Race of Remembrance video – A look into this unique motorsport event
Gold medallists, Sir Chris Hoy and John-Allan Butterworth take part in an endurance race like no other
There is no other event like the Race of Remembrance; both its philosophy and its format are unique. Held over the remembrance weekend, the 1000km endurance race takes place at Anglesey circuit in Wales and consists of 45 teams campaigning cars from a Citroen C1 to a Lotus Elise, a Caterham to a Honda Jazz. So far not that different, but six hours after the start, roughly half way through, the race pauses and a service is held to commemorate and remember the sacrifices made by members of the armed forces and their families.
The race is arranged by charity Mission Motorsport, an organisation that gives ex-service men and women the opportunity to be involved with motor racing to help them recover from physical and mental injuries they may have sustained in action. Veterans and serving officers are taught the skills needed to be involved in all aspects of motorsport, rebuilding their confidence and enabling them to gain qualifications to help support them in the future.
> Read about our 24 hour endurance race in a Citroen C1
The Race of Remembrance sees those helped by the charity organising the event, working on and maintaining the cars and racing, too. But the weekend is as much about creating a bond between teams and a chance for everyone to socialise as it is about winning. This attitude is exemplified by a dinner before the race that brings everyone together. However, the sense of accomplishment and camaraderie needed to make a car and a team last the extent of an endurance race achieves far more than an evening of dinner and drinks could.
Last year Olympian, Sir Chris Hoy competed in the Race of Remembrance in a Mk7 Volkswagen Golf R. He wasn’t the only gold medal cyclist to enter either; one of his teammates was Paralympian John-Allan Butterworth.
Watch our latest video to see Hoy and Butterworth race and get a true sense of this exceptional event, the solemn atmosphere of the service and the contrast of the busy, loud and energetic race. Also listen to accounts from those who have been helped by Mission Motorsport to get a better understanding of how beneficial the work that the charity does really is.
