Mission Motorsport Training Program on Target with Nissan

SILVERSTONE, UK – Next week a team of wounded service personnel from Mission Motorsport will compete in the Britcar 24 Hours in a Nissan 370Z.  Major James "Jim" Cameron, Tpr James "Jimmy" Gillborn, L/Cpl Martyn "Copey" Copleston and Sgt Gary "Gaz" Dunning still have a mountain to climb before they line up on the grid at Silverstone but they are making incredible progress with their preparations.

The most pressing matter to be dealt with was the acquisition of racing licenses for Jimmy, Copey and Gaz as they cannot compete without a license. The winners of GT Academy go through a process during the driver development phase where they notch up the relevant experience to obtain their licenses.  Nissan now has four years of experience of this development phase so has been able to help the team make the right choices and condense the time it takes to earn the coveted paperwork right down to just a few weeks.

With licenses in hand the next step was to ramp up the driver training and head to Base Performance Simulators in Banbury for some intensive simulator tuition.

At Base Performance the team was guided by Darren Turner, an established British star with double Le Mans victories under his belt.  The simulator is a safe environment for the team to learn the Silverstone track with constant coaching feedback. This really shortens the learning time, which is vital as they have to learn so fast that any opportunity to shorten the learning curve needs to be taken. 

"I was genuinely surprised by their progress," commented Turner. "Their ability to listen to instruction and apply what they learn is impressive. I guess that's military training for you! They all improved rapidly, Gaz in particular. Jimmy was the quickest of the lot, which is amazing when you consider he's a single amputee. I don't think a 24 hour race is going to faze these guys in the slightest."

Fresh from the simulator the team headed to Thruxton to drive track-prepared Nissan 370Zs and a Nissan GT-R, the same cars that were recently used in the finals of GT Academy.  This time out the team members were treated to a racing master class from Le Mans legend, Derek Bell.

"We talk about heroes but to me these guys are the real heroes," said Bell, who has won the Le Mans 24 Hours five times. "They're not racing drivers or mountaineers or anything but people who have actually put themselves on the line for their country. We hear all the time about these guys being badly injured so I wanted to do whatever I could to help Mission Motorsport."

"Motorsport is really good sports therapy," said Major Cameron. "In the same way as the Paralympics it is a fantastic tonic for our disabled population. For the guys recovering from military operations motorsport is a very cathartic way to re-engage, to find their confidence again and to work as part of a team."

"The Britcar 24 Hours is a massive challenge for us," continued Major Cameron. "Especially when you consider one of the guys only took his ARDS test a couple of weeks ago. It's fantastic to have Nissan as a partner in this as they have such a good track record of bringing people through the ranks with the pioneering GT Academy driver development program.  What we really love though is that Nissan is relishing the challenge just as much as we are and that this is only the beginning."

NOTES FOR EDITORS
Major James Cameron is 39 and from Harrogate.  James joined the Army in 1995 and served in Germany, Cyprus and Canada before becoming an Afghanistan and Iraq frequent flyer.  Latterly, he commanded the independent Armoured Group in Helmand, Afghanistan, resolving on his return to do everything within his gift for those whose lives had been affected by their experiences or the injuries that they sustained.  A seasoned racer and instructor, he co-founded Mission Motorsport in order to find opportunities for those affected and their families, using a tried and tested sports therapy mechanism with very real educational and vocational outlets.  The impact in just a short time has been dramatic.

Tpr James Gillborn is 23 and was born and raised in Cambridge. In 2009 Jimmy enlisted in the army and joined the 9th/12th Royal Lancers, Princess of Wales Regiment. After completing his training Jimmy joined his regiment at Hohne, Germany and in March 2011 Jimmy was deployed to Afghanistan as part of an advisory and training team where he patrolled and toured assisting the Afghan National Army. On the 8th of June Jimmy stood on an IED which resulted in him being flown back to the UK and under doctors' advice his leg was amputated below the knee. After his operation he attended Headley Court where he learnt to walk again using a prosthetic leg.  Jimmy has completed his rehabilitation and is now walking, running; cycling and swimming, living life to the fullest as a family man and enjoying his new found success in motor racing.  His first race is in the Britcar Production class at Snetterton just one month prior to the 24hr race, a steep learning curve but one that he is determined to master.

L/Cpl Martyn Copleston 'Copey' is 22 and was born and raised in Poole, Dorset. Copey enlisted in the army on 14th December 2006. After completion of his training he joined the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment 2RTR. His first and only tour was to Afghanistan, being deployed in 2010 as part of Badger Squadron. Towards the end of his tour in 2011, the 'Warthog' armored vehicle that Copey was driving encountered an IED. He sustained a large laceration to his right leg from shrapnel and was casevac'd by helicopter, where after 2 days in hospital at Camp Bastion he was flown back to the UK for further treatment. Copey spent time in rehab at Tidworth and was eventually declared fully fit and back to Regimental duties in April 2012. Copey is a confirmed petrol head and is never far away from a vehicle, now holding a race license he was Mission Motorsport's first racing driver, learning in Lotus Elises.  A very capable mechanic, Copey has also supported Mission Motorsport racing, learning his trade as part of the pit crew team.  

Sgt Gary Dunning, 40, from Birmingham started his career in the army in 1991 in the Royal Pioneer Corps. His first posting was with the Engineers, preparing bridges for deployment to the Balkans. Gary then moved on to dealing with ammunition, based in Germany and then Cyprus and was sent on tour to the Falklands and Northern Ireland and in 2003 was deployed to Iraq. That experience left its mark on him.  At the end of his Iraq tour he was posted to Germany for two years but on his return to the UK his friends and family noticed a huge difference in him, the Gary they all knew and loved had changed. A very difficult time followed for Gary and his family, he was diagnosed with PTSD and life was then made worse by a huge motorcycle accident resulting in broken bones in his leg, ankle and foot, requiring large amounts of meccano and screws holding them together along with serious nerve damage, elbow injuries, broken ribs, lung damage and a new knee being required. Completing further tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Gary is finally due to be medically discharged later this year.  He is regaining his confidence fast through his chosen sport, and is hoping to identify opportunity, through the engagement that motorsport is bringing, for a second career.

Mission Motorsport
Mission Motorsport was formed in 2012 as the Forces' Motorsport Charity at the request of the British Army Motorsport Association.  It has the lead for the provision of disabled and adaptive motor sport to the Defence Recovery Capability, and seeks to merge where possible the activities of the disabled with able bodied personnel.  Its main audience are those who are brought to the charity through BattleBack - a tri-service initiative that aims to improve and formalize the use of adventurous training and sport in the aftercare of wounded Service personnel; in order to aid their rehabilitation and return to an active life.   Through the provision of experiences and in engendering competition, Mission Motorsport's activities generate interest and insight, which is channeled into vocational outlets, inspiring, educating and supporting the individuals in their life - post injury.

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Contact

Lindsay Morle
Motorsports Nissan Europe
lindsay@morle.com
+44 7971 481078