August 13, 2024 • 33 mins
Racing driver Billy Monger enjoys the passenger seat for once, as he journeys with Alex Legouix through Sussex and Surrey in a Toyota C-HR GR Sport. Billy shows us the places which shaped him, reveals whether he will return to racing and shares how he is striving to change motorsport.
The trip starts in Charlwood, the village where he grew up. We visit the hospital where he underwent rehabilitation after a horrific racing accident which led to the amputation of both lower legs. We stop at his nearest karting track in Crawley where he enjoyed beating friends on the track, we learn about training for a gruelling Ironman event, and we find out what Celebrity Race Across the World is really like.
You can watch Billy’s drive by heading to Auto Trader’s dedicated Show on the Road YouTube channel.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Billy Monger (00:02):
There's a big loop of corridors making that hospital into a track
effectively. It's a huge itch that I've got to scratch.
There's no doubt about that. So, I'm trying to look humble.
All right?
Alex Legouix (00:14):
How many seconds would you win by?
Billy Monger (00:15):
Seconds or laps?
Alex Legouix (00:17):
Oh, oh, oh, all right. Today we are in leafy Surrey with
racing driver, Billy Monger, a truly special person with unbreakable
resilience. Billy was involved in a horrific car accident in
2017, which changed his life. But becoming a double amputee
(00:38):
didn't wipe away his positivity or determination. Within a year,
Billy Wiz, as he's known by to many, was back
on the track racing again. His story is one of
unbelievable triumph over tragedy. Billy's going to show us around
this gorgeous part of Surrey, including where some of his
rehab took place. And while he does, we'll find out
(01:00):
how he overcame those terrible injuries to continue racing and
become the lovable TV personality he is today. This is
Show on the Road, brought to you by Autotrader, the
UK's largest automated platform. I'm Alex Legouix driving a Toyota
CHR into the quaint little village of Charlwood where Billy lives. And
(01:22):
there he is. Hello, sir.
Billy Monger (01:25):
How's it going?
Alex Legouix (01:26):
Good.
Billy Monger (01:27):
Mind if I hop in?
Alex Legouix (01:28):
Please do. How are you?
Billy Monger (01:32):
Good.
Alex Legouix (01:32):
Good.
Billy Monger (01:32):
Yourself?
Alex Legouix (01:33):
Good, thank you. Ready for a little jaunt around the world of Billy?
Billy Monger (01:36):
Around my local area, yeah. Hopefully I remember it all.
Alex Legouix (01:36):
So Billy, Charlwood is a very quaint village, isn't it?
Billy Monger (01:52):
Yeah, I like it. I've grown up that way, so
probably, I don't know any different. But a lot of
my friends obviously go after uni a few years ago.
And now they're obsessed with the idea of living in
London. But I don't know if I'm too used to living
out and having fresh air, peace, and quiet, but I wouldn't be able to embrace city life.
Alex Legouix (02:10):
Have you lived around here all your life?
Billy Monger (02:12):
Where I am now, my parents moved into there when
I was like six months old.
Alex Legouix (02:16):
So you grew up with one sibling, didn't you?
Billy Monger (02:18):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (02:19):
Bonnie.
Billy Monger (02:19):
Yeah, I got my sister Bon.
Alex Legouix (02:20):
And your dad, Rob?
Billy Monger (02:22):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (02:22):
Is that right? We'll get to both of them in
due course. But your mum, she's a make- up artist, right?
Billy Monger (02:29):
Yeah, she is indeed,
Alex Legouix (02:29):
In the film industry or TV?
Billy Monger (02:29):
Yeah, she's done a lot of film. So she did
all the Harry Potter films, so she was head make-
up artist on all of those.
Alex Legouix (02:41):
Wow, that's pretty cool.
Billy Monger (02:42):
And then she's done Fast and Furious films, James Bond.
At the minute she's currently doing House of the Dragon, which
is the Game of Thrones spin- off series.
Alex Legouix (02:56):
Did you think that was cool when you were younger?
Billy Monger (02:56):
Yeah, I did think it was cool. We got the chance, me
and Bon, we always used to go to the set and stuff
when we were younger. We'd have a day off school
or a bank holiday, sometimes mum would take us into
work just hanging around the makeup stuff. And then Daniel
Radcliffe or someone like that would come in and she'd
have to make him up. And when we weren't hanging up
the actors, I used to always try and get down
to the stunt department. And they'd put me in a
(03:18):
harness and do all the stunt stuff with me. And I used
to love that 'cause I was a bit of an adrenaline junkie, as
you can imagine.
Alex Legouix (03:25):
And your dad, he was the person then that got
you into a go- kart at an early age, wasn't he?
Billy Monger (03:30):
Yeah, he actually bought me a go- kart when I was two
years old. And I couldn't drive that he bought me
until I was six. So, I think he actually took
me in my booster seat to go and pick the
car up. And obviously the guy who was selling it said, "
Oh, who's it for?" And he said, " Oh, it's for
my son. He's in the front of the car." And
then apparently the guy walked past the car as he
(03:51):
was helping my dad put it in the back, and
did a double take and said, " He can't drive that.
You've got to be six years old." My dad was like, " No, I'm just getting
them one a few years ahead of the game." And
I was so slow when I started.
Alex Legouix (04:05):
Oh, really?
Billy Monger (04:05):
So slow. Yeah.
Alex Legouix (04:07):
Comparatively or just because you were only six?
Billy Monger (04:08):
I don't know. Yeah, because six is particularly young to start. But my
dad literally used to... The kart track that I started
at, he used to run around in front of me.
And he was not exactly like Mo Farah or anything,
do you know what I mean? So you'd do a couple laps, he'd
be absolutely puffing, and I'd just be sat behind him.
And eventually it came to a stage where I think
he was worried that I was going to run him over
(04:29):
or something and he is like, " Let him just go around by himself."
Alex Legouix (04:35):
I'm assuming the nickname Billy Wiz did not come from
when you were six years old then?
Billy Monger (04:39):
No, it definitely didn't. No. If people would see me when I started, I
don't think that Wiz would've been appropriate for my name.
But funny enough, it links back to my mum. So
my mum was working, maybe when I was around 13
or 14 years old, I think, my mum was working on
Fast and Furious. She was doing the makeup for Sung
Kang, who's the South Korean actor. They were chatting and
(05:01):
my mum was like, "Oh, I think..." At that time I was
at good level in go- karting like winning British championships.
But the next step was car racing where the money
that you need just goes up significantly. So my mum
was like, " We need to get him a bit of
a following and basically come up with a cool nickname."
