Part of this year’s Motorsport UK Inclusion Grant has been awarded to a new event that will highlight the benefits of sim racing for people with disabilities.
The Disability Racing in Virtual Esports (DRiVE) initiative will hold an inaugural Accessible Motorsport Conference this year.
Registration to attend will be free on Saturday 28 November 2026 at Oxford Brookes University.
“We hope to highlight the opportunities for disabled people”
It has been created by Max Spooner, team owner of Quatermass Motorsport, a sim outfit that competes with both disabled and able-bodied drivers.
“The DRiVE event will bring industry professionals and disabled people together so that disabled people can learn about sim racing and how it can benefit them,” said Spooner to Traxion.
“We hope to highlight and explain the opportunities that are out there for disabled people.
“But it’s also for industry professionals to understand there’s this untapped market, as a significant percentage of gamers are disabled.
The conference is a project that Spooner has been working on for over a year:
“This idea originally came to me back in June of last year,” he explained.
“It was heavily inspired by a similar event called Accelerate Pride, which Racing Pride runs. It gathers industry professionals together, and they talk about how they can include the LGBTQ+ community in motorsport.
“As someone who founded an inclusive sim racing team, I know the social and emotional well-being benefits. So I thought we could showcase sim racing as an outlet for disabled people, and then Motorsport UK can show the benefits of getting a Motorsport UK Esports membership to participate in the virtual sport, too.
“Sim racing benefits because we’re introducing a new audience to them; disabled people benefit because we’ve hopefully given them a new outlet.”
“Sim racing can be a highly accessible way to get involved in motorsport”
Spooner’s Quatermass Motorsport team originally started as a real-world squad, where he and his dad competed in the 750 Motor Club’s Locost Championship. Following a stint with disabled racing crew Team BRIT, running its sim racing efforts, Spooner then turned his Quatermass efforts into a simulation operation.
The other beneficiaries of the Motorsport UK Inclusion Grant were the Greenpower Education Trust, the British Women Racing Drivers’ Club and the England Deaf Karting Association.
Image: Quatermass motorsport
“Through the Motorsport UK Inclusion Grant, we’re proud to support Quatermass Motorsport in bringing DRiVE 2026 to life,” said Simon Wright-Jones, Sustainability Manager at Motorsport UK.
“The conference will bring together teams, competitors and industry experts to share practical advice, build connections and help more disabled and neurodivergent people discover the opportunities available through sim racing.
“Sim racing can be a highly accessible way to get involved in motorsport, and initiatives like DRiVE play an important role in breaking down barriers and helping more people find their place in our sport. We’re looking forward to seeing the connections, opportunities and positive impact that come from the event.”
In-person capacity is said to be limited, with registration now open. Speakers will also be announced in due course and a livestream is planned.
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