VHR were delighted to host our latest event – Surviving Formula One with F1 Driver Martin Donnelly – for business leaders last week.

On Thursday 10th October 2019 Martin Donnelly revealed an exclusive look into the thrills and dangers of a Motorsport career, including the infamous Jerez crash that earned him the nickname 'the luckiest man alive'.

The evening began with an introduction from VHR’s CEO Danny Brooks (and the Institute of Directors’ (IoD) Global Director of the Year 2018) who summarised VHR’s track record in the Motorsport sector before introducing Martin.

Martin’s Formula One Career

Drinks and canapes were served throughout as former Formula One Driver Martin Donnelly discussed a variety of fascinating topics including:

· His rise to Motorsport fame – starting out as a Lotus test driver before being propelled into a career by substituting in the French Grand Prix

· The death-defying crash at 167mph that left Martin with life-changing injuries and ended his F1 career

· How he bounced back after the devasting end to his F1 career, going on to race in the British Touring Car Championship

· How his experiences changed Formula One and the future of Motorsport.

Martin’s close friendship with fellow driver and inspirational Motorsport hero Ayrton Senna was a continuing theme in the talk. Donnelly discussed how the highs and lows of his Motorsport career have changed his outlook on life, and how teamwork and the support of Automotive fans helped get him back on the road to recovery and keep working at the sport he loves.

What Our Guests Thought

Quotes from attendees included:

· ‘The speakers that VHR select are fascinating, excelling in their fields and keen to share their life stories which is inspirational. Mr. Donnelly is a true F1 hero who has battled through extreme injury.’

· The networking is great and the friendliness of the VHR team is always 5/5. I cannot wait for the next event. Thanks again for a great evening.’

VHR are proud to celebrate amazing people doing amazing things, and this year’s Surviving Formula One event was our most exciting yet. We would like to thank our speaker Martin and all our guests for a thoroughly enjoyable evening, and we hope to see you all again soon.

Stay tuned for our next event and keep up to date with the latest industry news.

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