So, they were having this conversation while she was doing
his makeup. And yet they just came up with, Sung,
(05:21):
basically suggested, " Why not that Billy Wiz or something like that?"
Alex Legouix (05:24):
That's cool. That's a good person to have been given a
nickname from.
Billy Monger (05:28):
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, I saw him earlier this year when
I was working on the formulary. We were out in
Japan in Tokyo and he was a guest that came
to the race. We got to interview him on the
grid and it was just a weird conversation 'cause he
brought that back up. I was like, " Oh yeah, you
did come up with my Billy Wiz nickname that I'm
known for now." It's just like one of those moments.
Alex Legouix (05:46):
Wow. That's a weird full circle, isn't it?
Billy Monger (05:49):
It is a full circle moment, yeah.
Alex Legouix (05:56):
Can you give me directions to the tennis court?
Billy Monger (05:59):
I can indeed. We're going to go right here. You are
testing me though, even though this is five minutes from my house, my sense of
direction's pretty awful. You want to go right into this car park here.
Alex Legouix (06:16):
So you played quite a bit of tennis here, right?
Billy Monger (06:19):
Yeah, this is one of those places when I wasn't
racing and after school, especially in the summer, hanging out,
playing tennis on the court here. Or I'd used to
cycle and meet all my mates and we'd go and
play football.
Alex Legouix (06:34):
So we're sitting outside Newdigate Sports and Social Club Ltd,
which looks like quite an old school.
Billy Monger (06:41):
It is very old school.
Alex Legouix (06:42):
Pebble dash local community center, isn't it?
Billy Monger (06:44):
Yeah. They've got a couple of pool tables. I'd go
in there occasionally when my dad would come and pick
me up, say from playing football or tennis with my mates.
And we'd have a game of pool or something before
we went home, if we had time to squeeze it in.
Alex Legouix (06:57):
Oh, nice. This holds quite a lot of memories.
Billy Monger (06:57):
Yeah. Yeah, it does actually.
Alex Legouix (06:57):
And we've got nice big field, tennis courts.
Billy Monger (07:03):
Little basketball court. The park bit has changed and then
in the top left of the field there's the cricket
club. Cricket never really grabbed me. I found it a
bit too boring, to be honest. Yeah, I'm more of
an adrenaline sports guy. Tennis, I was pretty good at,
so that used to bring out my competitive edge on
these courts. Yeah, there was a few moments where the
(07:24):
racket nearly got whacked on the ground and all sorts.
Alex Legouix (07:28):
What a nice little area.
Billy Monger (07:29):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (07:31):
So, how old were you when you started racing competitively?
Billy Monger (07:34):
Local competitions, probably about eight. And then I had my first
year of British Championships when I was nine.
Alex Legouix (07:42):
In?
Billy Monger (07:42):
In Honda Cadets, so that was just races all around
the country. And then I won the British Championship in my second
year when I was 10. So, that was probably the point
where I thought, "Okay, I'm pretty good at this and this could be..."
Alex Legouix (07:56):
Yeah. And your dad started going, "Oh, no. Here we go."
Billy Monger (07:58):
Yeah. He started, yeah, realizing this was going to get
expensive real quick.
Alex Legouix (08:05):
Do you still like karting now?
Billy Monger (08:07):
I do, yeah. I think karting is one of the most authentic
forms of motorsport. Like it's not down to equipment to
a certain level and it's a lot more relaxed, or
at least it was when I was doing it. Probably
80% of the people I was racing against, maybe even
more than that, would stay at the kart track. So,
(08:28):
we'd all be camper vans so all the kids would hang
out with each other in the evenings, barbecues. It was
more than just a kart race. Where now I think,
I've done a little bit of coaching for young go-
karters just before my accident, when I was 16 years
old, 17 as well. And hardly anyone stays at the
track anymore, and it just feels a little bit too
(08:51):
serious nowadays. People get into go- karting now literally to
become a Formula 1 world champion.
Alex Legouix (08:59):
And so then you moved up to cars at what
age then?
Billy Monger (09:01):
So I moved up into Ginetta Juniors, which was my
first dip into actual car racing when I was 14.
And then yeah, 16, 17 F4 car that does 130, 140
mile an hour.
Alex Legouix (09:17):
Wow. That's so young, isn't it?
Billy Monger (09:19):
It is, yeah. At that point when I got into F4, I'd
been racing 10 years, so it didn't really feel... You
build up that speed over time, it doesn't feel like
a huge jump.
Alex Legouix (09:31):
Yeah. You seem really laid back. What were you like on
a race weekend or on the grid ahead of a race?
Billy Monger (09:39):
Yeah, I think I've always been... When I was younger,
I was quite a shy kid, so when I first
started racing I was really shy. And then I think
finding stuff that I was good at and stuff that
I enjoyed doing, like racing for example, built my confidence
just as a person. I just think if you find
something you're good at, it gives you that natural confidence
(10:00):
and that happened for me. So then by the time
I was 12, 13, I'd won a couple of British championships.
I'd done really well on the world championship scene as
well. And it just shaped me a little bit into just
becoming a more confident person. I was still very laid-
back, but when I'm off track, I'm almost a slightly
different person, off track to on track.
Alex Legouix (10:20):
Yeah. You said that you were competitive and goal- oriented.
Where do you think that comes from?
Billy Monger (10:28):
My dad's competitive, but not massively. He pushed me when
I was younger, but not one of the real pushy
parents. He would always say to me, " If you're not
enjoying this, we don't have to do it." He would
remind me of that every now and then. Mainly, he'd
say that to me to be fair, if we weren't doing that well. So if all of a
sudden if I wasn't getting the results or he felt
(10:49):
like I wasn't putting in the effort, he'd obviously dedicate
a lot of his spare time when he wasn't working,
to making sure it was all right. Yeah, he put
in a lot of effort that when you're younger you
maybe don't appreciate. So there was probably moments where he
was like, " Why am I going into all this effort if
Billy's more worried about going on a scooter after the
racing or having a kick around with his mates rather
(11:11):
than taking it seriously?" So there was a couple of those
moments where it was like, " Listen, you need to try. We're not
going to just keep doing this and spending the money
to go racing if it's not what you want to
do." It wasn't necessarily about the winning, but I think
that's all he really wanted for me, was just me to
give my best. Actually the year I won my first
British championship when I was 10, I won the first round
(11:34):
of the championship and then I think the next race was in four weeks
time. And on the Monday after, it was a bank
holiday, so he took me to the local pub. And
I was out basically on a swing set messing around, and then
I said, " Dad, watch this." And I went to jump
off the swing and I didn't let go of it
until I was upside down. I held on for too long and I landed on my arm
(11:56):
and broke my arm in a couple places. And my dad was like, " You
idiot, you've just won the first round of the British
Championships. The next race is in four weeks." I was
meant to be in a cast for six weeks I
think, but I went and had laser repair surgery on
my bone. It helps to speed up the recovery process.
