Driven: The Billy Monger Story

my name is Vinny manga I'm 40 pointing at me no just that hi hi [Music] Billy was one of those kids that really sort of rose above everyone else [Applause] so Billy free wins from free yeah I mean it'd be hard work but we made progress and erasers picks up good points [Music] bhishan chemistry [Applause] [Music] the way I see it I had a free day snooze basically and woke up and my injuries were like they were you expect that you wake up your legs aren't there anymore and you go into some mass panic but I never already happened like that for me you read a letter from Lewis Hamilton support me and my recovery yeah I was lost for words and I was staring now an hour after he came out of the coma called up Cindy Eddie's and we're gonna get back out and race again or mate this is tight that my dream is to one day race in Formula One but knowing sable driver has ever been allowed to compete at this level this is the story of my family and what it's like to suddenly become a double amputee as I fight the race again my life didn't stop then although my life changed then my new life kind of has started now [Music] I feel like a baby it's only been a couple of months since I got out of hospital my mum my dad and my sister Bonnie have brought me to the British Grand Prix ever since the crash I've had a huge amount of support from all over the world especially in the motorsport community Lewis Hamilton has invited me to watch him race today [Music] [Music] [Applause] Billy I really want to say thank you so much for coming in this race this race is for you thank you congratulations it's not every day your childhood hero dedicates to the race 20 if I'm honest it's a little bit over world [Applause] [Music] I've been stuck in this wheelchair for the last few months so we've had to make a few changes around the house because it is an old aft every room is on a different level so just small things at first but like just little small ramps so that you can access the whole ground floor of the house without having to be reliant on us and obviously move movies bedroom downstairs from upstairs so this this is now Billy's bedroom now this was just a normal bathroom before with like a bathtub and everything but now it's um yeah they've got wet rooms I've got shower seat so I can actually have a nice shower on my own can kind of be independent and there's just enough room for me to get get the chair in here so that I can I can transfer over everything's a new challenge for me I guess nothing there nothing's really the same as it was before being in the chair is just horrible because you just feel like trapped and you don't feel like yourself it restricts you like there's things that you actually just physically can't you can't go up steps in the chair but mentally I'm like why can't I go up steps but everyone's like not you can't do that my dream is to get back behind the wheel of a racecar but at the moment I can't even [Music] oh she's gonna live now that she would speak on you bill today that's taken me to get fitted for my first set of prosthetic legs hello Billy mongers got an appointment at 11:00 with rod I think yes yeah please she's getting used to I am ready a lot of people were born in a wheelchair so it from early days you're used to it if you know what I mean but for someone that you're used to having your son you know just like a normal every other human being suddenly be sitting in a wheelchair so it is very very weird feeling just can't be easy wait yeah more work for okq got click baby baby steps feels like I just thought when you put the pressure on it just having the trust that it's gonna stick yeah when I had my expectations I didn't see it as a change to my life I just saw it as sort of something this happened and I'm gonna do this to fix it that feels right great to see him up on to you know not his own legs but don't get used to seeing him up now back at the same height I mean so everything yeah [Music] my new legs will take a couple of weeks to make so I'm going to have to wait a bit longer before I can start learning it over again I say that's a big step and make that make sure you know much too short though you just try going on your knees and walking on them see how much energy you're going to use doing that it's a lot of effort it's not going to take weeks or months it could take over a year to really get him settled down because things will change we never discharge a patient from here because they're on their continual care to the end of their days really should be true for I am I born the goecart when you 3 he's not an aggressive sort of kid so we didn't think that racing would suit him but he suddenly decided yeah that's the life for me so and then from then on that's all we've ever done really apart from go to work try knowing the money to go racing I used to embrace on over circuits that you see how long I've Adam they're rusting look you don't get metal trophies any more than only plastic mine around the garage going rusty because there's no room for mining doors anymore so now he takes the mick out of me because I've only got 12 or 13 and he's probably got 213 miss racing and yeah I'll probably do miss it yeah but I get my and I'll get my buzzin out of watching him race you know [Music] so when I first started at six just you and your dad going racing and this really special to just to get to spend time with you with your