Billy Edmund Albert Monger (born 5 May 1999)[1] is a British racing driver who raced in British F4 in 2016 and 2017. He now works as a commentator/pundit and TV personality. He has been referred to by the nickname Billy Whizz,[3][4][5] after the character in British comicThe Beano.
In April 2017, Monger was critically injured in a collision at Donington Park that caused both of his legs to be amputated, one below and the other above the knee.[3][6][5] Up to that point, he had been heavily involved in kart racing all over the UK and the Channel Islands, as well as a successful Ginetta Junior racer before moving into single seater categories.
After treatment and therapy, Monger returned to competition in November 2017. In 2018, Monger was awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity.[7] From 2019, he provided analysis for Channel 4 F1.[8] He also competed in the Formula 3 based Euroformula Open championship for Carlin Motorsport, achieving his first single seater race win at the 2019 Pau Grand Prix.
Career
Monger first got behind the wheel of a vehicle at the age of six, when his father, a former kart racer, bought him his first go-kart.[9]
In 2016, Monger joined the F4 British Championship with JHR Developments.[10] There he took three podiums and finished 12th in the championship. He remained with the team for the 2017 season.[11]
On 16 April 2017, less than three weeks before his 18th birthday, Monger was badly injured and almost died after being involved in a crash at the Donington race, where he crashed at high speed into the back of Finnish driver Patrik Pasma; as a result, both of his legs were amputated afterwards.[12][13] His left leg was amputated high above the knee, leaving him with a short stump of his thigh. His right leg is longer, being amputated below the knee, and the extra length and use of the joint enables him to drive modified cars. Monger was conscious after the car crash. Pasma was not seriously injured in the crash.[14]
In June 2017, it was announced that Monger would return to competition in November, sharing a Group CNLigier JS53 Evo 2-Honda with quadruple amputee Frédéric Sausset in a round of the V de V Challenge Endurance Proto at the Autódromo do Estoril in Portugal, as part of a programme with the eventual aim of fielding a team of three disabled drivers at the 2020 Le Mans 24 Hours.[17] In July 2017, Monger made his return to the track when he tested a Fun Cup race car adapted with additional hand controls by disabled motorsport specialists Team BRIT at Brands Hatch, where he regained his race licence.[18]
In February 2018, Monger drove a single seater racing car for the first time since his crash when he tested a BRDC British Formula 3 car for the Carlin racing at Oulton Park.[19] The following month Monger confirmed that he would be racing for Carlin in the opening meeting of the 2018 BRDC Formula 3 series at the same venue.[20] In order to compete in F3, he and his family had to appeal to the sport's international governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, to change their regulations, as they had restricted disabled drivers from racing single seaters on the grounds of safety: the FIA decided to lift the ban in December 2017, allowing disabled drivers to race appropriately-modified single seaters as long as they could pass safety checks.[9] He finished third at Oulton Park in a car adapted for him:[21] the modifications included moving the brake pedal upwards so he could brake using one of his leg stumps, and replacing the throttle pedal with a lever mounted on the steering wheel.[9]
In June 2018, Monger drove a Formula 1 racing car for the first time when he tested a Sauber C30 at the Rockingham Motor Speedway in Corby. The car had been specially converted to match the hand controls present in the CarlinBRDC British Formula 3 car he races. In March 2021, Monger completed "Billy's Big Challenge", covering a distance of 140 miles (230km) by walking, kayaking and cycling, and raised over £3 million for Comic Relief.[22]
Broadcasting Career
From 2019, he provided analysis for Channel 4 F1.[8] He also was the co-commentator for W Series.[23] In addition, he has worked on Channel 4's Paralympic Games coverage and the Parasport presenting team, as commentator and reporter.[24]
A documentary feature about Monger's first Formula 1 drive was shown as part of Sky F1's coverage of the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix. Another documentary about Monger's career, Driven: The Billy Monger Story, was produced by the BBC and released on BBC Three in November 2018.[9] On 5 July 2021, it was announced that Monger would present Billy Monger: Changing Gear as part of coverage of the Paralympics.[25]
It was announced in September 2023 that Monger, along with his sister, Bonny, would be contestants on Celebrity Race Across the World.[27] A family emergency caused them to leave the Race before its finish. In October 2024, Monger participated in 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship triathlon in Kona to raise money for Comic Relief,[28] setting a new world record time for a double amputee of 14 hours, 23 minutes and 56 seconds; beating the previous record by more than two hours.[29] He also became the youngest double amputee to complete an Ironman event.[30]
Personal life
Monger driving a golf buggy with "#BillyWhizz" sticker in July 2018, over one year post-crash
In October 2024, Monger was banned from driving for 49 days after an incident where the car he was driving hit 3 cars and ended up in a garden in Limpsfield in January of that year.[32]
Alex Zanardi, another open-cockpit open-wheel racing driver who lost both legs in a racing crash
Related Research Articles
Donington Park is a motorsport circuit located near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England. The circuit business is now owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation, and the surrounding Donington Park Estate, still owned by the Wheatcroft family, is currently under lease by MotorSport Vision until 2038. It has a capacity of 120,000, and is also the venue of the Download Festival.
