It was a hot day at Sydney’s Oran
Park. The crowd had erupted as the
first lap of the formula ford racing championship got underway. The sound of his engine roaring had
Charlie’s heart pounding, he was in good position so early in the race. As turn one was fast approaching, there
was a problem on the track. A car
up ahead had a minor collision and forced the marshals to wave a yellow flag to
signal the remaining drivers to slow down until it was safe to resume the
race. Charlie neared the turn with
excitement and adrenaline, not knowing the devastation that lay ahead. The car in front slowed suddenly in
response to the yellow flag and with no time to react, Charlie hit the car in
front which sent his car spinning through the air several times before coming
to a stop upside down several hundred metres away. As hoards of people rushed to his aid, little did they know,
the wreckage of the car was the least of their worries.
Growing up in a privileged Melbourne
family, Charlie had his sights set on racing from a young age. His face lights up when I mention it.
“I would wake up thinking about it [racing]
and I’d go to sleep thinking about”.
Charlie travelled with his famous V8
supercar driver father to all the race meets and he was his enthusiastic right
hand man. His face lights up when
he recalls the memories.
“I’d be attached to dad’s side the whole
time…if he picked up a spanner, I’d find one too. If he had a headset on, you’d be damn sure I’d have one on
too. Looking back, I’m pretty sure
I would have annoyed the shit out of dad, but he never let me believe I did.”
I met Charlie four years ago when he was
19. We met through a mutual friend
at a group dinner one night and I had offered to drive. The first words he arrogantly muttered
to me were “Jesus, you’ve got a lead foot…why don’t you race cars with
me?”
We were instantly friends. I was so drawn to his vibrant energy,
sense of humour, love of life and cheeky attitude. I have never met someone who talks quite as much as Charlie
and sometimes it was exhausting.
We quickly learnt three vodkas was all it took to make him pass out, so
that method was used frequently for some peace and quiet.
The accident at Oran Park happened a few
months after we met.
“I really don’t remember much from that
period in my life. I was scared
and really struggled to believe it when the doctors told me I would never walk
again.”
Charlie spent months in rehabilitation
after suffering irreparable spinal damage as a result of the accident. He couldn’t eat or speak for four
weeks. His family communicated
with him using a letter board.
“I
would blink and use my eyes until they got the letter I wanted. I felt so frustrated and trapped.”
Sitting in his family’s beautiful home
trapped in his wheelchair, the pain and suffering he endures everyday is etched
into his face. His once fit body
is now slumped in a chair and looks tired, his eyes drained of the glow they
once had.
“I don’t want people to feel sorry for me,
I’m actually doing ok. Everyday I
have mixed emotions, I’m devastated but I also know that this is the hand I’ve
been dealt and I just have to get on with it.”
While it would seem to most of us that
Charlie has been stripped of any happiness in life, not long after his
accident, he manufactured his own dream and founded a motorsport team of his
own to contest Australia’s most popular motor racing series, the V8 Supercar
Championship.
“I didn’t have to think twice about what I
was going to do when I found out I wouldn’t be able to race anymore. Of course I was going to run a race team.”
With a specially designed trailer to allow
him to manage his team on the road and at race meets, Charlie is going from
strength to strength. Not only has
he recruited some of the most promising young drivers, he has also landed
impressive sponsorship.
“I’m really looking forward to the upcoming
racing seasons, I want to show the world what I can do.”
It’s then that I see his old cheeky grin
creep onto his face and I can’t help but smile back.
This feature story is based on real events
and people but the names have been changed to protect their privacy.
