Are you looking to emulate Hurricane Hannah and find a sport that gives you that need for speed as you challenge others in the pursuit of glory?

If so, then wheelchair racing could be a wonderful option.

What’s this then?

Wheelchair racing is, yes you’ve guessed it, the racing of wheelchairs in track and road races.

Competitors compete in specialised wheelchairs which allow the athletes to reach speeds of 30 km/h or more.

Who can take part?

Wheelchair racing is open to athletes with any qualifying type of disability, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy or amputation.

When you compete you’ll be classified in accordance with the nature and severity of your disability.

What’s the aim of the game?

Like with all individual track events, you race against fellow competitors with the aim of crossing the finish line in first place.

That may depend on your motivation, for some winning could be everything, for others it’s about experiencing the thrill of racing round a track.

The ultimate goal for those chasing dreams would be to complete at the Paralympic Games, where wheelchair racing is a hugely popular event.

What do I need to race?

It goes without saying that you can’t race without a racing chair and unfortunately they’re not cheap. However, if you’re interesting in racing then funding is available to help get out you on the track on a regular basis.

To begin with a lot of clubs will make it possible to borrow a racing wheelchair until you have practiced and decided that you want to continue with the sport.

You have to wear a helmet as a rule and you use special gloves to race. Again clubs will have these available to lend you in the early weeks.

Where can I race?

There are athletic tracks up and down the country with wheelchair accessibility and disability clubs set up to help people of all ages to enjoy racing.

Head over to the wheelchair racing page at England Athletics to find out what you need to do to get racing.

Anything else I need to know?

Local athletics clubs can be very inclusive and accommodating so joining up to your local one is the perfect place to start.

For more information on how to get involved in Wheelchair Racing please get in contact with the British Wheelchair Racing Association using the link below.

How do I find out more?

England Athletics offers a list of clubs that already have a wheelchair racing team and contains contact details for how to get in touch with them.