(12:16):
Might've been in Birmingham or something. It was like three
hours away from home. We drove up there for four
sessions of this laser repair. And four weeks later, I was
driving again at the second round of the British Championships. That's
obviously a moment where if I didn't have parents that really
wanted me to do well, they would've probably been like, " Right.
Well, actually you can't do the next race now." But they were like, "
(12:37):
Okay, what can we do to get you back out
there?" That was what was needed.
Alex Legouix (12:43):
That's amazing. Today, we're driving a brand new Toyota CHR
GR Sport in sterling silver bi- tone. And it's a
hybrid. And Billy, you are getting this exact model, aren't you?
Billy Monger (12:59):
I am indeed.
Alex Legouix (13:01):
Have you driven a hybrid before?
Billy Monger (13:02):
This will be my first ever hybrid. I've had a
chance to drive all electric with Formula E, and the acceleration
and that was pretty good. And I thought, " You know what, the racing
driver in me might like that."
Alex Legouix (13:12):
Well, hybrids have actually increased massively in popularity over the
last five years, with consumers viewing hybrid models on Autotrader
an average of 28,000 times per day so far this year.
Billy Monger (13:25):
That's pretty bonkers.
Alex Legouix (13:26):
That is an increase as well of 1, 051% over the last
five years.
Billy Monger (13:32):
I guess that shows which way things are going.
Alex Legouix (13:33):
So right. I'm not sure about the color of this one though.
I think I would go for bright blue or something
that pops a little bit more. What would you go for?
Billy Monger (13:41):
My first car was bright red. I didn't like cleaning
it that much, so I've kind of gone for gunmetal grays, that sort
of dark color. This is maybe a little bit too
light from my liking.
Alex Legouix (13:52):
Well, you can find great deals on brand new Toyota
CHR's, just like this one, on Autotrader, where they're in
stock and available to drive away today. Should we get
on with the show?
Billy Monger (14:02):
Let's do it. I just clocked where we are. We're just getting to
Horsham Hospital.
Alex Legouix (14:12):
Yes. So, Horsham Community Hospital. So, how and why is
this important to your story?
Billy Monger (14:21):
Yeah, this is a place that I spent a lot
of my early days after I had my racing crash.
I became a double amputee as a result of that
crash. And this is where I did probably about 60, 70% of
my rehab. Spent a lot of time here just coming
here and basically relearning how to walk. Inside the hospital,
(14:43):
there's a big loop of corridors. Doing a lap of
that, making that hospital into a track effectively and doing
a lap of that, that was one of my first
little boxes ticked for being on prosthetics. And then there's
a little bit of a hill out the back.
Alex Legouix (15:00):
What emotions do you feel being back here seeing it?
Billy Monger (15:02):
I don't know really. You'd kind of assume that it's like,
oh, it brings back traumatic memory sort of thing. But
most of my tougher days were done when I was
actually, it was more just coming to terms with it
when I was in hospital. When I got here, it
was kind of like my approach to sport was how
I approach my rehab. It was like, " Okay, each day come
(15:24):
here, do my best, try and get better than I
was, and then leave." And I was looking forward to
my rehab sessions 'cause I knew that was going to
help me get better.
Alex Legouix (15:34):
I can hear your competitive spirit coming through and I imagine that
that was a huge fuel, and meant that you were
able to rather than a defeatist attitude. It doesn't sound
like you ever really had that.
Billy Monger (15:48):
No, I was quite fortunate. I wasn't just down to
me, I think I was down to my support network as well. My family
was so good and my doctors, when I was in
hospital in Nottingham at Queen's Medical Center. That was the
hospital that my surgeries were done after my accident 'cause my
accident was at a track called Donington Park, which is
up north a little bit. But my doctors were great.
(16:09):
They basically quite quickly, initially when I woke up, you
do have those moments where you're like, " God, why me?
Why me? Why has this happened?" And that's a completely
normal thing to have, things to be thinking about. But
they were good at turning my mind around to thinking "
Well, okay, if you work hard, if you approach you rehab the
(16:31):
right way and really crack on and focus with things,
you can still walk, you can still be independent, and
do all these things." They're basically like rather than telling me
all the stuff that I maybe would struggle to do
and they told me all the things that if I
worked hard, I would be able to do.
Alex Legouix (16:45):
Wow. That just shows the power of having the right support network.
That's incredible, isn't it? The circumstances of your accident are
really well documented. You were 17 at the time, weren't you?
Billy Monger (16:58):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (16:58):
And we all change as we get older anyway, but
what do you feel like has been the biggest change
in you since the accident?
Billy Monger (17:07):
I think the childhood I had was amazing, and I
loved every minute of it. But I was obviously saying
it slightly earlier about how my dad sometimes had to
remind me, " Don't take this for granted. You got to
give it your a hundred percent effort." And I think
probably my accident made me realize how short life can
be, and it made me not take things for granted
(17:30):
so much. Now I try to be, as much as
possible, appreciative of everything that I've got to be grateful
for in my life. And there's so much, thankfully, I'm
in a good space with all the stuff that I've got going on.
So yeah, just more I'd say it helps keep me in the right
frame of mind. Yeah, I think I'm a pretty positive person now.
(17:52):
But I think that's probably down to my accident and
knowing that life could have been done and dusted there.
Alex Legouix (18:01):
At the time of recording, we recently saw an MP,
Craig McKinley, stand up in the Commons after his hands
and feet were amputated because of sepsis, calling for provision
of appropriate prosthetics for amputees. Have you struggled to get
the right prosthetics for you?
Billy Monger (18:21):
It's taken a bit of time. Half the battle with
prosthetics is getting the sockets right and getting them fitted
to you and your body, especially in the early stages
after becoming an amputee, your body changes so much. And
for a long period of time, I remember probably the
first couple of years after I had my crash, I'd
be getting a new set of sockets, my prosthetics every
(18:42):
three to six months.
Alex Legouix (18:44):
Oh, wow.
Billy Monger (18:44):
And it's like wearing shoes that don't fit but on
a bigger scale. And you get sores and rubs and you
can't basically utilize the prosthetics to their maximum. It was
a challenge.
Alex Legouix (18:57):
As a result of your accident, you appealed didn't you? You
changed the rules in motorsport.
