Izzy’s story – from father, Olly.

My daughter, Isabelle Weall, or ‘Izzy’ is quite phenomenal. Izzy is just 14 years old and inspires and motivates countless people every day. Now, I’m asking for help to give Izzy an opportunity we never dreamed would be possible.

When Izzy was just 7 years old, she contracted meningitis. She was extremely unwell and spent 9 weeks in hospital fighting the illness. Thankfully she pulled through, but the effects of the illness meant she had her arms and legs amputated below the elbows and knees.

Despite this, Izzy is one of the most positive people you will meet. She has started her own YouTube channel with a huge following, on which she gives makeup tutorials, and last year she was crowned national champion in a trampolining competition.

This summer, we were contacted by Team BRIT – a motor racing team of disabled drivers that is looking to make history by becoming the first ever all-disabled team to race in Le Mans. They have developed world-leading technology that allows their drivers, some of which are amputees, to drive competitively. The team had seen Izzy’s story and invited her to a race to meet the team. Now, they want to develop an advanced system that will allow Izzy to not only drive a car, but to race.

This is an opportunity we never thought Izzy would have. By developing a system like this, that could allow a quadruple amputee to consider a career in motorsport, we are not only giving Izzy a chance we had never dreamed of, but we are paving the way for other disabled drivers across the world to enter the world of racing.

We need to raise just £5,200 which will pay for a specially created simulator, built by Vesaro, who are kindly supplying this to us for less than half the usual cost. This will allow Izzy to drive with the bespoke controls in a safe environment, building up her confidence, her muscle memory and her driving skills before she attempts this in a car. Once Izzy has reached a safe level of competence, the hand control technology, which will allow her to drive using both her thighs and arms, will be transferred to a car so she can take part in her first track day.

Izzy will then need intensive driver development training to see if she has the skills to race competitively, and the simulator will play a crucial part of this training program. If Izzy is not able to take up the sport, we will donate the simulator to Team BRIT so they can assist other disabled people.

We would appreciate anything you can donate. It will create an experience for our daughter that will bring her enjoyment, challenge and satisfaction, and break down the barriers into motorsport for other people like her.

Izzy’s YouTube channel can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCotscVLRZVVVSKLWRws8xRw

To see a video of Izzy’s time with Team BRIT visit https://vimeo.com/238313762 .

To find out more about Team BRIT visit www.teambrit.co.uk