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WATCH | How Nicholas Hamilton overcomes disability and excels in motorsport with car tech

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Nicholas Hamilton (CNN)
Nicholas Hamilton (CNN)

• Nicholas Hamilton is an active racing driver, despite his disability.

Hamilton has cerebral palsy - a disorder which affects is the most common childhood motor disability, globally.

• He became the first disabled driver to score points in the British Touring Car Championship.

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Nicolas Hamilton grew up around the racetrack. But unlike his older half-brother Lewis, who is a six-time Formula 1 world champion, Nicolas never thought he'd get the chance to race competitively.

The younger Hamilton has cerebral palsy - a disorder which affects around one in every 400 children in the UK and is the most common childhood motor disability, globally.

"I didn't think I would have the opportunity to race," explains Hamilton, who is now 28, seven years younger than Lewis.

The condition affects Hamilton's legs and balance, preventing him from being able to flex his ankles and use conventional foot pedals when driving. Yet, this season, he became the first disabled driver to score points in the British Touring Car Championship - a racing series established in 1958.

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Been fighting since day 1 & still fighting ??

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Adapting the car

Hamilton can compete thanks to a specially modified car. It has a hand clutch on the steering wheel, which allows him to minimize the use of his legs.

Made of carbon fibre, the hand clutch operates like a regular foot pedal, says Hamilton. "When you release the clutch, and you feel the bite point... I just have that through my hands."

To make the accelerator and brake pedals easier to use, they are extra-wide and positioned so that Hamilton does not need to extend his legs fully. He also has a seat that has been specially molded for his body.

READ: Lewis Hamilton triumphs at Eifel Grand Prix, equaling Schumacher's record of 91 wins in F1

He is currently the only disabled driver in the championship, racing against 30 able-bodied athletes at speeds of up to 209km/h. This season, Hamilton came 15th in a race, scoring him one point. "I'm the first disabled athlete to have done that," he says. "Getting closer to the front of the grid, I want to get to the top 10, top five."

Hamilton says because he faces a lot of challenges, "it's going to be sweeter when I eventually go on that podium."


Do you think Nicholas will etch his name in the annals of motorsport history? Email us with your opinion.


Racing ahead

Hamilton says he had a challenging childhood. When he was a baby, his parents were told he would never walk and then there was also the issue of race to contend with.

"I got bullied and got pulled backwards in my wheelchair and laughed at," he says of his time at school, adding: "I was the only Black person at my school, so I was very singled out."

Supported by his family, Hamilton had a major operation and did years of physiotherapy to strengthen his legs, so that by age 17 he could walk unassisted.

Aged seven, his dad gave him the chance to drive a go-kart in a car park, and like his brother Lewis, go-karting sparked a passion for racing.

READ: 'Records are meant to be broken' - Schumacher family congratulates Hamilton after 91 F1 wins

"Motorsport gave me a purpose," he says. "It gave me a reason to overcome my condition."

Last year, Hamilton helped launch the UK's first race academy for disabled drivers, Team BRIT. The academy aims to give any disabled driver with a full UK driving license the chance to receive race coaching, mentoring or tuition. It estimates there are two million disabled drivers in the UK.

"I would love to see disabled people be able to access circuits and access the industry," says Hamilton. "Hopefully, through this academy, we can give people more opportunities, more happiness, more purpose."

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