Matt Speakman: From Wheelchair to Racing a Porsche 911
Hand controls can be used in all manner of cars. Last year we covered the story of Alan “Hammer” Bloore competing in the Targa Tasmania ( http://hammer.swda.org.au/ ), and now we have come across another amazing racer with hand controls, Mr Matt Speakman! Check out his story and vehicle below!
Matt the first person in Australia with a disability to race professionally, a significant title which he achieved by sheer determination and extraordinary persistence.
In January 2015 Matt added to his list of achievements. As part of the Mission Possible Racing team, he and three others in wheelchairs (two of which have quadriplegia) took on the most challenging form of Motorsport – the Dubai 24hr Endurance Race in the BMW 235 class.
Many questioned the ability of an all disabled team to finish the such a monumental challenge but the team, not only finished the gruelling race, they finished in style and further up the leader board than expected.
Next, in March 2015, is round 2 at the iconic Mugello Autodrone in the Tuscany region of Italy. The team, confident from the results of Dubai, is now intent on showing the world just how competitive they are.
In 2013 Matt raced in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge presented by Pirelli in the Gold Coast McElrea Racing team. In doing this Matt became the first person in the world to race in a Porsche series with a major disability.
As well as racing Matt is an Ambassador of SpinalCure Australia, http://www.spinalcure.org.au/, a non profit organisation which raises funds for medical research to find a cure for paralysis.
Matt is also one of the key presenters in No Second Chance http://n2c.com.au/ , a youth safety program.No Second Chance’ objective is to save teenage lives arising from the tragic consequences of Youth Violence and Road Accidents.
Matt was also a member of the Australian Paralympics Alpine Ski team and competed in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race in 1994 finishing 30th.
He is also currently training in a K1 Kayak and working hard to qualify for a position on the Australian Paralympic Team heading to Rio in 2016.
Matt is a professional speaker and aims through his speaking engagements to inspire others, especially those with a disability, that they can also dream and achieve their dreams.
Matt is currently seeking sponsor partners to support his efforts to race in Mission Possible Racing in 2015.
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