BILLY Monger, a teen racing driver, lost both of his legs following a horrific crash – but that didn’t stop him from defeating the odds and returning to the driving seat.
Days before his 18th birthday, the driver was left in a critical condition after colliding with a stationary car during a Formula 4 race at Donington Park.
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Who is Billy Monger?
Monger, also known by his nickname “Billy Whizz”, has been driving since he was three, when his father bought him his first go-kart.
He competed all over the UK and the Channel Islands before he joined the F4 British Championship.
In 2016 – aged just 17 – he achieved three podium finishes in his first season.
His wins and thirst for the sport cemented his reputation as a young British driving talent.
Monger remained with the team for the 2017 season – but it was sadly cut short by a horrific crash in 2017.
What happened in Billy Monger’s car crash?
The young racing driver, referred to as “Billy The Whizz”, was also a successful Ginetta Junior racer.
But on April 16, 2017, he was involved in what was described as one of British motorsports most horrific crashes resulting in a double leg amputation.
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A terrifying video shows the moment Billy smashed into a stationary vehicle at 120mph during the Formula 4 championship race in April 2017.
He was seen rounding another vehicle that blocked his view of Finnish racer Patrik Pasma’s slowed car, before crashing into it.
He was trapped inside his vehicle for more than 90 minutes at the Derby racetrack, before he was airlifted to hospital in Nottingham.
Although he underwent a series of operations, doctors were unable to save his lower legs.
In a tweeted statement after the crash, Billy said: “The marshals, medics, doctors, air ambulance and extraction crews at Donington along with all the staff at the Queens Medical Centre – what can I say?
“Without you guys I wouldn’t be here today! I will always thank you for saving my life.
“The one true hero of this tragic event has been my sister, Bonny who gave me the will to keep fighting!
“A value that I will continue to hold now…and for the rest of my life.”
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How did Billy Monger recover from his injuries?
The astonishing journey from his crash to his comeback was detailed in documentary, Driven: The Billy Monger Story, which aired on the BBC in November 2018.
The film offers an amazing insight from the cockpit camera as his car ploughed into a stationary vehicle at Donington Park, through the physical and mental recovery process, his fight to be let back in a racing car and friendship with Lewis Hamilton.
Nowadays, Billy races in an adapted car with manual throttle.
He also succeeded in persuading the FIA, the governing body of motor sport, to change its rules so amputees can race in single-seat cars.
What is Billy Monger doing now?
Billy is back driving after his crash.
In December 2017, he went to Paris to persuade the FIA, the sport’s governing body, to end their ban on disabled drivers in single-seater racing.
A month later, he was in the cockpit of his adapted Carlin F3 car, operating the throttle with a paddle on the steering wheel.
The “Whizzkid” also moved up from Formula 4 to F3 racing
Billy took third place at Oulton Park in his first race in the British F3 Championship in 2018.
And in May 2019 he win in the Euroformula Open Grand Prix de Pau.
In February 2021,Billy signed up for a Comic Relief challenge – involving walking, kayaking and cycling for 140 miles.
Taking place over four days, he was supported by family, friends and special guests to help spur him on to the finish line.
He started the challenge on February 22, 2021, in Gateshead, before having to take a rest day on Tuesday 23, due to extreme weather conditions.
Billy completed the gruelling task by February 26, 2021, reaching the finish line at Brands Hatch Circuit in Kent.
In a piece written for the Independent, Monger said his “Red Nose Day challenge was one of the toughest weeks” of his life.
He continued: “It is rare that I feel proud of myself or what I have achieved, but I am so relieved not to have let anyone down and to have made it past the finish post.
“It was the most incredible four days of my life and even now I still don’t think it has properly sunk in.”
He added: “I feel honoured to have been allowed to do this and I only hope it inspires other people to realise that anything is possible with the right support and to donate to Comic Relief if they can.”
