On 29 September Mission Motorsport, the Forces’ Motorsport Charity, headed to Goodwood MotorCircuit to host members of the Armed Forces Community at a fantastic day of recovery sport at a noisy track day at the historic motorsport venue. This year’s event was made even more special as Mission Motorsport celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Invitational.
Aside from exhilarating motorsport fun, the Invitational, generously sponsored by Thakeham Group, plays an important role for those on a journey of recovery. It aims to helps individuals build up their confidence, to get out and engage with the wider community, sometimes for the first time in months, and provides respite, not just for the veteran but also their family and carers. For others, it presents a fantastic networking opportunity to meet with potential employers, make connections with key players in the automotive industry or be inspired by those who have successfully transitioned in the civilian world.
Chief Operating Officer Andy Brown said, “Our Invitational Track Day at Goodwood is one of the highlights of Mission Motorsport’s sporting calendar, bringing together members of the Armed Forces community from all over the country. Our 10th anniversary on Friday was no exception and turned out to have our highest attendance ever. We are incredibly grateful to all our drivers, volunteers and of course our beneficiary audience who together made the day the success that it was.”
185 beneficiaries registered to attend, with over 45% veterans, 19% serving personnel and 25% spouses and/or carers. The presence of the magnificent Chelsea Pensioners and support from other organisations and charities, such as BLESMA, the WRAC Association, the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans and OP Courage only added to the day.
Frances Wyhowska, Ambassador, Taxi Charity for Military Veterans said:
“Mission Motorsport gave our veterans and drivers a marvellous day at Goodwood Motor Circuit. Everyone was given the opportunity to experience laps in sleek supercars at speeds of up to 150mph and the Chelsea Pensioners couldn’t be drawn away…. until that is they discovered the skid pan! The kindness of everyone at Mission Motorsport was outstanding and the smiles on the faces of our veterans and drivers said it all.”
The day also marked ten years of support from Mazda. A staunch supporter of Mission Motorsport, their continued support has helped the Charity to deliver recovery sport by providing vehicles that have allowed beneficiaries to access and experience motorsport.
There was further cause for celebration as the charity was presented with a cheque for £21,770 from Beer Mountain, a diehard community of endurance racing fans and publishers of the famous Le Mans Survival guide who have held a range of fundraising activities over the past 9 years in support of the charity
Dates for next year’s Invitational are yet to be announced but, if this year’s success is anything to go by, we cannot wait!
Find out more about Mission Motorsport, The Forces Motorsport Charity Here
