Wounded armed forces veterans to race for Invictus Games team at British GT Championship

A team of injured veterans will compete against professional racing drivers at the British GT Championship this weekend.

The four-man team are driving for the new Invictus Games racing team after just a few months of training.

Their goal this weekend is simply to get to the chequered flag, but they hope to become more competitive as time goes on.

But the team is about more than just results.

Former RAF engineer Ben Norfolk was medically discharged last year after suffering post-traumatic stress for nearly a decade. He said being part of the team has helped his rehabilitation.

"To be really suffering from the injuries that I had, only two years ago really, to go from those depths I was in to be in this position that I am now has been a really, really positive part of my recovery," he said.

"To be part of this team that embraces us for what I am now and still wants to push us on and develop us to have these amazing opportunities that I never even dreamed of beforehand, even before I was injured, has been an amazing experience."

The team was launched in January and will compete for an initial two years using two specially-designed Jaguar cars.

Another of the drivers, former Royal Marine Steve McCulley, was in a coma for three weeks after being seriously injured by a Taliban bomb in 2011.

He said: "This is an incredible opportunity, one of those once in a lifetime things that you don't imagine would ever come around, so I'm grasping it with both hands.

"I don't want it to end, I want to be part of it for as long as possible and we haven't even started properly yet."

The Invictus Games was first set up by Prince Harry to allow wounded, injured or sick armed forces members and veterans to take part in international sporting events.