Team BRIT driver Paul Fullick on losing his leg, winning races, and why disabled people should stop listening to “you can’t”
Q: Army diver, motorcyclist, racing driver… Have you ever had a quiet hobby?
A: Maybe not! I left the Army and immediately got into motorcycle racing because I missed the adrenaline, the teamwork, and the chaos.
Q: You’ve had two life-changing accidents. Did they completely change who you are?
A: Absolutely. The first one completely reset my life. I got the bends [decompression sickness] during a military diving course in Egypt. I had to relearn how to walk and talk, and it changed who I fundamentally was. The second accident took my leg in a motorcycle collision, and I had to start from scratch again.
Q: Most people would panic after losing a limb. What was going through your mind?
A: Honestly? I was already planning the recovery while waiting for the ambulance. I remember thinking, ‘This will be awful… but not as awful as the first accident’. I knew it would be about digging deep, surrounding myself with the right people, and getting on with it.
Q: Did doctors give you hope after your amputation?
A: They mostly gave me a list of things I’d never do again. Nobody said, ‘By the way, you could become a racing driver’. That would’ve been useful information.
Q: What’s it like turning up to races as a disabled driver?
A: People are always supportive, but maybe they see Team BRIT turn up and think, ‘Good for them, they’re having a nice little go’. Then we win races and suddenly everyone gets very serious.
Q: Motorsport is one of the few sports where disabled and non- disabled athletes compete together. Does that make winning sweeter?
A: Definitely. Once the helmet’s on, nobody knows who’s disabled anyway. Half the drivers only realise afterwards when they see someone climbing out with one leg.
Q: What do people misunderstand most about disability in motorsport?
A: Everyone assumes driving the car is the difficult bit – that’s easy. Most of the time it’s everything around it, like finding accessible hotels or getting across gravel paddocks.
Q: Humour seems to be a big part of your outlook.
A: Absolutely. In our team there’s no taboo around disability. Last year I raced with a guy who had one arm, and between us we made an entire racing driver with a couple of bits left over. If you can find the funny side first, it breaks all the barriers down. That’s why I got involved in the comedy sketch with Tim Oliver [Ricky Gervais impersonator] and Adrian Flux [sponsor].
Q: What would you say to someone who’s recently become disabled?
A: Stop obsessing over the things you can’t do anymore. Focus on what’s still possible. My injury felt like the end of everything at first. Weirdly, it ended up being my golden ticket to a life I never imagined.