Growing up, I tried my hand at numerous sports. From football, rugby, golf, tennis, basketball athletics and many more, i never really felt at home with them. That was until a small karting club emerged at my local park in Langley. Being only 7 years old at the time, I can remember waking up in the mornings on a Saturday, and hearing the sound of the karts while I was in the house, watching those Saturday morning kids programmes.

I then, managed to one day, convince my mum to allow me over there, after all, it was only a stones throw away from the house, and back then, there wasn’t the concerns there are in today’s communities. Having seen them up close, I was then convinced that this was the path that i wanted to pursue and I wasn’t going to allow anything to prevent that from happening. I begged my mum to sign me up for the membership, and in return, I would apply to do the local paper round so that i was able to pay and begin the long road to competing on the big stage.

Many years passed, and I remained a loyal member of the club. There were so many great times there, with many friends made. There were however, some bad times, with the storage unit, which was also located in Langley, was broken into, with some of the karts being stolen. It was at this point, I think, at the age of 9 that I thought, me, a kid living with my mum, who does so much for me, would never be able to make it in motorsport. Well, my mum contacted the local papers, I done my first interview, and as the days went by, we received backing and from several places and the club was back up and running.

So, as I grew older (and somewhat wiser), I realised by the age of 15 or 16 that pursuing a career in motorsport may not be possible. Being an avid fan of motorsport, following Formula 1, the BTCC and WRC, it was clear that all of these sports stars came from wealthy backgrounds, and pursuing this sporting dream would be near impossible, so as anyone at 15 to 16 does, I looked at career options, so decided that if I wouldn’t be able to race cars, then I would fix them, and so began my career in the Automotive industry with Mercedes Benz.

I saw friends progress within the motorsport ranks, friends that I had met karting, and that gave me the determination to aim to become the best I can in my field as a vehicle technician, with the aim to one day be able to compete alongside the hero’s that I had watched on TV growing up.

Fast forward to the final quarter of 2008, my career at Mercedes Benz had come to an end, with the dreaded recession, however, I had successfully completed my apprenticeship with them. With jobs very few and far between, I had 3 years of what I would call temporary jobs, as I pursued a career back with a top manufacturer, that being Audi. In the February of 2011, I was offered a position at Audi, and continue to work there this very day, enjoying the progress of my career as the time has passed with my employment with them.

Working my way up, I began with zero knowledge of the brand, to today, where I have worked tirelessly to gain numerous Audi certifications from Service technician, to Diagnostic technician, Audi R8 expert, Audi Sport expert and Audi High Voltage technician. The determination to compete on the big stage was still there, the determination that the 7 year old me had was still there, and I was determined to prove to all out there, that anyone can do anything if they work hard enough to get there.

It was then, in 2015 that I saw the opportunity that I had been waiting for, TeamHARD. Racing had a scholarship open, whereby the winner could get a fully funded driver in the 2016 VW Racing Cup. Naturally, this was an opportunity that I wasn’t going to let pass me by, so I entered. Knowing that this would be my first time in a fully prepared race car, I was, lets say a little nervous. I was by no means the best driver on track, there were those who had vastly more circuit experience, and so, a deserved winner was chosen. Would I let this deter me, of course not. I spent numerous phone calls to team principal Tony Gilham, who saw my dedication and determination. I booked several exclusive test days with them, testing a fully prepared racing VW Golf, and as the test sessions went by, the lap times came down and the experience went up. As more time went by, and the experience grew, I began my next challenge, to find sponsors that would hopefully enable me to compete.

Over the course of 2016, I spent all of my spare time, after work and at weekends, contacting businesses in a bid to gain the backing required to compete in my first season of racing against competitors that, are vastly more experienced than myself, being both older and younger than myself. Eventually, I managed to secure the backing of the fantastic Getac Technology Corporation, who supported me for the entire 2017 season. They had faith in me and wanted to see my career grow. Thankfully, with their support, I was able to compete in the 2017 VAG Trophy, which saw me competing against fields of up to 25 competitors, with the season totalling 31 drivers, all of which had far more experience on circuit than myself. That said, I was determined to improved week on week. By mid-season, I was competitive enough to be challenging for podiums, and at the iconic Brands Hatch, I was able to gain my first podium on the world famous Grand Prix loop, in the most challenging of conditions for any race driver, the wet. Sadly, the second race of that weekend saw a mechanical failure of the race car while sitting in a comfortable second place.

