Double amputee wins Pau Grand Prix race
British racing driver takes chequered flag for the first time since life-changing crash two years ago
Double amputee racing driver Billy Monger won the Pau Grand Prix at the weekend, two years after he had both his legs amputated following a crash during a race.
It was his first win since returning to racing after his life-changing crash.
Competing in the Euroformula Open series, the 20-year-old drove his specially adapted Carlin car to victory in wet conditions in southwest France after starting 11th on the grid.
Following his accident, Monger, known as 'Billy Whizz', and his family had to appeal to the sport's international governing body, the FIA, to change its regulations restricting disabled drivers before he could race again. Prior to December 2017, the FIA restricted disabled drivers from competing in single-seat cars due to safety concerns.
He was back behind the wheel - at the British Formula 3 championship - less than a year after his accident.
He became the first disabled driver to race a single-seater car and claimed his maiden British F3 pole position on his return to Donington Park - the scene of his life-changing crash - in September 2018.
Monger is not the first amputee to return to competitive motor racing. Former Italian Formula One driver Alex Zanardi returned to motor racing after losing both his legs in a 2001 crash. But he competed in the World Touring Car Championship, not open-wheel, single-seat racing.
