Four-times IndyCar Champion Dario Franchitti MBE joins a Mission Motorsport-run squad, partnering with his brother Marino Franchitti, racing journalist Dickie Meaden and Ferrari Challenge UK Champion Jamie Clarke. The formidable line-up also includes charity beneficiary Sophie Burt who will be making her racing debut at the Race of Remembrance.
Sophie Burt joined the Army in 2007 and having gained her HGV 1 licence at 18 was posted to military logistics in support of the British Army in Germany. In late 2009 she spent six months in Kandahar on Operation HERRICK where her camp was under mortar and small arms fire daily. Returning to Germany in 2010 she was posted to 6 Supply Regiment in Gutersloh where she fulfilled a variety of roles. As a mark of her ability and professionalism, she was promoted to Corporal in 2013 aged just 23.
Health issues including PTSD meant she was forced to surrender her driving licence in 2016, isolating her from friends and family, and was downgraded and signed off from work. She battled to recover and came to Mission Motorsport in early 2017 where, she says, “I found a new family that helped me focus, gave me hope and quite honestly saved my life.”
Top Scot Dario Franchitti is a four-time IndyCar Series champion (2007, 2009, 2010, 2011), a three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 (2007, 2010, 2012) and winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona (2008). Following an injury from a racing accident in 2013, Franchitti announced his retirement from racing and became an advisor for Chip Ganassi Racing and co-commentator for Formula E.
He returned to motor racing, albeit as an amateur, at the 2019 Goodwood Revival – the Race of Remembrance is his second since his comeback. The squad will be driving a Mazda MX-5 prepared and run by Mission Motorsport employees and charity beneficiaries.
Marino began a successful racing career in the late 90s. He won the GTO Championship in British GT, raced for numerous factory teams including Panoz, Acura and Ford, and has raced at Le Mans on multiple occasions. He’s the 2013 ALMS LMP2 Champion and took overall victory in the prestigious 12-hours of Sebring in 2014. He continues to race sports cars at the highest level and finds the time to be an official development driver for Singer – the brand that restores and modifies ultra-high-end Porsches.
James Cameron, CEO, Mission Motorsport stated: “I’m still pinching myself. To have Dario, Marino, Dickie and Jamie join Sophie in a team run by Mission Motorsport will not only make a huge difference to her but also shine a light on a unique event that truly aids the recovery journey of so many others.”
Richard Meaden, co-founder of evo magazine, is also a successful racer, with a win at the Goodwood Revival on his CV. He has also competed in the Nürburgring 24 Hours and the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Clarke, the 2019 Ferrari Challenge UK champion, swaps a mid-engined supercar for a front engine sports car but is equally relishing the challenge.
The 12-hour Race of Remembrance hosts over 50 teams, taking place at the Anglesey Circuit in North Wales over the weekend of 9-10th November. Mission Motorsport will be running four of these teams, crewed by over 40 charity beneficiaries in a variety of roles across the event.
Now in its sixth year, the Race of Remembrance is the culmination of the Charity’s sporting year and raises awareness for the recovery and rehabilitation of those affected by military operations. The race is suspended at 11am on Remembrance Sunday for a unique pitlane remembrance service, then restarted to its eventual climax at approximately 3pm on the same day.
