A VISUALLY impaired man from Kidderminster will be driving 200 laps on his PS4 in 27 hours without sleep to raise money for charity.
To raise money for the charity that helped him fulfil a lifelong dream of driving a real car, Drew Hanslow will be driving 200 laps of the Nürburgring circuit on PS4 game Gran Turismo Sport on April 24. He will do this without sleep, but will have small breaks for food and the bathroom.
It's all in aid of Bolton charity, Speed Of Sight, which delivers track days for disabled people.
Drew has albinism and nystagmus, which causes poor vision and a sensitivity to light, meaning that he is not eligible to hold a driver’s licence, but he has always loved cars.
In 2015, his mother discovered the Speed Of Sight charity and booked him an experience day, something that six years on, he still says is one of his favourite memories.
It was this day that encouraged him to pursue his dreams, and now he races in E-Sports for Year One Racing.
Drew said: “I’m really excited to take on this challenge and hopefully raise lots of money for Speed Of Sight. I’ve only attended one of their track days, but it’s something that’s stuck with me and I know it will be really important to other people with disabilities.
“It’s an unexplainable feeling to be able to drive a real car on your own, something that I never thought would have been possible and I know that Mike overcame the same challenge himself and so is now determined that others get the same experience as him.”
Speed of Sight is run by blind race car driver and multiple World Record holder, Mike Newman, and hosts driving experiences for children and adults with disabilities.
Mike said: “It’s an incredibly difficult thing to accept when you have a disability, that something as simple as driving is not possible for you.
"It’s for people like Drew that we started Speed Of Sight, because I understand what they feel when they get into one of our cars and race around a track, it’s exhilarating."
People can donate to Drew's challenge for Speed Of Sight online at goldengiving.com/fundraising/speedofsight27hourrace, and watch Drew’s race on Youtube by searching Yearone TV.
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