dad well you're abrasive you is it no then when I first started it's when Lois first jumped into f1 erased at the same circuits that I do in karts my ambition is to get to form one definitely my in Georgia speed I like to be with all the the big guys and I'd like to be making lots of money you look up to f1 and that's where you won't be there's a mum it's terrifying but he loves it so much so you can't stop them then we got this picture one my first British championship once I got up to speed and I started getting better and better and better like my love for it kind of grew I knew I had to come let's operate to win the championship Frank's my mum and dad worked up this hard the season to get me up to the top and now I've won the championship which I'm really proud of I wasn't always the most confident of both kids and it really helped me to come out of my shell because we used to be a way tracing so much we've always done it as a family so you know it's always been the four of us going away weekend's I've loved it ever since we started so it's just part of life relate you're my brother you can be Angie anytime in the hindsight now those were the happiest days the money involved wasn't huge you were happy you've got nothing to live up to no expectations and if you came home with the trophy you were happy the person once you've tested car team I started making my way out for you the mountains beador 60 yeah there when all watch from the same place and it didn't matter whose kid it was everyone would relax when the last race was over we could have a glass of wine and relax and enjoy ourselves two-thirds of my life have been taken up by going racing at the weekends at age 16 I graduated to single-seater racing at speeds of up to 135 miles an hour so [ __ ] whether we turn to her for some weekend really happy to get some quotes on the for the verb to strong results [Music] I thought I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't race again that would be sort of devastating to think that I'm so dependent on driving a car fast around the track in several and against other drivers it's a very strange feeling to have to be so light reliant on that giving you a bit of purpose in life [Music] yeah I might use pain hey did ya I'm good thanks [Music] yeah oh yeah we've come back as a family to watch a weekend's racing yeah yeah the people that knew me before the accident and we're like my friends they didn't treat me any differently really so that was a nice thing to go to the races which was just to catch up and just to have normal chats yeah we'll get faked it was the people that didn't really know me before my accident and then all of a sudden wanted pictures a school photo like I had people coming up to me saying like inspiration and stuff for that which was erm just completely out of the ordinary [Music] yeah it was that sort of things that was really hard to get my head round at first because it was like I hadn't changed but everyone's perception of me had changed which was quite difficult today is the final race of the f4 championship I was competing him when I had my crash the favourite to win is Jamie Carolina mostly me and Jamie were rivals but he has been like my closest made from racing since we were sort of 78 when we first started together do is either him on top of me on top who is the best rocket Billy see ya I'll say feeling you'll probably see me but you see all these guys you've raced and beat in previous races and you feel like you you haven't had a chance to to fulfill what you could have done [Music] obviously I'm a racing driver not someone who watches I'm lamb missing me and Matt behind the wheel the weekend was actually doing the drivers side of things sure enough Jaime's won the championship [Music] I'm gonna chow [Music] I've done gone off at the same corner you wander around past Thank You Anne Frank she's boss say Billy and his family are my family as well recently if you're spending more time than I have here we'll track Johnny uh then I will chase I got it ah let's go Road America mm-hmm okay he's always racing wise was never aggressive would never do what I used to do you know five people off the fiends hope that we are racing oh my god no no Maya why are you not looking up at all you've got abs no Alvin you squeak you up you literally use 10% and a brake pedal okay but yeah he was the perfect single city driver smooth he was boom straight straight to the top at the time and she's right this thing's got no traction that's cuz I can't crashing I'll keep finding it out Jamie races for a team cool Carlin it was one of their cars that I hit when I had my accident there's a favor he's arranged for me to visit the karlon headquarters how I met we knew Billy from the past we'd raced against him then all of a sudden the catastrophe happened at Donington which we were we were involved in because Billy crashed into our car as time went by all sudden Jamie says a trove could Billy calm down in the meantime some of the mechanics and things have been talking the engineers and they say well let's see if we can try the sim we can we could set up some hand controls on the sim and give it the go my lands in there in the evening and lunch break worked out how to make it work very simply just to give him a go [Music] and I just started off without doing any gears just doing fraught embrace and kind of just getting the feel of driving a car using