A 22-year-old entrepreneur from Rochdale has begun his racing career, thanks to the help of a team of disabled drivers.
Matty Street is the CEO of TeamKarting, the UK’s highest rated indoor karting track, and on Saturday 6th June he took part in his first race at Snetterton circuit with Team BRIT.
The team consists of all disabled drivers, and invited Matty to take part in BMW 116 Trophy race, alongside their drivers. Despite being his first race with the team, Matty finished in an incredible 4th place and was one of only three drivers to clock a sub 3 minute lap.
Matty has now brought the Team BRIT car in which he raced, to his TeamKarting base, where it is on display to help promote his racing goals.
Matty was diagnosed with dyslexia, dyspraxia and Asperger’s (a form of autism) when he was at school. He found school extremely difficult and was predicted poor grades. He struggled with socialising in his early teenage years and had very little self-belief.
At the age of 12 he discovered karting, which had a huge effect on him and helped him manage the challenges that Asperger’s can cause. He won a £30k scholarship to go racing at the age of 14 which opened doors to the expensive world of motorsport.
When he first took his GCSEs, just before he began his racing career, he failed them all. When he re-took the exams, he passed everything, as his teachers began to relate his work to motorsport which helped him understand and retain information.
He studied motorsport engineering then went on to secure a degree. He worked at TeamKarting while studying and became Executive Manager at the age of 19. In July 2017 he raised enough investment to buy out the business and become CEO. It is now the UK’s highest rated karting track and has won an award for being Autism Friendly.
Matty hopes to increase opportunities for disadvantaged or underrepresented groups and is now hoping that through his racing career, he will inspire others who face challenges similar to him, that anything is possible.
Matty said, “It was amazing to take part in my first race alongside Team BRIT this weekend. I’ve known about the team for some time and we share the same passion for creating opportunities for people that may never have thought it possible to get into motorsport.
“I’ve faced challenges my whole life, but with the right support and a lot of determination, I’m running a business and starting my racing career.
“I strongly believe that we have a responsibility to reinvest back into the grass roots of motorsport and make it more inclusive and open to all irrespective of physical, mental, academic and cultural background. I am so passionate about this because I have seen first hand how motorsport can changes people’s lives.
“Being autistic, I’m proud that I’m proving people wrong and I want to help other people do the same.”
Matty will race again with Team BRIT at Brands Hatch on the 17th August.
For more information on TeamKarting visit https://www.teamkarting.co.uk
Source: Team BRIT