It was 1993 in Sydney, New South Wales, and Matt Speakman, a 26-year-old motorcycle racing enthusiast, had just signed a sponsorship deal to compete in the Australian 600 Super Sport Championship, his latest step towards international competition.
He collected the previous year’s winning bike and stored it in a friend’s garage before he headed to work at his local nightclub, content in the knowledge his dream was closer to being realised.
When work finished, Speakman and a female friend headed home on his road bike and were hit by a drunk driver. The woman died, Speakman received serious spinal injuries that made him a paraplegic.
Speakman, now in his late 40s, told his story this week while preparing for the Dubai 24 Hours, where he will compete as part of Team Mission Possible alongside three similarly handicapped men.
Read more: Dubai 24 Hours has grown during last decade of endurance racing
On Friday, Mission Possible will become the first disabled team to compete in a 24-hour endurance race.
“I remember being in the hospital and all I was told was what I couldn’t do anymore and I thought ‘I’m not listening to that, I want to go back to motorsport’,” Speakman said.
“It took me a long time – many years – to get a circuit-racing licence in Australia. I was very proud, though, to do my first championship at state level and win my class my first year out.
“That led to a deal with Porsche and then to this race with these guys overseas. The dream is coming true.”
“These guys” are Austria’s Gustav Engljahringer, Marc Dilger of Germany and Dutchman Mike Smit.
Along with Speakman, each of the four teammates hold down regular jobs in their native countries and have been at the forefront of disabled motorsport at home.
They are not only racing for the first time together this weekend, some are also meeting for the first time. Speakman met Engljahringer and Dilger for the first time on Tuesday and was to meet Smit yesterday.
He got his first look at the car – an automatic transmission BMW M235i – on Tuesday and noted the hand control system was different from what he is familiar with.
He was confident, though, that last night’s testing and today’s qualifying would be enough for him to get up to speed.
Dilger, a German who raced motorcycles, broke his neck in 1992 in a car accident that happened when a tyre blew out.
Seven years later he returned to the racetrack with Porsche and became the first disabled driver to hold a German racing licence.
After a chance meeting with Engljahringer and Rainer Kuschall at Hockenheim last year, he realised he was not the only handicapped driver who longed to complete a 24-hour race.
“We all did motorsport before and all had accidents and were sat in wheelchairs needing to completely restart in motorsport again,” said Dilger, who until this week, had corresponded with Speakman only on Facebook.
“We always dreamt of doing this and after years of doing motorsport alone, we found each other and thought ‘OK, now is the time to create a team’.”
Engljahringer raced in his country’s motorbike championship until 1994 when he broke his neck in a car accident.
Alongside Kuschall, who has not travelled to Dubai, the Austrian is half of a Mission Possible team principal pairing.
Last May, a slightly different version of the quartet competed in the Zandvoort 12 Hours in the Netherlands achieving their goal of finishing the race and finished 27th in a field of 51.
This weekend’s 24-hour challenge remains the ultimate goal.
“We have all been told in our separate countries that you can’t possibly do it,” Speakman said.
“So this weekend is not only to show other people in wheelchairs that anything is possible, but also to show anybody in the world that no matter how hard things seem, if you put your mind to it anything can be achieved in life.”
While the objective remains the same – to finish – these are not men renowned for being short on ambition.
“Our dream is to be on the podium in our class,” Dilger said. “There are only six BMWs, so to finish top three would be incredible.”
gmeenagan@thenational.ae
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Stage 5 results
1 Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 3:48:53
2 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team -
3 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott -
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:00:04
5 Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) CCC Team 0:00:07
General Classification:
1 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 20:35:04
2 Tadej Pogacar (SlO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:01
3 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team 0:01:33
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:48
5 Rafał Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:02:11
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
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Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.
Baby Driver
Director: Edgar Wright
Starring: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Lily James
Three and a half stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Scoreline
Bournemouth 2
Wilson 70', Ibe 74'
Arsenal 1
Bellerin 52'
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Hachette Books
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
if you go
The flights
Flydubai offers three daily direct flights to Sarajevo and, from June, a daily flight from Thessaloniki from Dubai. A return flight costs from Dhs1,905 including taxes.
The trip
The Travel Scientists are the organisers of the Balkan Ride and several other rallies around the world. The 2018 running of this particular adventure will take place from August 3-11, once again starting in Sarajevo and ending a week later in Thessaloniki. If you’re driving your own vehicle, then entry start from €880 (Dhs 3,900) per person including all accommodation along the route. Contact the Travel Scientists if you wish to hire one of their vehicles.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
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Defending champions
World Series: South Africa
Women’s World Series: Australia
Gulf Men’s League: Dubai Exiles
Gulf Men’s Social: Mediclinic Barrelhouse Warriors
Gulf Vets: Jebel Ali Dragons Veterans
Gulf Women: Dubai Sports City Eagles
Gulf Under 19: British School Al Khubairat
Gulf Under 19 Girls: Dubai Exiles
UAE National Schools: Al Safa School
International Invitational: Speranza 22
International Vets: Joining Jack
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
