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Welsh driver wins six year disability fight to rally at top level
publication date: Dec 7, 2010
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author/source: Robin Roberts
An amateur rally driver who has risen to
the top of the sport despite having only one eye is celebrating after winning a
six year fight for his international competition licence.
Grant Rees, aged 23, of Llanybydder, (right) had
cancer in his left eye at age 3 but he has won British autograss and rallycross
championship titles, and holds a national rally licence. |  | In 2002 he was asked by the world governing
body of motor sport, the FIA, to
demonstrate junior rallycross cars and the following year went on to win his
class when the series started in Britain, but in 2004 Grant was stopped from getting
his international licence by the FIA.
They told him he did not meet the vision
requirements for international competition and later refused his entry on the final
round of the World Rally Championship, Rally GB, although it used the same
stages he has rallied on over many years in national events.
Off the rally and race tracks, Grant passed
his UK driving test and the test for trailer driving at the first attempts in
2004.
Grant's case was taken up by racing Lord
Drayson, who is also partially sighted like Grant, and supported by the UK's
Motor Sports Association, and their combined pressure and continuous lobbying
by Grant meant his international rally licence has been awarded.
Now he is planning what international series
he will be doing in his Nissan Micra, which he and father Gary Rees have built
in their garage business in West Wales.
Grant said, "I am well chuffed. It is the
kind of break you think will never come because everyone has been telling me I
couldn't get the international licence right up to the point a few weeks ago when
they conceded I could get an international licence.
"Now I will be looking at my options for
international rallying next year and want to pull together a sponsorship
package."
The
Micra has been designed by father Gary Rees with the thought of running it as a
4 wheel drive machine, depending on the regulations regarding rallies in the
near future.
Gary
said, "The car is ready for 4 wheel drive if we decide to go down that road,
but for now it will stay as a 2 wheel drive car, Grant has just had his FIA
International licence which may change our plans, we are in talks on possibly
entering a few rounds of the IRC in a S2000 car, but I cannot say more than
that at the moment".
The
Micra boasts a 2.0 Litre Nissan Primera touring car engine developing 280 bhp
and hopefully the car will be in action in the Llandovery based forest's of
Crychan and Halfway in January.
Rees
Racing are no strangers to building race cars having built and run Rallycross
cars for the likes of George Tracy in his Metro 6R4 and the Mini cars for the
Nesbitt's out in Ireland. Grant himself
won the Junior Autograss championship back in 2001 and then claimed the 2004
Rallycross junior championship in Rees Racing run cars. | |
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