Mission Motorsport Drive-In Defies COVID to Bring Remembrance Service to All with #YourRoR
An evening with Natalie Pinkham
Pain on the Plain with Jason Fox
Virtual Race of Remembrance with Billy Monger, Tom Ingram, Ben Collins & Matthew Gallagher
Covid-Safe, Socially Distanced Drive-in Remembrance Service live streamed across the country.
Mission Motorsport, The Forces’ Motorsport Charity which provides veterans and wounded, injured or sick serving forces personnel a positive pathway in which to recover, retrain and access employment in the automotive industry today announced #YourRoR. This comprises a series of online events culminating in an innovative, moving pitlane Remembrance Service, streamed live from Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire and encapsulating the true spirit of Race of Remembrance.
#YourRoR replaces Mission Motorsport's annual Race of Remembrance (RoR) in Anglesey, sadly cancelled due to the COVID19 Pandemic. ROR, the highlight of the motor sport calender allows beneficiaries, military families, supporters of the charity and members of the public to come together as one community to commemorate fallen comrades by attending a very special pitlane service whilst enjoying a shared passion for motor racing. As a result of the event being cancelled, the charity has lost an estimated £50,000 in output for beneficiaries and funding.
James Cameron, CEO and Founder of Mission Motorsport said “As a forces charity, it is important for us to mark remembrance and ensure that anybody who wants to can. #YourRoR is an online initiative to engage and inspire beneficiaries, supporters and anybody interested in our charitable work to come together as one community to share a very special pitlane Remembrance service encapsulating the true spirit of Race of Remembrance.
“With the announcement of lockdown this week, the team and I have been working tirelessly to ensure that a Remembrance service can be accessible to those that we would normally be meeting with at Anglesey. By streaming live a variety of events, we can bring everybody together.”
Kicking off #YourRoR on Friday 6th November at 19:30, Natalie Pinkham, Sky Sports’ Formula One pit lane reporter will be special guest in a live streamed ‘audience with’. Pinkham will be answering questions asked by the Mission Motorsport team about F1, life, lockdown, podcasts and more before taking questions from the audience. She will then open the online auction, allowing people to bid on some unique and special motorsport items.
Saturday’s fundraising activity ‘Pain on the Plain’ sees staff and beneficiaries come together in ridisulous attire to be put to the test in a training session led by Jason Fox.
In lieu of the Annual Race of Remembrance, Mission Motorsport in conjunction with YearOneRacing, will be holding a six hour endurance online Race of Remembrance on the popular iRacing platform. Available to watch live, online racers including motorsport personalities Billy Monger, Tom Ingram, Ben Collins and Matthew Gallagher alongside beneficiaries, military personnel and members of the public to battle it out for a podium finish. There will also be live commentary courtesy of Radio Le Mans. At 10:45, the race will be halted by virtual safety cars and all cars diverted to the pitlane to participate in the live streamed Remembrance service. Racing will then continue.
At 10:45 on Sunday 9th November, Mission Motorsport will be holding a very special pitlane service streamed live from Thruxton Service. This unique and innovative Drive-In service including a padre, wives choir, piper, bugler and wreath laying ceremony will be performed to an audience of 300 cars.
Cameron added “We‘ve been working closely with local authorities to ensure that the service is compliant with government guidelines, socially distanced and Covid safe. I am hugely proud of the team for all their hard work and extremely grateful to all those that are donating their time and efforts to make this possible.
“Remembrance is hugely important not only to the military community but the whole Country. We must and will commemorate and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.”