Billy Monger (19:03):
When I had those rules changed so that I could race
myself, people say that, " Oh, other people can race too."
It kind of insinuates like I was doing it for
other people. And I'm not going to lie, I was
doing it for myself. I needed to change the rules
so I could race, so I went out there and changed
the rules. Thankfully, the FIA were supportive and I passed
(19:27):
the tests and the things that they'd put in place
for safety to make sure that I'd be able to compete
properly. And I did that. And obviously, that has opened
up the opportunity for others. It's something that I look
back on now and think, " Okay, that's a nice thing."
And I would love to see other people with disabilities
drive single- seaters and compete. But I can't sit here
(19:47):
and say, " Oh yeah, I was thinking about other people while I was doing it." No,
it was just me being competitive, wanting to go and drive
myself. And it was just something that had to get
done so I could do that.
Alex Legouix (19:58):
Fair play.
Billy Monger (19:59):
But I'm not one to be vocal for the sake
of being vocal. At the minute, I feel like a
lot of barriers, particularly in motorsport, which is the world
I'm from, are getting broken down. Obviously, there's a lot of
all female championships that are being brought to the forefront,
so that's great to see. That's the one thing I
would like to continue to try and push and have
an influence on, if I could in any way, is
(20:20):
giving people from all different backgrounds, of any minority the
opportunity to show what they can do. If that's behind the
wheel of a race car or whether that's just them
getting involved in motorsport. In order to do that, I'm
trying to forge my own opportunities in the world of
motorsport, because I feel like having a role model. If
(20:42):
you were another amputee out there and you saw me
driving a racing car and being successful and doing well,
I'm now at a stage where I've realized that can
be quite powerful. And if I can do anything to
have a positive influence on other people whilst doing the
things that I love, that's just an added bonus for me.
Alex Legouix (21:03):
Normally what would be next is snacks. But you are
our only guest that hasn't requested car snacks.
Billy Monger (21:11):
I'm the only guest? Wow.
Alex Legouix (21:18):
Yes.
Billy Monger (21:18):
Again, why have I got to be different?
Alex Legouix (21:18):
What's that all about?
Billy Monger (21:18):
I just feel like, again, there's nothing that really jumps out to me like
a specific snack. I'm quite in- the- moment person. I'll
pull up to a service station, get some fuel, go
into the garage, and something will catch my eye. It might
be a pack of crisps, a chocolate bar, a sandwich, whatever. But it's not
like I'm not the sort of person that has the
same meal deal-
Alex Legouix (21:37):
No reliable go-to.
Billy Monger (21:38):
... every time. No, I like different things in different moments.
Alex Legouix (21:43):
But crisps, chocolate, sandwiches, none of those make an Ironman,
which is what you're training for right now?
Billy Monger (21:50):
It is indeed. Yeah. It's a lot. It's around 15
hours a week, so yeah, just over a couple of
hours a day.
Alex Legouix (21:58):
And what does the actual competition consist of?
Billy Monger (22:02):
So an Ironman is a 3. 8 kilometer swim, which
is going to be in the ocean.
Alex Legouix (22:09):
In open water?
Billy Monger (22:10):
Yeah. 180 kilometer bike ride and then a marathon, all back
to back.
Alex Legouix (22:17):
That sounds horrendous.
Billy Monger (22:19):
Yeah, thanks for that.
Alex Legouix (22:23):
Good luck with that. And where are you doing it?
Billy Monger (22:23):
Hawaii.
Alex Legouix (22:23):
Oh, okay. So at least it should, touch wood, be quite warm.
Billy Monger (22:27):
Yeah, you say that. It will probably be too warm for
my liking.
Alex Legouix (22:30):
That's true.
Billy Monger (22:30):
It's really going to be close to 30 degrees and seventy-
something percent humidity. So, it's going to be brutal.
Alex Legouix (22:38):
What a challenge for you to be taking on.
Billy Monger (22:40):
Yeah, this event in particular, there's only been one double
amputee that's ever finished it before. And the time capped
to complete the whole event is 17 hours. And the
only double amputee that finished finished in 16 and a
half hours.
Alex Legouix (22:57):
And your competitive spirit is going, "Oh, yeah."
Billy Monger (23:00):
So, that's the world records that is attached. As much
as finishing it would be a huge achievement, that is
my underlining goal, is to be the fastest double amputee
in the world to do the Ironman in Hawaii.
Alex Legouix (23:24):
So, we've just pulled up to what looks like a very
cool karting center. I'm guessing that's upstairs, downstairs, indoor style?
Billy Monger (23:33):
Yeah, indoor style. Two floors. It's quite a cool circuit
for an indoor karting place. So, I used to enjoy
it when my mates would come and invite me for
birthdays here. These were the days where I'd rock up.
I was a lot better than all my mates. I'd
be lapping them, but there was always an adjustment period when I'd
go and do these go- karting birthdays. Because I'm used
(23:54):
to really quick go- karts, proper tarmac, the go- kart
being fine- tuned. And then you'd get in into a
place like this and it would feel like, " Oh, my God, this thing has
got no grip, no power."
Alex Legouix (24:05):
Yeah, yeah. That's such racing driver talk.
Billy Monger (24:08):
I'd still win, but just saying it would take me a couple laps. I'm
trying to look humble, all right?
Alex Legouix (24:15):
How many seconds would you win by?
Billy Monger (24:17):
Seconds or laps?
Alex Legouix (24:18):
Oh! Oh, oh, oh.
Billy Monger (24:18):
Oh, I went there, I went there.
Alex Legouix (24:24):
Oh, all right. How many laps?
Billy Monger (24:24):
No, I'm joking.
Alex Legouix (24:24):
Brilliant.
Billy Monger (24:24):
All my mates are going to go, "That's a lie. That's a lie. You didn't lap us." No, I don't know. It'd be comfortable. A lot of the
time I'd get bored out front, so I'd try and
make it interesting sometimes and I'd back off and practice
defending from my mate. And quite enjoyed watching them try
to get past me. And they'd have all the helmets
with their clear visors so you could see the frustration.
They're like, " I can't get past him, I can't find
(24:46):
a way past him." And then I'd just be like, well once I'd
finished messing around, I'd clear off.
Alex Legouix (24:53):
Yeah.
Billy Monger (24:54):
I've seen three girls walk in there already.
Alex Legouix (24:56):
Oh, yeah. Nice. That's good. See, that's how times are changing.
Billy Monger (25:02):
Yeah, it's a good sign actually, 'cause I don't think you would've
seen that when I was growing up.
Alex Legouix (25:06):
So last section of our trip then, back to Charldwood. Oh, we're
right beside Gatwick.
