Williams Racing will honour Captain Sir Tom Moore and build on his incredible legacy by participating in the Captain Tom 100 challenge over the course of the Portuguese Grand Prix weekend.

On 6 April 2020, Captain Tom Moore set out to walk 100 laps of his garden aiming to raise £1,000 for NHS Charities Together. One hundred laps later, having stirred the imagination of not only the British public but much of the world, he’d raised an incredible £38.9 million from over 160 countries. Captain Tom was knighted for his fundraising exploits but sadly, he passed away earlier this year aged 100. 

The Captain Tom Foundation has invited people to take on a challenge based around the number 100, to mark what would have been his 101^st birthday (30 April), and in the process raise money for a charity of their choosing. The team will therefore aim to complete 100 pitstops over the course of three days with both the trackside team in Portimão and staff at the factory in Grove contributing, creating a truly unique task including a wide variety of team members.

Williams will be taking part in this inspiring challenge to raise awareness and maximise fundraising for the work of the team’s Official Charity, Spinal Injuries Association (SIA). SIA provides information, advice and support to the 50,000 people living with spinal cord injury in the UK and is currently supporting Martin Hibbert, a Manchester Arena Attack survivor and SIA trustee, who was severely injured in the bomb explosion. Martin is preparing to climb Kilimanjaro to prove that, no matter their situation or circumstance, anyone can live a life of their choosing. The fundraising efforts for this SIA-funded project, Martin’s Mountain, draws a parallel to the Captain Tom 100 challenge, whereby both focus on the importance of motivation and self-improvement.

Jost Capito, CEO of Williams Racing: “Captain Sir Tom Moore inspired millions around the world, with his simple message of hope, “Tomorrow will be a good day” and brought comfort and joy to so many around the world during the pandemic. It has been a challenging time for everyone and still is, and we want to take this opportunity to do something in his memory, whilst also raising money for a very worthy cause. As a team, we take great pride in our pitstops, so this is a great challenge for the team both trackside and at the factory to come together to accomplish, and we’re looking forward to it.”

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About Spinal Injuries Association
Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) is the patient voice of the 50,000 people paralysed by spinal cord injury and the hundreds of thousands of people who are their families, friends and carers. Every day seven people sustain a spinal cord injury – 2,500 people per year. A fulfilled life after injury is possible with the right care and support. But ongoing rehabilitation, mental health support and even basic healthcare needs for spinal cord injured people and their families are under-resourced, which can impair the chances of a fulfilled life.

SIA offers the hope, confidence and practical skills to help people rebuild their lives after injury. The charity helps spinal cord injured people create a lifelong network of support to meet every element of their physical and mental wellbeing needs, through providing our own services, such as specialist nursing, counselling, advocacy and campaigning, and connecting people to other important services. Everyone affected by spinal cord injury can find each other and the support they need to lead a life of their choosing. To access our services, please call 01908 604191, email SIA@spinal.co.uk or visit www.spinal.co.uk.

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About Williams Racing
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited's core competencies are the design and development of racing cars to compete in the Formula One World Championship. As one of the world's leading Formula One teams, the company has secured 16 FIA Formula One World Championship titles since its foundation in 1977. Nine of these titles have been won in the Constructors' Championship in association with Cosworth, Honda and Renault. The remaining seven titles were won in the Drivers' Championship with Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve.