Brands Hatch treats blind woman to drive of a lifetime

Gravesend's Sue Mason enjoys flying BMW passenger ride

10/11/2009 - Car enthusiast Sue Mason proved today (Tuesday) that losing your sight does not mean sacrificing your dreams, as she fulfilled her lifetime ambition to experience a flying lap of Brands Hatch.

Gravesend resident Sue - who suffers from optic neuritis - started losing her sight 11 years ago and has been totally blind for the past four years.

The 51-year-old always harbored dreams of a high speed trip around her local circuit, but it took the help of local Kent Association for the Blind (KAB) volunteer John Franklin to turn her wish into a reality.

After hearing Sue's ambition, John contacted Brands Hatch and the Kent circuit arranged a flying passenger ride in one of its BMW M3 driving experience vehicles - capable of 0-60mph in just four seconds - driven by chief instructor Gary Palmer.

"I just can't thank John enough for setting this up. I only mentioned to him that my ambition when I could see was to drive around Brands Hatch; I never expected anything to come of it!" said Sue.

"The passenger ride was fantastic, I've never travelled that fast in a car before and I loved all the dips and bends in the circuit," she added. "Gary is a brilliant driver - I could really feel myself being pulled into my seat going through Paddock Hill Bend.

"I'm really grateful to everyone involved in setting up the passenger ride today," Sue concluded. "Although losing my sight was a slow process, it was still a shock and without the KAB I would not have coped. I would never have done anything as exciting as this!"

You can drive a BMW M3 at Brands Hatch with a RaceMaster or M3 Master experience. Limited edition Christmas vouchers are now on sale for just £149. For more information call 0870 950 9000 or click on the link below.

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