Billy Monger (25:18):
We are indeed. Yeah. Getting close to home now.
Alex Legouix (25:24):
When was the last time you raced?
Billy Monger (25:26):
The last time I actually competed was 2019, so it's
been about four years now since I was on track.
Basically my on track racing career kind of took a
back seat when COVID came about. So early 2020, I
had it all sort of set that I was going
to be racing in FIA Formula 3. And then they
(25:49):
all went into lockdown. All the junior series and racing
were kind of put on the back burner. I remember
all my sponsors, because of businesses just being in trouble,
pulled out of funding my career. And next thing you
know I was having had close to a million euros
of sponsorship, which is what roughly is the cost of
a season in Formula 3, ready to go. I had
(26:11):
nothing. And since COVID, haven't really been able to manage
to get that kind of funding together.
Alex Legouix (26:18):
No. So if you were able to, you'd be back
on track.
Billy Monger (26:22):
Yeah. Yeah, I still have a passion for racing. I've
done it since I was a kid. And I know
that I'm capable of beating and competing with the best.
Alex Legouix (26:31):
Well, you came back and raced at Pau. That was insane, wasn't it?
Billy Monger (26:35):
Yeah, that was definitely one of the highlights, winning that
race. Obviously, it's historic race in the world of Motorsport, the
Pau Grand Prix. A lot of people that I looked up
to have won that race. Fangio, Lewis Hamilton, heroes of
mine. My name's on the same trophy as theirs, so
that's a positive thing. I was hoping that I'd have
a few more years to win a few more trophies
(26:57):
and give myself a shot at Formula 1. It's not
necessarily over, that dream, but it's getting tougher, the more
time I spend out the seat. So, I'm just keen
to get back where I can and get the opportunity
to prove myself, 'cause I know I'm still quite capable.
Alex Legouix (27:13):
Do you feel like the likes of Ironman have filled
the void to an extent?
Billy Monger (27:18):
I think that's part of the reason why I'm so
keen to challenge myself. And probably why I've dipped into
the Ironman and triathlon space is because with racing, fundamentally,
you are quite reliant on raising money. And reliant on
other people supporting me to be able to do what
I do. Anyone can go swim, ride a bike, and
(27:40):
run. And I'm not reliant on anyone else. So, my
dedication and my hard work in that sport will be
shown on the day I compete. And I won't be
sat there thinking, " Oh, well if I'd had more sponsorship
then I would've been able to do this." Or for
me, it kind of puts the onus back on me
(28:00):
where I'm like, " Okay, no excuses." I've put in the
hard work and I can show people what I'm capable
of without having to rely on anyone else.
Alex Legouix (28:10):
Yeah. So, are you desperate to get back in the seat? Is
that still-
Billy Monger (28:14):
It's definitely.
Alex Legouix (28:15):
Is the passion there as much as it was when you were
a child?
Billy Monger (28:17):
It's a huge itch that I've got to scratch. There's
no doubt about that. And my job now, if you can
call it a job of traveling the world, going to F-
1 races, Formula E races, commentating, presenting, doing all that
kind of stuff, it is as close as I can
possibly beat the action without driving, which I love. But
at the same time, it's really hard because-
Alex Legouix (28:38):
It's really hard.
Billy Monger (28:38):
It's really hard 'cause I look at people doing what I want to
do and I'm thinking, " I know if I got the
opportunity, I could win. I could beat you, I know."
And that's just me being competitive. But yeah, that makes
me want it even more.
Alex Legouix (28:50):
Yeah, I bet. You've been that very busy doing TV stuff.
Not only doing Channel 4's F1 coverage, but Formula E, but
also racing across the world. How cool was that?
Billy Monger (29:02):
That was really cool. So, the opportunity came about because
they had basically asked, " Do I want to do a show?" And
me and my sister had spoken about for a few
years, about going and doing some traveling together. So I
watched a couple of episodes, and then I said to my sister, "
Listen..." I didn't think you'd be up for it, to
be honest. So I said to her, " Listen, I've been
(29:23):
approached to do this show." And she watched 20 minutes
of one episode and she was like, " Yeah, I'm up
for it." And I was like, " Really? You're up for
it?" It was a bit of a shock, but we were away for a month.
No phones, just a map. And the budget you get
is the cost of the plane ticket from the start
of the whole thing to the end of the whole
thing. And you can't fly. So it's buses, trains, taxis,
(29:49):
all stuff like that. And you've got to make your
way from place to place.
Alex Legouix (29:52):
Oh, I absolutely love it. But you're being followed by,
you must have a couple of cameramen, right?
Billy Monger (29:58):
Yeah, yeah.
Alex Legouix (29:58):
But they're not allowed to help you at all.
Billy Monger (30:00):
No. So, there was five of us. And then behind
us there'd be a support vehicle which had two drivers
in, one that could drive for six hours, then they'd
swap, do another six hours. And they were basically following
us around the world and they had-
Alex Legouix (30:15):
And that's for every team.
Billy Monger (30:16):
Yeah. They had spare-
Alex Legouix (30:17):
Amazing.
Billy Monger (30:17):
... batteries, camera lenses, everything. So, they basically tried to
stay as close to us as possible so they could
help support our crew if they needed support. We were
doing 15 hour overnight buses for fun on this trip.
That was a regular thing we did. They'd be sleeping
on the bus with us, and then having to get up and
(30:38):
film us. And we think we had it hard. That's probably the
hardest job in television, I'd say.
Alex Legouix (30:44):
Wow. How interesting. Do you ever look back on everything
that's happened to you and, well, maybe this isn't a
question or an observation, but you probably wouldn't have ever
had the opportunities to do these things, right?
Billy Monger (30:57):
Oh, a hundred percent. My life, if I hadn't had the accident, I
can imagine would've looked very different. There's no point in
trying to guess whether it would've been better or worse
'cause it is what it is. And my life has taken the
route it's taken. But yeah, I get opportunities as a result
of my accident and becoming a more well- known figure
(31:18):
through that. Where yeah, I'm not sure I would've had
the same opportunities otherwise. So, there's always a silver lining
to everything. There's always a positive to every negative. And
some of the opportunities I get are stuff where you think, "
Wow, this is super cool and I'm glad I get
to do this."
Alex Legouix (31:36):
That's awesome. That feels like a good place to stop.
Billy Monger (31:41):
And we're like a minute from my house.
Alex Legouix (31:42):
I know. Home sweet home.
Billy Monger (31:50):
Home sweet home. Yeah.
Alex Legouix (31:51):
Thank you so much. I love that. That was good fun.
