Team Ethos/Team Army has been proudly supporting Team BRIT for several years and last year was able to help new talent, Nerys Pearce make her racing debut at Silverstone which was filmed by Sky Sports.
Joining Team BRIT in 2020, Nerys has proved her worth on the track and is well on her way towards achieving her dream of becoming the fastest disabled female driver in the world. However, the pandemic and lockdown meant that her accelerated training schedule was put on hold late last year. Being unable to complete any circuit testing last winter means that she has had significantly less track preparation than anticipated in the run up to the 2021 season.
As the latest recipient of a grant from our Bounceback Fund Nerys will now have the means to complete an intensive preseason training programme with her coach Abbie Eaton who is the test driver on the Amazon prime show ‘The Grand Tour’. This will jump-start Nerys towards achieving her ultimate goal of winning races against able bodied drivers.
Maj Gen Lamont Kirkland, CEO Team Army/Team Ethos said, “Nerys embodies the essence of bouncing back from adversity. Ever since her accident, she has been determined to prove that the seemingly impossible is possible. She has true grit and is unwavering in her resolve to overcome her disability. We are therefore delighted to support Nerys in her latest endeavour with Team BRIT and wish her all the best for this race season. ”
Simon Pryce, Chief Executive Ultra Electronic Holdings plc said, “Nerys’ story is a true inspiration for us all. Through her continued mission to find challenges and adventures, no matter what life has thrown at her, she brilliantly demonstrates our EMPOWERING and AGILE company values. The whole of Ultra is very proud to be supporting her goal of becoming the fastest disabled female driver in the world and wish her the best of success in this challenge.”
Nerys Pearce stated, “I never dreamed motorsport would be possible for me, but when I went to Team BRIT HQ and tried out the simulator and hand controls, I really believed it could happen. What excites me most about what is ahead, is that we are doing this on a completely level playing field. No one will know I’m using hand controls; they’ll just see me as competition and that’s incredibly freeing. I want to be as fast as I can, and I want to push the boundaries of what people expect from women and from disabled people. I’m not just a disabled woman ‘having a go’, I’m a competitive racer.”
For further information about Nerys and the rest of the team visit teambrit.co.uk
ABOVE – Sky Sports inspirational report about Nerys joining Team BRIT
Team BRIT aims to inspire people with disabilities, PTSD and mental health issues, by demonstrating what can be achieved through motorsport.
ABOVE – Nerys shares her thoughts about joining Team BRIT
ABOUT NERYS PEARCE
Nerys joined the Army in 2004 as an advanced trauma medic. Her role involved moving from unit to unit, training soldiers in medical skills before they were deployed, as well as a medical attachment with special forces.
In 2008 she sustained life changing injuries as she was riding her motorbike when she was hit by a car reversing off a kerb. The months that followed left Nerys in blinding pain due to the damage caused to her nerves, which she describes as feeling like boiling oil being poured over her. She underwent a number of drug treatments and spinal blocks, until her body reacted badly, causing a spinal cord injury which left her paralysed from the chest down.
Nerys spent months struggling with the new reality she faced and experienced intense periods of depression. She suffered continued complications from drug treatments, became overweight and was bed bound for almost four years. At her lowest point, she became suicidal and it wasn’t until an intervention from BLESMA that her life changed for the better. BLESMA took her skiing in Colorado and by the end of the trip she had skied solo on a sit ski down a mountain. From then on, Nerys sought challenges and adventurous opportunities wherever she could. She took part in ‘Enduroman’ a 300-mile continuous triathlon from London to Paris, racing as part of a team of adaptive female athletes for Help 4 Heroes and breaking the world record.
In 2016 she competed in the Invictus Games in Orlando winning ten medals in powerlifting, rowing, track and field – the most any competitor has ever won in one Games. In 2018 she competed for Team Wales in the Commonwealth Games in Australia, coming fourth in para powerlifting and in 2019 she conquered ‘Race Across America’ known as the toughest cycle race in the world, on a hand bike with a team of seven adaptive sports women.
TEAM BRIT
Team BRIT is a competitive motor racing team consisting of disabled drivers who race against able-bodied drivers on a totally level playing field.
It aims to be the first ever all-disabled team to race in the Le Mans 224 hour and supports people with physical and psychological challenges in accessing motorsport through its Racing Academy.
For further information visit teambrit.co.uk
THE BOUNCEBACK FUND
The Team Army Sports Foundation, in association with Ultra Electronics Holdings plc (Ultra), recently created the COVID Bounceback Fund to help armed forces groups and communities recover from the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic.
The trustees will award grants to support activities which create the opportunity to improve mental and physical wellbeing in armed forces personnel, including WIS veterans, through sport, challenge or adventure during 2021 or 2022.
Visit Covid Bounceback Fund for further information.