We then come to the end of the season, and of a total field of 31 competitors, I had managed to finish in a very respectable 6th place, exceeding my expectations of attempting to finish in 10th. I had achieved my first podium competing in my debut season, and the series organiser, Maximumgroup.net awarded me with the 2017 “most enthusiastic driver” award for the effort, dedication and determination I had put in to my first season of competing in senior racing, with seasoned race drivers. I was elated with a fantastic performance, exceeding my own expectations by quite some margin, but seeing the improvement over the course of the season.

With the performance put in, I was then seen as a valuable member of the TeamHARD. Racing family, and come the end of the season, was able running my own corporate VIP track day for the team at Getac that had supported me in my debut season. This, in turn, catapulted me to working with TeamHARD. Racing on many of their corporate track days, taking guests out on track and coaching them on how to best navigate a circuit within a race car, aiding them to become quicker and quicker as the day progressed. As with all of the corporate track days, those that participate, come the end of the day, are taking out by the professionals, and it is truly an honour to be trusted by the team, and guests alike, to show them just how the race car can really be handled around the track when you know the car, the circuit and what is possible from that machine that is your office for most weekends of the year.

We then get to 2018, and as the season is due to begin, budget restraints meant that I was not able to take to another seasons racing as all the race series were beginning. This, as devastating as it was, was not going to deter me, and I continued to work with the team, providing my expertise a one of their driver coaches for guests. It then dawned on me, later in 2018, that I was to become a father for the first time. This for me was fantastic, and the best news I could wish for. I made the conscious and correct decision to take the 2019 season out, to learn how to be a dad, and enjoy the experience. We attended numerous races as a family, including BTCC, Silverstone classics, Goodwood and many more. This extended break away from competing only served to highlight to me just how family orientated TeamHARD. Racing is, and throughout everything, I felt blessed that everyone within the team were keen to not only keep in touch, but see me back out competing, and so as a family, we decided that we would once again push to compete to be back out on circuit, but attending circuits as a family, and showing the nation, the world, that motorsport is a superb hub for not only athletes, but for socializing, generating business, generating work and most of all, enjoying weekends with friends and family.

We then fast forward to 2021, and we have exited the notorious COVID pandemic. While this gave me time to spend with my family, it also game me an opportunity to focus on my daughters future. With many years worth of motor trade experience, along with countless friends and contacts made throughout the motorsport community, I saw this as an opportunity to focus on 2x things that matter to many vehicle owners. Performance and security. This is where I have now begun my own business of KB Remap & Race. The aim of complete honesty with regards to performance tuning of vehicles, both petrol and diesel. There have been occasions whereby customers have wanted excessive performance from a remap. While this may be what they want, ultimately, the longevity of their vehicle and driving pleasure is my goal. I give an honest opinion of what the client may be better suited to, dependant on their vehicle condition, vehicle mileage and how they deem their driving to be. Tuning clients vehicles brings me pleasure to give them that “new car feeling” but without spending weeks getting to know a new vehicle. While performance on a vehicle is one thing, this unfortunately makes the vehicle even more appealing to thieves. This is whereby the “KBR Vehicles” partnered with “Vodafone Automotive” came in, and I now offer Thatcham Accredited S5 and S7 vehicle tracker installation. The whole process is, from start to finish, handled by myself and the client alone. There are no middle men, no communication errors, which sadly can and do occur, resulting in invalidated insurance and potentially a vehicle being unable to be located should the worst happen. Owning and running a business was something that I never imagined I would ever do, and while it is tough, it brings a great deal of satisfaction.

That brings you up to date with KBR Vehicles.

If you would like to discuss partnership opportunities with KBR Vehicles in motorsport (KBR Motorsport), please get in touch with us at info@kbrvehicles.co.uk with the subject of motorsport partnerships.