Billy Monger (31:53):
Yeah, it was really good fun.
Alex Legouix (31:55):
I will inevitably see you in a pit lane, somewhere, sometime.
Billy Monger (31:58):
I'm sure we'll cross paths again.
Alex Legouix (32:00):
Thank you, Billy. Take care.
Billy Monger (32:01):
Cheers. Thank you for that. All, good. All right, to training I go.
Alex Legouix (32:05):
Yeah, good luck. See you.
Billy Monger (32:05):
See you.
Alex Legouix (32:14):
Well, there goes another extraordinary passenger in this Show On
The Road series. Billy's overcome the most unimaginable tragedy with
such humility and modesty. And it was an absolute pleasure
to be in his company. Show On The Road is
a fresh air production for Auto Trader. If you enjoyed
it and you think others will as well, please spread
(32:37):
the word. Leave a quick in your podcast app and
a nice little comment. You can also subscribe to our
YouTube channel where there's exclusive footage of this and all
the other drives we've done in this series. And choosing
the vehicle you are going to start your next story in
could not be easier on Autotrader. Thousands of vehicles to
choose from with expert reviews and videos to help you pick.
(33:01):
And loads of options to buy used, new, or lease
so you get the best for you each time. Find your
next car and start your next story on the Autotrader
app or at autotrader.co.uk. In our next episode, one very
famous singer will be showing us around the streets, which
have helped shaped his life. Sharing stories about many things
(33:23):
including X Factor, football, and fatherhood.
Speaker 3 (33:27):
I love how we're driving around in my local town in a Bentley. And they're all like, "
State of this guy, thinks he's big time Charlie. This
is what I try not to do when I drive around here."
Alex Legouix (33:36):
Until then, I'm Alex Legouix, see ya.
There's a big loop of corridors making that hospital into a track
effectively. It's a huge itch that I've got to scratch.
There's no doubt about that. So, I'm trying to look humble.
All right?
Alex Legouix (00:14):
How many seconds would you win by?
Billy Monger (00:15):
Seconds or laps?
Alex Legouix (00:17):
Oh, oh, oh, all right. Today we are in leafy Surrey with
racing driver, Billy Monger, a truly special person with unbreakable
resilience. Billy was involved in a horrific car accident in
2017, which changed his life. But becoming a double amputee
(00:38):
didn't wipe away his positivity or determination. Within a year,
Billy Wiz, as he's known by to many, was back
on the track racing again. His story is one of
unbelievable triumph over tragedy. Billy's going to show us around
this gorgeous part of Surrey, including where some of his
rehab took place. And while he does, we'll find out
(01:00):
how he overcame those terrible injuries to continue racing and
become the lovable TV personality he is today. This is
Show on the Road, brought to you by Autotrader, the
UK's largest automated platform. I'm Alex Legouix driving a Toyota
CHR into the quaint little village of Charlwood where Billy lives. And
(01:22):
there he is. Hello, sir.
Billy Monger (01:25):
How's it going?
Alex Legouix (01:26):
Good.
Billy Monger (01:27):
Mind if I hop in?
Alex Legouix (01:28):
Please do. How are you?
Billy Monger (01:32):
Good.
Alex Legouix (01:32):
Good.
Billy Monger (01:32):
Yourself?
Alex Legouix (01:33):
Good, thank you. Ready for a little jaunt around the world of Billy?
Billy Monger (01:36):
Around my local area, yeah. Hopefully I remember it all.
Alex Legouix (01:36):
So Billy, Charlwood is a very quaint village, isn't it?
Billy Monger (01:52):
Yeah, I like it. I've grown up that way, so
probably, I don't know any different. But a lot of
my friends obviously go after uni a few years ago.
And now they're obsessed with the idea of living in
London. But I don't know if I'm too used to living
out and having fresh air, peace, and quiet, but I wouldn't be able to embrace city life.
Alex Legouix (02:10):
Have you lived around here all your life?
Billy Monger (02:12):
Where I am now, my parents moved into there when
I was like six months old.
Alex Legouix (02:16):
So you grew up with one sibling, didn't you?
Billy Monger (02:18):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (02:19):
Bonnie.
Billy Monger (02:19):
Yeah, I got my sister Bon.
Alex Legouix (02:20):
And your dad, Rob?
Billy Monger (02:22):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (02:22):
Is that right? We'll get to both of them in
due course. But your mum, she's a make- up artist, right?
Billy Monger (02:29):
Yeah, she is indeed,
Alex Legouix (02:29):
In the film industry or TV?
Billy Monger (02:29):
Yeah, she's done a lot of film. So she did
all the Harry Potter films, so she was head make-
up artist on all of those.
Alex Legouix (02:41):
Wow, that's pretty cool.
Billy Monger (02:42):
And then she's done Fast and Furious films, James Bond.
At the minute she's currently doing House of the Dragon, which
is the Game of Thrones spin- off series.
Alex Legouix (02:56):
Did you think that was cool when you were younger?
Billy Monger (02:56):
Yeah, I did think it was cool. We got the chance, me
and Bon, we always used to go to the set and stuff
when we were younger. We'd have a day off school
or a bank holiday, sometimes mum would take us into
work just hanging around the makeup stuff. And then Daniel
Radcliffe or someone like that would come in and she'd
have to make him up. And when we weren't hanging up
the actors, I used to always try and get down
to the stunt department. And they'd put me in a
(03:18):
harness and do all the stunt stuff with me. And I used
to love that 'cause I was a bit of an adrenaline junkie, as
you can imagine.
Alex Legouix (03:25):
And your dad, he was the person then that got
you into a go- kart at an early age, wasn't he?
Billy Monger (03:30):
Yeah, he actually bought me a go- kart when I was two
years old. And I couldn't drive that he bought me
until I was six. So, I think he actually took
me in my booster seat to go and pick the
car up. And obviously the guy who was selling it said, "
Oh, who's it for?" And he said, " Oh, it's for
my son. He's in the front of the car." And
then apparently the guy walked past the car as he
(03:51):
was helping my dad put it in the back, and
did a double take and said, " He can't drive that.
You've got to be six years old." My dad was like, " No, I'm just getting
them one a few years ahead of the game." And
I was so slow when I started.
Alex Legouix (04:05):
Oh, really?
Billy Monger (04:05):
So slow. Yeah.
Alex Legouix (04:07):
Comparatively or just because you were only six?
Billy Monger (04:08):
I don't know. Yeah, because six is particularly young to start. But my
dad literally used to... The kart track that I started
at, he used to run around in front of me.
