As the first disabled driver to compete in the British Touring Car Championship, Nicolas Hamilton is carving out a bright career in motorsport. He chatted exclusively with Enable magazine’s Editor Melissa Holmes about mental resilience, how he races alongside non-disabled drivers, and living his childhood dreams
It all started on 2 April 2011. It was Nicolas Hamilton’s first ever race, the Renault Clio Cup, and an unforgettable day for Nic, now 34. “From wheelchair to racing driver, the journey it took to get to that point was difficult and challenging,” he recalls. “It didn’t matter whether I was first, last, or whatever. It’s the fact I was in the car and I was there – it was a huge achievement.”
Taking part in his first professional race was Nicolas’s proudest moment… until this May, when he lifted the Jack Sears Trophy, a championship for drivers who have not stood on a British Touring Car Championship podium in previous years.
It’s even more impressive when you consider that, just 18 years ago, Nicolas decided to get out of his wheelchair with the goal of becoming a racing driver. He explains: “It’s such a personal thing for me, because I’d been following Lewis my whole life” (Nicolas’s older half-brother is F1 champ Lewis Hamilton). “I was always there in my wheelchair, clapping him underneath the podium, and he was spraying the champagne. I was never thinking that would ever be me.”
TOUGH QUESTIONS
To get to where he is now, Nicolas has had to face some tough questions: “First of all, how would I get into a car? Second, how do I make myself competitive? Third, will I be talented enough to get on a podium of any race? And then – can I actually get up onto the podium?!”
Nic feels that getting up to the narrow podium on the day he lifted the Jack Sears Trophy showed people the magnitude of what he does. “In the car I don’t seem disabled at all,” he says. “But when I’m out of the car, doing things that able-bodied people do really easily takes me ages to do.” Walking to the podium was part of the emotion of that day, admits Nic, “Because people were seeing my disability in its most vulnerable state.”
NO LIMITS
Nicolas was born with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy, used a wheelchair from age 11 to 17, and was told it was unlikely he’d ever be able to walk. “I don’t really care what people tell me in terms of what my limitations may be,” he reveals. “I’m the person that lives with the disability, so I know my own personal limitations. I make my own mind up.”
Nic is the first disabled driver to compete in the British Touring Car Championship. He drives an adapted racing car, explaining: “Having the car adapted is the only way I can compete against able-bodied people.” Nicolas’s car has two pedals instead of three, with a hand clutch on the steering wheel and a clutch lever to the side.
MENTAL STRATEGY
Those are the adaptations people might not see when they’re watching him race, but what about the mental strategies he employs when he’s behind the wheel? “I don’t necessarily have a mental strategy,” Nic says. “It’s knowing where my weaknesses are mentally and working on them, whether that’s doing it on my own or through therapy.”
Having learned to be resilient from a young age, therapy has played a role in helping Nicolas understand himself and his disability. “I’m always open to talking about it, because it’s super important,” he reveals. “Motorsport is a very exposing industry and it can be quite difficult. Even though people might see me as this person that has overcome a lot physically – from a wheelchair to a racing driver – I’m also very vulnerable and can be emotionally highly strung as well.”
SIMPLE PLEASURES
Nic calls himself a “really simple guy – I don’t really require much or expect much.” When he’s not racing or training, he likes to relax by spending time at home. “I have a hot chocolate and a cookie and watch some TV in a nice cozy place with my dog and my girlfriend,” he says.
Gaming is the thing that helps him switch off completely: “Connecting with people through online gaming has always been really powerful for me. I stay connected with Lewis through gaming and other friends I’m not able to see often. When you’re playing online and you’re all together, it’s like going to the pub with your mates.”
So how does Nicolas feel about being a role model for other disabled people? “If I’m being brutally honest, I don’t see myself as anyone special,” he reveals. “I’m just a normal kid trying to deal with his disability and life in the best way that he can.”
And, as much as he doesn’t see himself as a role model, he’s happy that people who’ve followed his journey are inspired by it. “The whole point of the journey is it’s up and down,” he reflects. “I’m not this beaming, shining light of joy and positive energy. And I don’t do things perfectly; I believe I’m a flawed person who’s made lots of mistakes – just like everybody else.” To Nic, being authentic is key, as he says: “The people that want to be inspired by you and see you continue on your journey will always stand by you.”