A deaf teenage racing driver from Torfaen has secured his first pole position since joining the world’s only competitive team of all-disabled racing drivers.
Caleb McDuff, 16, the UK’s only male Deaf racing driver, joined Team BRIT in January 2024.
He has dreams of becoming the first Deaf driver in Formula 1.
Last month, he teamed up with Bobby Trundley, who is autistic, to race the team’s BMW 1 series in the Britcar Trophy Championship at Silverstone.
A spokesperson for Team BRIT said: “Bobby took the qualifying stint for the pair, putting them in a great position ahead of race 1. Bobby then took the first stint in race 1, pulling ahead to a good lead.
“Unfortunately, they missed the pit window by four seconds, forcing them to serve a ‘stop-go penalty’. Despite this, Caleb drove amazingly well during his stint, showing great consistency to bring them home P1 in class.
“In race 2, Caleb started the race for the pair in P2, before Bobby took over. They drove fantastically well together once again, resulting in a P2 finish.”
Caleb lives in Pontypool, South Wales, and is a student at Cwmbran High School, which has a specialist provision for deaf students.
He was diagnosed as deaf when he was two years old, having suffered severe ear infections as a baby, but now has a moderate level of hearing thanks to cochlear implants.
‘Amazing weekend’
Caleb said: “What an amazing weekend. Bobby and I secured our first win in the BMW 1 Series.
“I also had the pleasure of meeting some fantastic people, including our sponsors and guest who showed incredible support with lots of photo and autograph requests. To top it off, having our first at Silverstone made it even more special. Mega.”
Caleb will race again on the 6 July at Oulton Park Circuit.
Information at Team BRIT can be found at www.teambrit.co.uk.