund apprenticeships for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Image: Team BRIT

“One of the reasons I’m helping Team Founder Dave Player with his communication with the ACO is because I truly believe that having a confirmed entry to Le Mans will be a true showcase for the sport, demonstrating where disabled drivers can compete equally. Dave doesn’t want a Garage 56 entry and I agree with this, as this is not a level playing field. We can go out there and demonstrate that whether it’s someone who is paraplegic or autistic, there is no unfair advantage, it is equal. Getting that entry won’t be easy but I’m up for the fight, and we’ll get there.”

Palmer also isn’t limiting his sights to Le Mans however as he doesn’t see why we couldn’t see disabled racing drivers in Formula 1 in the future.

“Could a disabled person be the next F1 star? Yes, if they’re good enough. Racing is predominantly about spatial awareness and reaction speed. Having no legs or no use of your legs shouldn’t matter if you have the brain to distil the information. You shouldn’t make excuses for disability, you need to innovate to have no disadvantage and to help realise potential.”

He goes on to point out that whilst sponsorship has always been difficult to attain in motorsport – just look at the junior drivers trying to stay afloat for a full season in Formula 2 and Formula 3 for example – Team BRIT have a unique advantage here as more and more companies want to be seen as progressive or doing the right thing.

“It’s a money sport, but the team can and must use its perceived ‘disadvantage’ as its advantage. More and more people and businesses want to be seen to be doing the right thing and here is an opportunity which is clearly just that. It’s become harder to secure sponsorship as you need to demonstrate how you’re helping awareness of a brand, and being on the side of a car is no longer enough. With Team BRIT, we have an advantage, something that differentiates us.”

With a key addition to the team like Palmer, it should really help carry Team BRIT’s momentum forwards into the 2022 racing season and beyond as they compete in the British GT Championship, the British Endurance Championship and the Britcar Trophy Championship.

Author: Thiemo Albers-Daly