And he was not exactly like Mo Farah or anything,
do you know what I mean? So you'd do a couple laps, he'd
be absolutely puffing, and I'd just be sat behind him.
And eventually it came to a stage where I think
he was worried that I was going to run him over
(04:29):
or something and he is like, " Let him just go around by himself."
Alex Legouix (04:35):
I'm assuming the nickname Billy Wiz did not come from
when you were six years old then?
Billy Monger (04:39):
No, it definitely didn't. No. If people would see me when I started, I
don't think that Wiz would've been appropriate for my name.
But funny enough, it links back to my mum. So
my mum was working, maybe when I was around 13
or 14 years old, I think, my mum was working on
Fast and Furious. She was doing the makeup for Sung
Kang, who's the South Korean actor. They were chatting and
(05:01):
my mum was like, "Oh, I think..." At that time I was
at good level in go- karting like winning British championships.
But the next step was car racing where the money
that you need just goes up significantly. So my mum
was like, " We need to get him a bit of
a following and basically come up with a cool nickname."
So, they were having this conversation while she was doing
his makeup. And yet they just came up with, Sung,
(05:21):
basically suggested, " Why not that Billy Wiz or something like that?"
Alex Legouix (05:24):
That's cool. That's a good person to have been given a
nickname from.
Billy Monger (05:28):
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, I saw him earlier this year when
I was working on the formulary. We were out in
Japan in Tokyo and he was a guest that came
to the race. We got to interview him on the
grid and it was just a weird conversation 'cause he
brought that back up. I was like, " Oh yeah, you
did come up with my Billy Wiz nickname that I'm
known for now." It's just like one of those moments.
Alex Legouix (05:46):
Wow. That's a weird full circle, isn't it?
Billy Monger (05:49):
It is a full circle moment, yeah.
Alex Legouix (05:56):
Can you give me directions to the tennis court?
Billy Monger (05:59):
I can indeed. We're going to go right here. You are
testing me though, even though this is five minutes from my house, my sense of
direction's pretty awful. You want to go right into this car park here.
Alex Legouix (06:16):
So you played quite a bit of tennis here, right?
Billy Monger (06:19):
Yeah, this is one of those places when I wasn't
racing and after school, especially in the summer, hanging out,
playing tennis on the court here. Or I'd used to
cycle and meet all my mates and we'd go and
play football.
Alex Legouix (06:34):
So we're sitting outside Newdigate Sports and Social Club Ltd,
which looks like quite an old school.
Billy Monger (06:41):
It is very old school.
Alex Legouix (06:42):
Pebble dash local community center, isn't it?
Billy Monger (06:44):
Yeah. They've got a couple of pool tables. I'd go
in there occasionally when my dad would come and pick
me up, say from playing football or tennis with my mates.
And we'd have a game of pool or something before
we went home, if we had time to squeeze it in.
Alex Legouix (06:57):
Oh, nice. This holds quite a lot of memories.
Billy Monger (06:57):
Yeah. Yeah, it does actually.
Alex Legouix (06:57):
And we've got nice big field, tennis courts.
Billy Monger (07:03):
Little basketball court. The park bit has changed and then
in the top left of the field there's the cricket
club. Cricket never really grabbed me. I found it a
bit too boring, to be honest. Yeah, I'm more of
an adrenaline sports guy. Tennis, I was pretty good at,
so that used to bring out my competitive edge on
these courts. Yeah, there was a few moments where the
(07:24):
racket nearly got whacked on the ground and all sorts.
Alex Legouix (07:28):
What a nice little area.
Billy Monger (07:29):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (07:31):
So, how old were you when you started racing competitively?
Billy Monger (07:34):
Local competitions, probably about eight. And then I had my first
year of British Championships when I was nine.
Alex Legouix (07:42):
In?
Billy Monger (07:42):
In Honda Cadets, so that was just races all around
the country. And then I won the British Championship in my second
year when I was 10. So, that was probably the point
where I thought, "Okay, I'm pretty good at this and this could be..."
Alex Legouix (07:56):
Yeah. And your dad started going, "Oh, no. Here we go."
Billy Monger (07:58):
Yeah. He started, yeah, realizing this was going to get
expensive real quick.
Alex Legouix (08:05):
Do you still like karting now?
Billy Monger (08:07):
I do, yeah. I think karting is one of the most authentic
forms of motorsport. Like it's not down to equipment to
a certain level and it's a lot more relaxed, or
at least it was when I was doing it. Probably
80% of the people I was racing against, maybe even
more than that, would stay at the kart track. So,
(08:28):
we'd all be camper vans so all the kids would hang
out with each other in the evenings, barbecues. It was
more than just a kart race. Where now I think,
I've done a little bit of coaching for young go-
karters just before my accident, when I was 16 years
old, 17 as well. And hardly anyone stays at the
track anymore, and it just feels a little bit too
(08:51):
serious nowadays. People get into go- karting now literally to
become a Formula 1 world champion.
Alex Legouix (08:59):
And so then you moved up to cars at what
age then?
Billy Monger (09:01):
So I moved up into Ginetta Juniors, which was my
first dip into actual car racing when I was 14.
And then yeah, 16, 17 F4 car that does 130, 140
mile an hour.
Alex Legouix (09:17):
Wow. That's so young, isn't it?
Billy Monger (09:19):
It is, yeah. At that point when I got into F4, I'd
been racing 10 years, so it didn't really feel... You
build up that speed over time, it doesn't feel like
a huge jump.
Alex Legouix (09:31):
Yeah. You seem really laid back. What were you like on
a race weekend or on the grid ahead of a race?
Billy Monger (09:39):
Yeah, I think I've always been... When I was younger,
I was quite a shy kid, so when I first
started racing I was really shy. And then I think
finding stuff that I was good at and stuff that
I enjoyed doing, like racing for example, built my confidence
just as a person. I just think if you find
something you're good at, it gives you that natural confidence
(10:00):
and that happened for me. So then by the time
I was 12, 13, I'd won a couple of British championships.
I'd done really well on the world championship scene as
well. And it just shaped me a little bit into just
becoming a more confident person. I was still very laid-
back, but when I'm off track, I'm almost a slightly
different person, off track to on track.
Alex Legouix (10:20):
Yeah. You said that you were competitive and goal- oriented.
Where do you think that comes from?
