Former paratrooper sets up car racing team to support injured soldiers

AN ex-paratrooper has set up a car racing team to support retired service personnel.

Adam Knights, from Hambleden, and his friend Harry Kerbey, a mechanic based in Cockpole Green, have built a car to compete in the upcoming Porsche Club Motorsport Boxster Cup 2025 race series.

The team, Thoroughbred Motor Racing, will be sponsoring the Pilgrim Bandits, a small military charity that helps and supports servicemen and women who have been injured or wounded.

Mr Knights, 53, said that as well as racing, the idea would be to use the car during fundraisers and give veterans a driving experience.

The money raised will go towards walking and cycling expeditions the charity runs as well as grants which provide injured military and emergency service personnel with specialist equipment and wheelchairs.

The Boxster car has been finished in stealth green with a black hood and the back is emblazoned with the charity’s logo.

Next year, the car will compete at racetracks around the country including Donington and Snetterton and will be driven by drivers James Wallis and Warren McKinlay.

Mr Knights said that he hoped the racing team would raise the profile of the charity and help connect it with veterans who may be seeking support.

He said: “About two years ago I was chatting to Harry, who is an Aston Martin mechanic, and we decided to set up the team.

“I am a trustee of the Pilgrim Bandits, which helps special forces veterans such as paras and ex-SAS but we have now expanded to blue light services, such as the police and ambulance services, so the car will be sponsoring them.

“We launched the car three or four months ago but the first person in it blew the engine so we have just had to have a new engine put in.”

Mr Knights, who grew up in Henley before leaving to join the army aged 19, said that he wanted to invite fellow veterans along to watch the races and give them a test drive.

He said: “We do a variety of things from taking people for a walk and talk to driving a car. What we are doing is raising awareness for veterans’ mental health and wellbeing.

“There are a lot of veterans in the area and people don’t know who to pick up the phone to if they are struggling. What I do know is that men are not very good at talking. I watch my wife with her baby group and they just talk and talk and work out solutions.

“Men need a focal point. We can invite people to sit in the car and I know within 20 minutes they will tell me the problems they have. What happens is people let their guard down and you can ask ‘How is life’ and ‘Look, we can support you with that’.”

Mr Knights said he understood that for many veterans it could be difficult to open up about their experiences.

He said: “I did four tours in Northern Ireland and West Belfast and travelled to places as far as North Africa, the only people that understand that are other veterans.

“Those guys are going through a lot of mental anguish because of what they have seen and they don’t always talk to their wives and their family about it. They can fall into a dark place.

“Veteran suicide rate is still very high. Eighty per cent of suicides are men and the number of veterans within that group is disproportionately higher than average.

“You can’t expose 18- or 19-year-old boys to conflict in Belfast and Northern Ireland and expect them to be okay 10 years later.”

Mr Knights said that if the team manages to raise enough money there are plans to build a second car that is adapted for disabled drivers.

He said that one of the main jobs of the Pilgrim Bandits was making it easier for veterans to access support services provided by other armed forced charities such Support Our Paras and the the Soldiers’, Sailors’, and Airmen’s Families Association.

Mr Knights said: “There are lots of big organisations and they can give out grants for support but, for some, filling out grant forms can be difficult. We are almost like a launch pad to different charities.

“We have also set up an early detection squad who look for signs that someone is struggling and we can invite them to upcoming events.” Mr Knights, who attended Shiplake Primary School and Reading Blue Coat School in Sonning, joined the army in 1989 after leaving The Henley College.

He graduated as Champion Recruit from the Parachute Regiment in 1990 which he served with for nine years and was deployed on tours across the globe including Borneo, Belize and in the Arctic Circle.

Following his military career, Mr Knights worked in pharmaceuticals before setting up his own pharmaceutical tech business, Kai Conversations.

Mr Knights said it is difficult for some veterans to adapt to life outside the army. He said: “It’s like a divorce but the army won’t love you back as much as you loved it. When you leave, you leave a family. It’s like when you have been on holiday with your close friends and when you come back you feel all quiet and empty. It’s like that but a thousand times worse.

“It’s a tough adjustment and as a charity what we are trying to do is keep a look-out for guys that are leaving.”

Mr Knights, who lives with his wife Rajnee and has a two-year-old son, George, said the project had been very fulfilling. He said: “It’s been very full circle for me. After going off and travelling the world I can now do something for all the veterans that live locally.

“If you are a veteran and you want to talk and play with cars, come down and have a chat.”