your hands what we've then seen of course is this incredible transformation and we've got a little leaderboard in my top gear leaderboard and Billy's p3 out of 25 drivers it's just staggering you know it's I've never known anything like with a racing driver thing drivers who normally translates to working in the car it's all very well getting good times on the sim but disabled drivers like me are banned from racing single seater cars we've been in touch with the governing authority for motorsport to try and get this rule changed its go hot for people at the top of their fight to communicate down to us so some times like we've heard from people like no no this it's not looking good you're not gonna be out to racing see is and then it turns out they said no there's a good chance you live against Racing see it's just like also came Chinese whispers it's like that two weeks after getting fitted for prosthetics my new legs finally arrived a shiny we're good to make Billy he's owned bars when he feels like he wants to come and have a practice he can come in here and do it on his own hopefully mum can I have a hand yes put it on are you that's all right oh my lot to learn man 1 I wait how are you right forget everything yeah I know just [Music] ya feelin alright I'm naked [Music] Hey [Laughter] it's really easy just to like to get my balance but in terms of OC I don't know while walking but stand it why is it yeah it feels yeah pretty good to be up just like total I was for for as well [Music] two days later I've come to Brands Hatch I'm going to do a charity book for the air ambulance that saved my life I am finding nourishment just to see him up and with everyone stand behind him and him walking they caught his legs on Thursday so I need couple of days you know put me a few hours of you a deal together say them back you didn't think it's oh yeah I want to show the world that I can walk again our tank I'm ready [Music] I'd like to introduce you to filly monger on his new let's buy hero [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] once they must have thanks or support the first few bumps awesome a crash really meant a lot to me every single one of you yeah big round of applause everyone for coming out today without all that support who knows where we would be never history if it was just us as a family with no outside support you just don't know now the teenage racing driver who lost both legs in a crash says he's lost for words after well-wishers raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for him it was just unreal just from the first in the first day it was just like what we wanted to raise for his rehabilitation we raised in a day his team has already helped raise more than 800,000 pounds towards his recovery [Applause] [Music] yes I says or not my question when you think that I had a crash at 120 miles an hour it's got a tiny crack in it it's nothing looks like nothing really like I remember at all I remember what happened my spires I already tend to get upset about it I haven't so far anyway it's just like the way I see it is it's already happened and sitting here being upset about it wouldn't get me back behind of a race car and I'll just say it simply is that it's all been since the crash all been about being able to get back behind the wheel of a racecar and get back that feeling speed or which I love so much obviously it was a sad time but it's yeah I don't see I'll be being upset forever it's gonna make a difference really [Music] [Music] it's just like normal morning racetrack Billy uh play and yeah it's just like any normal race weekend morning and yeah we're all set for round six of the year for British Championships I think after the first four races I think we're adding championship so I don't think I could have won it I don't know that I can talk about all of that let's move on and we'll come back to that ride a chaotic race Jamie Caroline he had a slight bit of contact with another driver he ended up spinning and I spun to avoid him as he came back across the racing line [Music] gireesham really it's gonna be absolutely gutted about that yeah looks like he's got damaged as well bum girls take the other two hardcore just put me in a power position so I was just trying to then work my way back through back for it field they call him for my branch there was two guys and to me that were battling and there's me catching up getting closer and closer to the bathroom in any last minute they put out the way and I'm just yeah there's that stationary car that I didn't see two-thirty place you can see their walls surrenders that's absolutely knows he just couldn't save [Music] I was in the fete laying a man who was she wasn't watching from the pits she was watching for the first corner so obviously when the accident happened then she came into the pits to find out what was going on at first I did before any pain because the adrenaline of going I was almost ready to kind of undo my belts and try and jump out the car because I don't feel any pain [Music] at that stage obviously amanda was in quite a state so I said like I can't leave her so straightaway Bonnie just said okay dad I'll go he was conscious he was talking and it was nice to be there and just so he had someone there everyone else was freaking out the worst thing I could have done is go over there and been panicking because that would have made him panic I don't remember anything