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Billy Monger

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Billy Monger
NationalityUnited Kingdom British
Born (1999-05-05) 5 May 1999 (age 25)[1]
Charlwood, Surrey, England, United Kingdom[2]
BRDC British Formula 3 Championship career
Debut season2016
Current teamCarlin
Car number23
Starts33
Wins1
Poles1
Fastest laps1
Best finish1st (F3) in 2019

Billy Monger (born 5 May 1999)[1] is a British racing driver who raced in British F4 in 2016 and 2017. He is also referred to by the nickname "Billy Whizz".[3][4][5] In April 2017, he was critically injured when he was involved in a collision at Donington Park. Both of his legs were amputated, one below the knee and one above.[3][6][7] Prior to that he was heavily involved in kart racing all over the UK and the Channel Islands, and then a successful Ginetta Junior racer.

After treatment and therapy, Monger returned to competition in November 2017. In 2018, Monger was awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity.[8]

In 2019, he supplied analysis for Channel 4's F1 coverage.[9] He also competed in the Formula 3 based Euroformula Open championship for Carlin Motorsport. He achieved his first single seater race win in the Pau Grand Prix on 19 May 2019.

Career

Monger first got behind the wheel of a vehicle at the age of three, when his father, a former kart racer, bought him his first go-kart.[10]

After his Donington Park crash, stickers in support of Monger – such as this one on Geri Nicosia's Ginetta GT5 Challenge car at Knockhill – were placed on cars on the entire British Touring Car Championship package.

In 2016, Monger joined the F4 British Championship with JHR Developments.[11] There he took three podiums and finished 12th in the championship. He remained with the team for the 2017 season. On 16 April 2017, Monger was involved in a high-speed crash at the Donington race where he crashed at high speed into the back of Finnish driver Patrik Pasma; as a result he had both his legs amputated.[12][13] His left leg was amputated high above the knee, leaving him with a short stump of his thigh. His right leg is longer, being amputated below the knee, and this longer stump enables him to drive modified cars. A JustGiving page was set up by his team JHR Developments to raise money for Monger, raising over £500,000 in the first 24 hours. A number of F1 drivers have shown their support towards Monger, including Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, Jolyon Palmer and Nico Hülkenberg.[14][15]

In June 2017, it was announced that Monger would return to competition in November, sharing a Group CN Ligier JS53 Evo 2-Honda with quadruple amputee Frédéric Sausset in a round of the V de V Challenge Endurance Proto at the Autódromo do Estoril in Portugal, as part of a programme with the eventual aim of fielding a team of three disabled drivers at the 2020 Le Mans 24 Hours.[16] In July 2017, Monger made his return to the track when he tested a Fun Cup race car adapted with additional hand controls by disabled motorsport specialists Team BRIT at Brands Hatch, where he regained his race license.[17]

In February 2018, Monger drove a single seater racing car for the first time since his crash when he tested a BRDC British Formula 3 car for the Carlin team at Oulton Park.[18] The following month Monger confirmed that he would be racing for Carlin in the opening meeting of the 2018 BRDC Formula 3 series at the same venue.[19] In order to compete in F3, he and his family had to appeal to the sport's international governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, to change their regulations, as they had restricted disabled drivers from racing single seaters on the grounds of safety: the FIA decided to lift the ban in December 2017, allowing disabled drivers to race appropriately-modified single seaters as long as they could pass safety checks.[10] He finished third at Oulton Park in a car adapted for him:[20] the modifications included moving the brake pedal upwards so he could brake using one of his leg stumps, and replacing the throttle pedal with a lever mounted on the steering wheel.[10]

In June 2018, Monger drove a Formula 1 racing car for the first time when he tested a Sauber C30 at the Rockingham Motor Speedway in Corby. The car had been specially converted to match the hand controls present in the Carlin BRDC British Formula 3 car he races. A documentary feature about Monger's first Formula 1 drive was shown as part of Sky F1's coverage of the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix. Another documentary about Monger's career, Driven: The Billy Monger Story, was produced by the BBC and released via BBC Three in November 2018.[10]

Racing record

Career summary

Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2015 Ginetta Junior Championship JHR Developments 20 2 1 1 7 325 5th
2016 F4 British Championship 27 0 1 0 3 78 12th
2017 F4 British Championship 6 0 0 0 2 44 12th
Ford F4 Challenge Cup 6 4 0 1 4 100 6th
2018 BRDC British Formula 3 Championship Carlin 23 0 2 3 4 301 6th
2019 Euroformula Open Championship 18 1 1 0 2 89 9th
Euroformula Open Winter Series 2 0 0 0 0 5 10th

See also

  • Alex Zanardi, another open-cockpit open-wheel racing driver who lost both legs in a racing crash

References

  1. ^ a b Chris Kitching (25 April 2017). "Teen racing driver Billy Monger breaks silence after horrific accident that saw him lose his lower legs". The Mirror (London).
  2. ^ "Racing driver Billy Monger to be 'woken from coma in days' as Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button help raise £350,000". The Mirror (London). 20 April 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
  3. ^ a b Sophie Evans (20 April 2017). "Teenage British F4 racing driver Billy Monger loses both lower legs after horror Motorsport crash at Donington Park". The Mirror (London).
  4. ^ Alan Baldwin (2017). "Motor racing-Hamilton hopes Zanardi can inspire injured British teen". Newswire. Wards Auto.
  5. ^ "F1 Russian GP: F1 teams show support for Billy Monger in Sochi". Crash.net. 28 April 2017.
  6. ^ Alan Baldwin (2017). "Motor racing-Hamilton hopes Zanardi can inspire injured British teen". Newswire. Wards Auto.
  7. ^ "F1 Russian GP: F1 teams show support for Billy Monger in Sochi". Crash.net. 28 April 2017.
  8. ^ "Sports Personality of the Year: Billy Monger to receive Helen Rollason Award". bbc.com. 16 December 2018.
  9. ^ "Billy Monger joins Channel 4's Formula 1 presenting team | Channel 4". www.channel4.com. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  10. ^ a b c d Varley, Ciaran. "I lost my legs but not my daredevil spirit". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  11. ^ Paice, Simon (25 February 2016). "Monger stays with JHR for MSA Formula move". thecheckeredflag.co.uk. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  12. ^ Formula 4: British driver Billy Monger suffers leg injuries in crash - BBC Sport (16 April 2017)
  13. ^ Formula 4: British driver Billy Monger has legs amputated - BBC News (19 April 2017)
  14. ^ "Help raise £260000 to Help Billy Monger beat life changing injuries, after being involved in one of the most horrific crashes Motorsport has seen". JustGiving.
  15. ^ Formula 4: Jenson Button pledges £15,000 to support British driver Billy Monger - BBC Sport (20 April 2017)
  16. ^ Watkins, Gary (17 June 2017). "Billy Monger to make racing return as Sausset targets Le Mans". autosport.com. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  17. ^ "Billy Monger crash: Amputee teen racer back behind wheel". bbc.co.uk. 4 July 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  18. ^ Saunders, Nate (7 February 2018). "Double amputee Billy Monger completes first single-seater car test". ESPN (UK TV channel). Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  19. ^ Mackley, Stefan (27 March 2018). "Billy Monger's racing return confirmed for BRDC British F3 opener". autosport.com. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  20. ^ "Billy Monger: Double amputee hails 'surreal' podium finish on British F3 debut". BBC Sport. 31 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
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