Amputee Afghanistan Veteran Has Le Mans Dream Halted After Sponsor Pulls Out

An Afghanistan veteran who hopes to make history in the Le Mans 24 hour Endurance Race has suffered a major setback.

David Birrell, who lost both legs while serving with The Black Watch, is facing a season on the sidelines after his US sponsor pulled out.

The 31-year-old was set to be the first double amputee to take part in a non-adapted car: 

“There’s no racing happening this year so far, which is pretty devastating - to not be in a car this year is pretty hard to take, because my aim is to be at Le Mans in 2022.”

David is now back to the drawing board looking for other sponsors who can help him achieve his goal.

A Crowdfunding page has been set up to help raise the £75,000 needed to take part in the Britcar Endurance Championship.

David’s achieved a lot in his relatively short motorsport career - and is sure someone will step in:

“I just need to find the right brand to sponsor me, and I can help them to the best of my ability.

"Then I can go and show everyone that disability is just the ability to do things differently”.

Determination is something this former soldier doesn’t lack, and although missing the start of this year’s racing season has been a massive disappointment - David won’t let the setback stop him from reaching his ambition:

“Nothing will hold me back, if I can still move about, I can still do whatever I want to do and set goals”.