Myerscough helps motorsport student race to the top despite dyspraxia
- Published
- Thursday 31 October
A motorsport student is thriving on and off the track with the help of strong teaching and learning support at Myerscough College.
Elliott Fewster joined Myerscough in September, and is studying a City and Guilds Level 2 programme in Light Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Principles with Motorsports.
Elliott, who has had a keen interest in the motorsport sector from a young age, has dyspraxia, a disorder that affects movement and co-ordination. Dyspraxia affects co-ordination skills – such as tasks requiring balance, playing sports or learning to drive a car.
He competes in the BTRDA Junior Rallycross Championship, and earlier this month, the 16-year-old won a race against the odds and against able-bodied drivers, taking Round 6 of the competition at Knockhill Racing Circuit, in Fife, against drivers who were in their second and third year of competing in Rallycross.
Elliott said: “It has been a tough two years, as I have suffered relentless bullying because of my disability.
"I had to move school several times and again in year 11, as the verbal bullying turned into a physical attack, which left me in hospital.
"Luckily, I was racing the following weekend, and it literally saved my life, as I had something positive to channel my energy into.
"In a car everyone is equal and we race on a level playing field.
“At the track I am accepted for who I am and many people do not even know I have a disability because it is invisible a lot of the time."
“This year was supposed to be a learning year for me but I finished third in my first race and have been going from strength to strength with each race.
"I had my best result with pole position in the final and winning by over two seconds, which is a lot in racing.
"Many people with dyspraxia do not have a driving license or give up trying to get one but I want to show that with the right support you can definitely drive and become independent.
"I have my race license, but I am counting down the days until I’m 17 and can drive on the road.”
Elliott’s mum, Sonya Davey, said: ‘’We visited several Colleges across the UK but when he spent the day at Myerscough and saw the amazing facilities and learnt that his lecturers were also racing drivers and bike racers he knew it was the right place for him.
‘’When he was younger, he found most sports impossible, especially ball sports, but his obsession for cars meant as soon as he was old enough, he wanted to try karting.
‘’When he was six he first got in a go kart and he never looked back. Most people with dyspraxia are unable to get a driving license because of poor spatial awareness but for Elliott it is the complete opposite, as he drivers at over 100mph, on and off track!
‘’Last year he moved into car racing in the JSCC Junior Saloon Car Championship and raced at some of the most prestigious circuits in the UK, but he realised his love of racing was not just on tarmac but going sideways in the dirt so this year he has competed in the BTRA Rally Cross.
‘’Elliott has finished on the podium in nearly every race this year and finished up by winning at Knockhill last week, a track he has never been to before, which meant he finished third overall in the championship beating other drivers who were in their second or third year of Junior Rally Cross.
‘’His team boss was so impressed at how Elliott's car knowledge has improved in such a short time, since starting at Myerscough.
‘’He was able to feedback after every heat about how to change the car to improve its performance, which really helped and the result speaks for itself!
‘’Elliott has never just wanted to be just a driver, he is passionate about learning how to improve the performance of a car but also fixing it when something goes wrong, or he has a crash!
‘’Myerscough has already given him confidence both in racing but also as a student and he is definitely one of the college’s biggest advocates to his friends but also to other young racing drivers.’’
Myerscough College has a dedicated specialist learning support team, to help students maximise their potential and to enable them to progress to the next stage in their career.
This can be in the form of in-class, specialist teacher support, drop in workshops, help around college, personal care, as well as outside the classroom at break and lunchtimes.
Our support enables students to access all opportunities on offer and support them to enjoy studying at Myerscough College. Whatever learning difficulty or disability you may have, Myerscough makes sure the support is tailored to meet your needs, providing a person-centred approach.
For more details of learning support at Myerscough, click here