Armless Racing Driver Hits 110 mph Steering with His Feet–Aims to Make History at Le Mans

Callum Smith sat at home one evening and picked up his guitar. With his right foot he moved across the strings while his left foot held the instrument steady. He has done the same with an Xbox controller for years, pressing buttons to play FIFA or Call of Duty, and he uses the same foot to hold a knife and fork at meals. Born without arms, Smith grew up watching motorcycle races with his grandfather. The interest stayed with him into adulthood. At twenty-three he decided to turn that interest into something more by sending an email to Team BRIT, the racing team made up only of disabled drivers. He wrote that if they wanted to help make his dream real he would be grateful. The team replied and invited him to take some tests with instructors. He passed the instructor sessions and a skid test. That led to his first day on a track in July 2025 at Donington Park. There he reached ninety miles per hour in a car. Four months later he drove an Audi A3 at Silverstone and recorded a top speed of one hundred miles per hour. Those runs showed he could handle the demands of higher speeds. Team BRIT then offered him a driver contract. Smith became the only armless driver on the roster. He now spends time at Donington Park in a modified BMW 1 Series, working to earn his full racing license. The car has a flat steering plate that his left foot turns while his right foot works the accelerator and brake. An extra switch on the accelerator lets him reach buttons for lights, wipers, and the horn. The controls require steady eye-to-foot coordination. Smith has noticed that the steering feels heavier than he expected and that every pedal and plate is stiffer than in a road car. He keeps returning to the track because he wants to master the setup. Each session adds to the hours he needs before he can race under official rules. His goal is to become the first driver without arms to compete in an event. He has his sights set on the 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of the longest and most demanding races in motorsport. Team BRIT has a history of fielding drivers who adapt their cars to their abilities, and Smith is following the same path the team has taken with others. Right now he continues to practice at Donington Park and works on the coordination that will let him run full race distances. The speeds have already climbed past one hundred ten miles per hour in testing. Each lap brings him closer to the license he needs and to the chance to line up at Le Mans.