after that for three days thing probably every parent's worst nightmare I did play myself you know we'll go everywhere around you is telling you it's not you know it's not your fault you still yeah down deep down your heart yeah did by myself here I remember talking to him and having that conversation with him that that you've lost your legs and you know he knew and he knew and I remember him gripping my hand as much say it's okay you know it's a you know now you've got to tell me these things but I know and he sort of made it very easy really incredible absolute incredible it's probably the first time I've really spoke about it and it's it's hard yes I've never met anybody like Billy I remember being really scared to go into Vinny's room and it probably took me a few seconds just starts out that door before I pushed it to go in and then it all changed the minute I met him and straightaway he was happy he was smiling you know he was able to laugh and joke from the very very beginning with you and he was just he made everything so much easier to work with his I must say I've never seen him anything but smiling and that's that's a fact I find that quite an improbable but it's but it's of fact yes and that time with him when he was here was very special yes it was living I've never seen him cry any tears since the thing you know you just got all of it you know I definitely wanna take the positives about this and make sure that I use it in a positive way for the rest of my life now still got a few years left in me for sure I knew that this was all see it gave me life changing but not so the extent that I know it now I liked my mates from from school and racing racing came out because they clapped nice they just talked like in a 17 year old boy would with his friends rather than talk about everything to do with what happened when I first went up to see him they didn't want to leave a just way to be there for him as much so I could just it home I said me I didn't take it you know I had a lot where I grew me of why it happened it shouldn't happen to anyone so my eyes happened to the nicest kid on the grid [Music] we've been summoned to Paris to the headquarters of Motorsports governing body we're going to see the FIA about finding out whether they're going to change the ruling that a disabled person can't race see to come it's kind of 50/50 a minute because there's never been any disable driverless racing single seasons before so for them to turn around and say single-seat is isn't a dream but isn't a dream that's achievable it'd be really think I would be really disappointed [Music] the FIS medical Commission have been reviewing whether or not they think it's safe enough for me to Rose S on which way when we meet sir I'll just sell an ohm ji fine yeah I'm just a prisoner of the miracle commission but the agenda is very formal but this meeting is very informal one year ago we created task force to think about the disability our out is possible for anybody but it was a disability how it's possible to practice his favourite sport and the vehicle Commission proposed together to remove the consensus at this point it's possible after a lot of technical modification after a medical assessment and so on to be attractive participate to this competition follow the single seater so that previous exemption to single seaters has been removed so there is that the potential for anyone to obtain a single-seater license which wasn't possible into this one I didn't want my accident and injuries to affect their path in multiple I was out to take which is obviously now the ruins been over or so that makes make it makes it possible I lose the option yeah yeah is good news they've changed the rules for all the same be drivers now all I have to do is figure out how to drive a car with no legs I need to be safe and I need to be competitive it's good good things coming ahead thing it's looking more and more real yeah which is deer nice it's a nice feeling to have [Music] I've been invited to the FIA annual awards ceremony as a guest of honor his bravery truly captured the imagination of the global motorsport community he's here and he's going to make the war ladies and gentlemen Billy where's Billy Margot [Applause] so weird feeling being the center of attention but the truth is I'm better known now than I ever was before and opening up new opportunities for me the only thing with this in a minute Carlene have agreed to build me a specially modified car not an f4 but the next step up in every color there Venus that the media interest is still got high he probably would have never ever got to drive in a free car so from something so bad there's some good coming out of it there the steering doesn't feel too bad where it is there it's a roughly I'm gonna have this lever here on this side we should be throttle and then on this side we're thinking I'm gonna have two levers one's gonna go up gears and levels gonna go down then I'm gonna use my legs a break in the F free Championships are just a couple of months away Carlin will only give me a place on their team if I can prove I can drive their car fast enough if you're not providing the results that he's required you're out and that says it's very brutal in that respect [Music] because I haven't got legs rest of me needs to be stronger and fitter than any other driver quickly you go in cars the more strain and the more strength it takes to steer the