Cited as one of Britain’s most talented young drivers, Billy was involved in a serious accident during a Formula 4 race. Hospitalised and in critical condition, his injuries were so serious it led to the amputation of both legs. In an inspiring story of determination and fortitude Billy returned to racing less than three months later. His story was told in the BBC documentary Driven: The Billy Monger Story, and whilst still racing he is now also a part of Channel 4’s F1 coverage team.
Billy Monger is a broadcaster and racing driver who competed in the British F4 Championship. At the age of 17 he was involved in a collision during a race, which led to the amputation of both of his legs. Billy first sat behind a wheel at the age of three, when his father (a former kart racer himself) bought him his own go-kart, sparking a passion from an early age.
Working his way up from karting, Billy was representing the JHR Developments team in the F4 British Championship by the time he was in his teens. A year after joining the team, he was involved in a high-speed collision during a race at Donington Park, slamming headlong into another car. It took paramedics 90 minutes to cut Billy free, by which time he had sustained irreparable damage to his legs and both had to be amputated. Despite enduring a long and straining rehabilitation, Billy was committed to pursuing his passion and ambition in motorsport.
After his accident, the motorsport community began a fundraising campaign to aid Billy’s recovery, raising over £800,000 and receiving donations from the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Jensen Button and Felipe Massa. With the help of team BRIT (a motor racing team that consists of disabled drivers), Billy was back driving again 11 weeks after his accident. He has since competed in the Formula 3-based Euroformula Open championship for Carlin Motorsport, won his first single seater race in the Pau Grand Prix, and joined Channel 4’s F1 presenting team.
Billy was the subject of the BBC documentary Driven: the Billy Monger Story. Other TV credits include appearing on The One Show, comedy chat show The Last Leg, and Good Morning Britain. Billy won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award for his resilience and achievements in the face of adversity.
© Copyright 2024 JLA. All rights reserved.
