After a lifetime as a racing fan, Dom Shore will now tour the UK in the Britcar championship on legendary UK circuits like Silverstone or Kent's very own Brands Hatch.
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00:00 Chatham's Dom Shaw, who was born with a spinal condition, is set to achieve his dream of becoming a racing driver this year.
00:06 He's the latest rookie to join Team Brit,
00:08 they're the world's only competitive team of all disabled racing drivers. After a lifetime as a racing fan,
00:14 he'll now tour the UK in the Brit Car Championship on legendary UK circuits like Silverstone or
00:19 Kent's very own Brands Hatch, and I'm very happy to say Dom joins me in the studio now.
00:24 Thank you very much for being here and welcome onto Invicta Sport. Thank you for having me.
00:27 It's amazing to have you here. Now, first of all, tell me where it all started.
00:30 I believe your dad was a big inspiration for you getting behind the wheel. Yeah, so my dad raced 94s
00:36 locally. He'd always had the Porsche in the garage and I'd help him out with the car and go to every race with him and
00:43 that's what sparked the interest for racing for me, but it was something I never thought was possible
00:50 being disabled and not having the equipment available.
00:54 And you've been in a wheelchair since birth and obviously you use it every day in your life,
01:00 but you did start off trying out karting at a young age and also remote car racing. Tell me the story behind that.
01:07 Yeah, so my dad insisted that I go in a go-kart from a young age
01:11 to get me used to driving so that it would eventually get me independent in driving on the roads, etc. myself.
01:21 But also as well that sparked the interest in going racing as well.
01:25 And again with the lack of
01:28 facilities,
01:30 when I was nine, my dad bought me my first ever remote-controlled car.
01:34 Which I still race. I don't race the same one, but I still do remote-controlled car racing to this day. It's fantastic.
01:41 I know there's quite a big following behind remote-controlled car racing. My producer in the year right now is saying she does it.
01:46 So yeah, no, it's fantastic.
01:48 But of course now fast forward to today. You're about to compete in your first championship.
01:53 How are you feeling?
01:56 Excited. All the emotions you can think of. Excited, nervous.
01:59 You know, it's a dream come true to finally be a racing driver.
02:04 Exactly that. You actually get to say that now, you know, and you've proven people wrong.
02:08 I mean, we've got pictures of you here in the studio and also on the screen
02:10 of you testing out some cars. This is a C1, but you're going to be driving a BMW Series 1.
02:17 Yes, that's correct. And you've already been in the car. You've done some testing. What's it been like?
02:21 Yeah, so when I first met Team Brit, I did a track day with them and I went in that very same car.
02:27 So I've done that a couple of years ago and hopefully I'll be racing that again in March.
02:34 So I understand you're paralyzed from the waist down.
02:37 Have you got like a modified car? How does it work for people that don't understand?
02:43 So myself, I've got hand control. So I've got a steering ball on the wheel
02:47 and then I've got a push-pull hand control to the side for accelerator and brake.
02:51 And your team, I've written his name down, Caleb McDuff. He's the UK's only deaf driver.
02:58 And all of your teammates within Team Brit are all disabled as well.
03:03 How does it feel to be paving the way? I mean, it's the world's first team to be all disabled.
03:07 There's going to be a whole generation of young drivers who'll be looking up to you,
03:10 thinking that's never going to be something I can achieve.
03:13 But then when they see you doing it and your teammates, that's going to completely change that.
03:16 That's it. That is the plan, to inspire others to come forward and join us to be disabled racing drivers.
03:24 And that's what Team Brit is for, to show that disabled people can compete in motorsport.
03:29 Now, what would you say to your younger self if he was looking up now?
03:33 You know, he's trying out go-karting and he's got those remote control cars for the first time.
03:38 And if you could see him now, what would you say to him?
03:41 Do it. Go for it.
03:42 Just, if you think you want to do it and you want to approach someone,
03:46 send the email, make that phone call, turn up on their doorstep.
03:50 Go for it. Don't stop.
03:52 Don't stop. Fantastic.
03:53 Well, you're not going to be stopping very soon.
03:55 You're going to be behind the car. You're going to be there.
03:57 Those lights are going to go out and you're going to be racing away.
03:59 First one's this, it's the Brit Kart Championship, very competitive series, starting off at Donington Park.
04:05 30th of March.
04:06 OK. And have you got a track that you're looking forward to most?
04:09 Obviously, you've got the local one.
04:10 You're from Medway, not too far away is Brands Hatch, of course.
04:14 Yeah. So I'm looking forward to Donington being the very first race.
04:17 And again, that was my very first racing track experience in a real car.
04:23 So that would be amazing for me.
04:25 And I've been around brands as well.
04:28 So I'm looking forward to that.
04:29 But I've never been around the GP circuit.
04:31 OK, right. So first, of course.
04:33 Now, do you get to do any more testing before the season actually starts?
04:36 Or is that just straight in for the first practice, I assume?
04:38 Yeah, we will be testing at some point to make sure that we're all ready for the season,
04:42 making sure we're familiar with the car and the controls
04:46 to make sure that we've got all the preparation correct.
04:50 Fantastic.
04:50 At the start of the season.
04:51 And where do you hope to take this?
04:52 What's the... I know you'll see the dream was to just get in the car, let alone be racing it.
04:55 I mean, where do you hope to take your career?
04:58 So Team Brit's long term goal is to be the first all disabled racing team to compete at Le Mans.
05:05 OK, so I hope to be part of that team when we're ready to do so.
05:08 And that's fantastic.
05:10 We hope to follow you all the way.
05:11 Dom, thank you so much for coming and sharing your journey with us.
05:14 We're going to hopefully come down when you reach brands in the calendar
05:17 and we'll follow your journey there.
05:18 Fantastic. Thank you very much for having me.
05:20 Thank you very much.