car in the right direction [Music] obviously anyone can drive in a straight 950 mark now about fruit corners but quicker you go the more forces put on your body it's like 3 or 4 times your body weight being pushed against your head in the opposite direction [Music] everything's moving really quickly except one thing my legs aren't fitting properly and I can't walk come down there today to get a new fit really just frustrating I've been in this chair too long now I go quiet quite annoying sometimes but obviously I know I'm not to read in entire leaves up it's like normally again but it will I just want to get back to the best off stage I can as soon as possible it's tough if I kind of I guess I underestimated how hard it is [Music] hello agent we've not really been doing very much at all because it's been not been fitting that well we couldn't really it's the rest of your life really this sort of things because you know your big days where you can wear a limb and it's fine you're gonna die you the stunt might change a little bit and it's just done will wear it and this this happens quite a lot of time and you can't legislate for when it's gonna happen any like it's a lifelong thing then but it can only get better yeah what we say but we're oh hey oh hey come here just give me a home maybe say they multiply yeah yeah yeah when we're coming to these appointments and rod says like yeah we're gonna say a lot of you that over the years I think mum just my mom's just wants to be a normal mom with Jesus once when a child gets sick or has something wrong with my she wants me to get better as soon as possible but with this it's kind of like the realization that yes it can get better but it's still gonna be there right for actually life early before you start ever walking on prosthetics you like I'm gonna go in for guns blazing I'm gonna put my legs on long she's gonna start running and walking straight away which isn't the case and it's not until you realize that that isn't the case that you kind of it does become more of a difficulty like mentally that really made me kind of actually sort of acknowledged X then a lot more because it kind of opened my eyes up to the fact that okay this is none of this is ever gonna be the same painted at four so you have changed it is freezing [Music] I heard a yeah that's my own grief it's hard as an 18 year old to still be so reliant on everyone at home it's freezing you might want a bit more than that my coat I mean I've been quite lucky in the fact that I've gone back to work so I've quite lucky on it that you'll escape you know to go to work whereas life for Amanda and Bunyan that this everyday you know they get up every morning and they know things have changed his full-time job really well I'm just saying what class do you want having a man and mother me or it's quite frustrating in some ways my mum's better start got very very worried we're off term accident that because all she could think about was when she's gone who's gonna look after me and I don't want that to be the situation of her think having to think who's gonna ask her look after Bill Billy you'll be freezing I'll be swam on that so because the accident happened when I was still at college I'm having to retake my final year when we were younger we used to just fight like kids and then would be next when it would be playing with each other like we were best friends again that was true but now I think since his accident we've got a lot closer remember act comes apart Billy I do this every day the last minute break then even your racing driver see me is away oh Destry ins fine people treat you any differently really I notice people looking like of them that evils would you mean looking at night but yeah won't you've got to go around calm yeah you get that but I don't really bind that cuz I it's just curiosity isn't it [Music] for me I don't feel disabled it's not necessarily how I feel but one bullet is how I feel other people feel of my body that affects me more I always see them like looking and they're not doing it out of being negative they're just curious but for me I probably get a bit self-conscious about that [Music] let us start I didn't actually feel that body-conscious it wasn't until I've actually had time to kind of get over everything and realize how my body's changed and and how people perceive me that that's probably made me yeah boy more self-conscious tanned I was early early on after my accident but I'm getting there with it I'm learning how to serve yeah right love myself for Who I am I guess [Music] today's the day that I'm going to test the nearly want [ __ ] there's a massive day for the team um for EM really so say yes so hopefully fingers crossed it will go as well I'm only nervous because I want it to go well not because I'm nervous of driving the car yeah I'll only make the team if I'm fast enough this car is more powerful than anything I've ever driven before [Music] it's quicker and straights quicker in the corners with more downforce it's like a step up for all the other drivers they're all having to contend with the step up and I'm having to do that and then learn how to drive the car a completely different way [Music] all right looking forward to it Amanda much field equipment but yeah yeah that's good [Music] [Music] [Music] it's not only back in a car he's just lit it up out ligarius it's like I'm free I'm back to what I love [Music] [Music] I