A SOUTHAMPTON racing driver who joined an all-disabled racing team earlier this year has won silver in his first ever competition.

Chris Overend joined Team BRIT, which aims to be the first ever all-disabled team to race in the Le Mans 24 hour, in September.

It supports people with physical and psychological challenges in accessing motorsport and has created the world’s most advanced hand control technology to allow disabled drivers to compete on equal terms.

Daily Echo: Luke Pound and Chris Overend.

On October 24, the 39-year-old paired up with team mate Luke Pound to compete in the final race of the season in the Britcar Championship at Donington Park.

This was Chris’ first ever race, having obtained his race licence just weeks ago.

Chris and Luke were driving the team’s BMW 118i and thanks to Luke’s efforts across the season, the pair began the race P5 in class overall.

The pair qualified in P5, just 3 hundredths of a second behind P4. In race one, Luke gave the pair a solid start before handing over to Chris who was incredibly strong and confident in his first race, despite the wet conditions, bringing it over the line in P3 and securing a podium finish.

In race 2, Luke and Chris secured a fantastic P4 but this result is under investigation after being contested by Team BRIT Race Engineer Al Locke.

After points were calculated, the pair secured P5 in class overall.

Chris said: “What a way to start my racing career. I was anxious as the weekend approached and knew I wanted to do all I could to put in a good performance for Luke who had worked so hard in the 118 this year.

“I had amazing support from the engineering crew and the rest of the team and it just went brilliantly. I’ve loved motorsport for years and have taken part in sim racing for some time, but until I came across Team BRIT earlier this year I had no idea I would be able to get behind the wheel for real."

Chris was born with development dysplasia of the hips and has lived with injuries, pain and mobility challenges from the age of 12-years-old.

He discovered wheelchair tennis when his condition progressed and eventually achieved a world ranking.

Next year, Chris will step up to driving the BMW 240i in the re-branded British Endurance Championship.