Hugh Peter Martin Donnelly is a British racing driver from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He competed in Formula Three and Formula 3000 where he won 3 races. In the 1988 International Formula 3000 season he placed third despite only competing in the final five rounds of the championship. He raced in Formula One in 1989 and 1990, until a serious crash during practice at the Jerez circuit ended his Formula One career. After leaving F1, he has been a prominent driving coach and retains an association with Lotus Cars.
Jonathan Charles Palmer is a British businessman and former Formula One racing driver. Before opting for a career in motor racing, Palmer trained as a physician at London's Guy's Hospital. He also worked as a junior physician at Cuckfield and Brighton hospitals.
Trevor John Carlin is a British motorsports team manager. He founded Carlin Motorsport and ran the team under that name (1996-2008), Carlin (2009-2022) and Rodin Carlin (2023).
The GB3 Championship is a single seater motorsport series based in the United Kingdom. The championship is the UK's premier single-seater category, and is aimed at young racing drivers moving up from FIA Formula 4 championships, the GB4 Championship or Karting. Having previously been known since 2013 as the BRDC Formula 4 Championship, the championship was renamed the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship with the backing of the FIA in March 2016. The championship was rebranded to GB3 Championship in August 2021.
The 2016 BRDC British F3 Championship is a motor racing championship for open wheel, formula racing cars held across England and, for the first time, Belgium. The 2016 season will be the first one under the BRDC British F3 denomination. The championship features professional motor racing teams, and will also feature the debut of the new 2-litre 230-bhp Tatuus-Cosworth single seat race car in the main series, a car that was first used in the 2015 BRDC Formula 4 Autumn Trophy. The season will begin at Snetterton 300 on 27 March and will end on 11 September at Donington Park, after eight triple header events for a total of twenty-four races.
Anthoine Gérard Pol Hubert was a French professional racing driver. He was the 2018 GP3 Series champion and a member of the Renault Sport Academy. He died following an accident during the feature race of the 2019 Spa-Francorchamps Formula 2 round at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
The 2017 F4 British Championship was a multi-event, Formula 4 open-wheel single seater motor racing championship held across United Kingdom. The championship featured a mix of professional motor racing teams and privately funded drivers, competing in Formula 4 cars that conformed to the technical regulations for the championship. This, the third season, following on from the British Formula Ford Championship, was the third year that the cars conformed to the FIA's Formula 4 regulations. Part of the TOCA tour, it formed part of the extensive program of support categories built up around the BTCC centrepiece.
Louis Foster is a British racing driver. He is set to compete in the IndyCar Series for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. He is the 2024 Indy NXT champion and also won the 2022 Indy Pro 2000 championship. Foster previously competed in the 2021 Euroformula Open Championship with CryptoTower Racing and the 2020 BRDC British Formula 3 Championship with Double R Racing where he finished third.
Patrik Pasma is a Finnish racing driver. He last competed for Evans GP in the Formula Regional Asian Championship.
Zak O'Sullivan is a British racing driver who is set to compete in the Super Formula with Kondo Racing. He most recently raced for ART Grand Prix in the 2024 FIA Formula 2 Championship.
Ayrton Miguel Simmons Fernández is a British-Spanish racing driver, who last competed in the 2024 Ultimate Cup Series with TS Corse. He last competed in the 2022 Euroformula Open Championship for Drivex School and the 2022 FIA Formula 3 Championship for Charouz Racing System. He is the vice-champion of the 2018 F4 British and the 2021 GB3 Championship.
Abbi Jo Pulling is a British racing driver competing for Rodin Motorsport in GB3 Championship for 2025. She is a member of the Alpine Academy program and the 2024 F1 Academy drivers' champion.
Max Marzorati is a British racing driver, competing in the GB4 Championship for Hillspeed.
Alex Connor is a British-Emirati racing driver currently competing in the ADAC GT4 Germany with BWT Mücke Motorsport. He is also a member of the Young Driver Racing Academy.
Shin Woo-hyun, also known as Michael Shin, is a South Korean racing driver who raced in the 2024 Eurocup-3 season with Campos Racing, having recently competed in the GB3 Championship with Hitech Grand Prix. He previously competed in the FIA Formula 3 Championship with PHM Racing by Charouz.
Matthew Owain Rees is a British racing driver from Wales who most recently competed in the GB3 Championship, driving for JHR Developments. He was the 2021 F4 British Championship champion, and is a BRDC Superstar.
Joseph Loake is a British racing driver who most recently competed in the 2024 FIA Formula 3 Championship for Rodin Motorsport. He is the 2020 BRSCC Fiesta Junior Champion, and a race winner in both the British F4 and GB3 championships. He is also the latest winner of the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Award.
James Hedley is a British racing driver who currently competes in the GB3 Championship with VRD by Arden. He is part of the BRDC Rising Star Programme.
Ella Mai Lloyd is a British racing driver from Wales who will be competing in the 2025 season of F1 Academy for Rodin Motorsport as a member of the McLaren Driver Development Program. She previously competed in the 2024 F4 British Championship, and was the runner up of the 2023 Ginetta GT5 Challenge.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
British