didn't forget all the times as quickly as he did I've never seen anyone do what he's done before you know that we're calling team and then I was so shocked that he was straight my pays to actually agents go out there and do what I've been saying a lot when I do since the extra Moscato and do it I don't have to think about any of that I can just kind of got there drive yeah just do what I love so that's that's been there I was yeah thus far my face and I didn't rub the helmet here lucky I'm wearing like a Cheshire Cat if I was gonna deal with two Billy's the Billy that would want to sit at home and not do anything and not go out would have been a whole world different than dealing with Billy who thinks it's hilarious to scare the hell out of me that's an easier Billy to deal with [Music] ever since my accident there's been one person supporting me from afar today I get to show him my car [Music] nice how you doing man okay you good say yeah get this everybody do this amazing that your you're racing this year what an achievement man how's testing on it's going really well but man I'm so excited to see how you do it this oh why you got a short throw it is quite here's a short lever isn't hmm jump in quick yeah it's nice hopefully take this open up oh so you like myself anything so yeah so we'll see GUP let's start it up [Music] it sounds great yeah sounds really good there's a bit of an animal yeah well from where for anyways a bit it's a step up for me yeah yeah of course I'm gonna I bet you down there but yeah but man honestly I'm so proud of you though many people will have the mental capacity to do what you've done go through what you've been through and be so positive it's just nice to just chat like two racing drivers than the Nathan house I prefer just talking normally but then sort of you can see if you scroll through it gives you your sort of your bias we don't know we don't use the radio if that's you got pit limiter I was trying to keep like he now but yeah deep down it's like wow a bit like speechless I guess you can either say just like you don't quite not have to say when you just settle in you just ship having a chat with lady childhood hero if I can I'll try I'd love to come to a race at some stage I'd love to have you down for a race that be all so I want to see I wish I could come and drive this for the man but this is gonna be great few minute wait where's the first race first race awesome thought nice as a sick truck yeah that's like one of my favorite UK tracks that made me feel pretty cool that it's a Lewis Hamilton and you're cool and I guess that's got over a bit of fear in the bellies of my that people be racing against I guess [Music] alright jackhammer it's been less than a year since I became a double amputee Ronco yeah and battery deep on the first race of the championship to get back out there and actually being involved in a race book but there's nothing better than to skin him bulbs in a scrap in a race before what I seen how I handled I guess I've overcome that sort of sideshow factor and I'm now just someone else on the grid which is what what I've always wanted since obviously having the accident [Music] yeah we take them like that I don't watch races now as soon as he goes to the greater now I go back to the camper van and to the mist camp and who basically pretending that's not happening we're lucky yeah yeah [Music] the nicest thing for me by drive is unless you know me you don't know what's happened to me which I like so to kick off the BRDC british f3 championship season I'm horrible Ivanka he will start from fifth on the grid as they look towards the lights which go red [Music] leading the way I understood Chris then is doing his best right edge away for the opposition as Billy Marquette he's returned to racing camp over the curb pounds of Britons it's the real feel-good story of the season thus far very vulgar tremendous to see him back on track as a hand challenge made a successful [Music] vodka meets a bird fight among a very third-base [Music] top gallant [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Laughter] it's amazing yes like he's won the lottery United - yeah oh my god [Music] podium first time now [Music] I see [Music] I was watching strike was the only thing that was on telly know about now [Music] just gotta stick together you know his son you know it was there's times it's really hard you know but yeah I think the fact that we all sort of stuck together and he's what one of the things ways recovered from it quite quickly you know and just sort of got on other thing I've actually sunk in will just happened yeah last year I've sponsored a beauty set that I've been on the podium first race of the year in British a free item yeah I'll touch you Alliance I know it's a mega mega fearless many voices laughing yes [Music] you

Channel: Billy Monger

Views: 1,723,213

Keywords: Billy Monger, Driven: The Billy Monger Story, Formula One, BBC Three, IPlayer, TV, Billy Monger Crash, Billy Monger Accident, Billy Monger Documentary, BBC2, BBC3, BBC1, Teenager, Racing, Story

Id: i3fwLgWaFmM

Length: 58min 57sec (3537 seconds)

Published: Fri May 17 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/UberLordMetagross]

It was and still is on BBC Iplayer as well. It's a really interesting watch to see how resilient Billy was in his pursuit to get back into the cockpit of a race car! I'd highly recommend it!