Billy Monger (10:28):
My dad's competitive, but not massively. He pushed me when
I was younger, but not one of the real pushy
parents. He would always say to me, " If you're not
enjoying this, we don't have to do it." He would
remind me of that every now and then. Mainly, he'd
say that to me to be fair, if we weren't doing that well. So if all of a
sudden if I wasn't getting the results or he felt
(10:49):
like I wasn't putting in the effort, he'd obviously dedicate
a lot of his spare time when he wasn't working,
to making sure it was all right. Yeah, he put
in a lot of effort that when you're younger you
maybe don't appreciate. So there was probably moments where he
was like, " Why am I going into all this effort if
Billy's more worried about going on a scooter after the
racing or having a kick around with his mates rather
(11:11):
than taking it seriously?" So there was a couple of those
moments where it was like, " Listen, you need to try. We're not
going to just keep doing this and spending the money
to go racing if it's not what you want to
do." It wasn't necessarily about the winning, but I think
that's all he really wanted for me, was just me to
give my best. Actually the year I won my first
British championship when I was 10, I won the first round
(11:34):
of the championship and then I think the next race was in four weeks
time. And on the Monday after, it was a bank
holiday, so he took me to the local pub. And
I was out basically on a swing set messing around, and then
I said, " Dad, watch this." And I went to jump
off the swing and I didn't let go of it
until I was upside down. I held on for too long and I landed on my arm
(11:56):
and broke my arm in a couple places. And my dad was like, " You
idiot, you've just won the first round of the British
Championships. The next race is in four weeks." I was
meant to be in a cast for six weeks I
think, but I went and had laser repair surgery on
my bone. It helps to speed up the recovery process.
(12:16):
Might've been in Birmingham or something. It was like three
hours away from home. We drove up there for four
sessions of this laser repair. And four weeks later, I was
driving again at the second round of the British Championships. That's
obviously a moment where if I didn't have parents that really
wanted me to do well, they would've probably been like, " Right.
Well, actually you can't do the next race now." But they were like, "
(12:37):
Okay, what can we do to get you back out
there?" That was what was needed.
Alex Legouix (12:43):
That's amazing. Today, we're driving a brand new Toyota CHR
GR Sport in sterling silver bi- tone. And it's a
hybrid. And Billy, you are getting this exact model, aren't you?
Billy Monger (12:59):
I am indeed.
Alex Legouix (13:01):
Have you driven a hybrid before?
Billy Monger (13:02):
This will be my first ever hybrid. I've had a
chance to drive all electric with Formula E, and the acceleration
and that was pretty good. And I thought, " You know what, the racing
driver in me might like that."
Alex Legouix (13:12):
Well, hybrids have actually increased massively in popularity over the
last five years, with consumers viewing hybrid models on Autotrader
an average of 28,000 times per day so far this year.
Billy Monger (13:25):
That's pretty bonkers.
Alex Legouix (13:26):
That is an increase as well of 1, 051% over the last
five years.
Billy Monger (13:32):
I guess that shows which way things are going.
Alex Legouix (13:33):
So right. I'm not sure about the color of this one though.
I think I would go for bright blue or something
that pops a little bit more. What would you go for?
Billy Monger (13:41):
My first car was bright red. I didn't like cleaning
it that much, so I've kind of gone for gunmetal grays, that sort
of dark color. This is maybe a little bit too
light from my liking.
Alex Legouix (13:52):
Well, you can find great deals on brand new Toyota
CHR's, just like this one, on Autotrader, where they're in
stock and available to drive away today. Should we get
on with the show?
Billy Monger (14:02):
Let's do it. I just clocked where we are. We're just getting to
Horsham Hospital.
Alex Legouix (14:12):
Yes. So, Horsham Community Hospital. So, how and why is
this important to your story?
Billy Monger (14:21):
Yeah, this is a place that I spent a lot
of my early days after I had my racing crash.
I became a double amputee as a result of that
crash. And this is where I did probably about 60, 70% of
my rehab. Spent a lot of time here just coming
here and basically relearning how to walk. Inside the hospital,
(14:43):
there's a big loop of corridors. Doing a lap of
that, making that hospital into a track effectively and doing
a lap of that, that was one of my first
little boxes ticked for being on prosthetics. And then there's
a little bit of a hill out the back.
Alex Legouix (15:00):
What emotions do you feel being back here seeing it?
Billy Monger (15:02):
I don't know really. You'd kind of assume that it's like,
oh, it brings back traumatic memory sort of thing. But
most of my tougher days were done when I was
actually, it was more just coming to terms with it
when I was in hospital. When I got here, it
was kind of like my approach to sport was how
I approach my rehab. It was like, " Okay, each day come
(15:24):
here, do my best, try and get better than I
was, and then leave." And I was looking forward to
my rehab sessions 'cause I knew that was going to
help me get better.
Alex Legouix (15:34):
I can hear your competitive spirit coming through and I imagine that
that was a huge fuel, and meant that you were
able to rather than a defeatist attitude. It doesn't sound
like you ever really had that.
Billy Monger (15:48):
No, I was quite fortunate. I wasn't just down to
me, I think I was down to my support network as well. My family
was so good and my doctors, when I was in
hospital in Nottingham at Queen's Medical Center. That was the
hospital that my surgeries were done after my accident 'cause my
accident was at a track called Donington Park, which is
up north a little bit. But my doctors were great.
(16:09):
They basically quite quickly, initially when I woke up, you
do have those moments where you're like, " God, why me?
Why me? Why has this happened?" And that's a completely
normal thing to have, things to be thinking about. But
they were good at turning my mind around to thinking "
Well, okay, if you work hard, if you approach you rehab the
(16:31):
right way and really crack on and focus with things,
you can still walk, you can still be independent, and
do all these things." They're basically like rather than telling me
all the stuff that I maybe would struggle to do
and they told me all the things that if I
worked hard, I would be able to do.
Alex Legouix (16:45):
Wow. That just shows the power of having the right support network.
That's incredible, isn't it? The circumstances of your accident are
really well documented. You were 17 at the time, weren't you?
Billy Monger (16:58):
Yeah.
Alex Legouix (16:58):
And we all change as we get older anyway, but
what do you feel like has been the biggest change
in you since the accident?
Billy Monger (17:07):
I think the childhood I had was amazing, and I
loved every minute of it. But I was obviously saying
it slightly earlier about how my dad sometimes had to
remind me, " Don't take this for granted. You got to
give it your a hundred percent effort." And I think
probably my accident made me realize how short life can
be, and it made me not take things for granted
(17:30):
so much. Now I try to be, as much as
possible, appreciative of everything that I've got to be grateful
for in my life. And there's so much, thankfully, I'm
in a good space with all the stuff that I've got going on.
So yeah, just more I'd say it helps keep me in the right
frame of mind. Yeah, I think I'm a pretty positive person now.
(17:52):
But I think that's probably down to my accident and
knowing that life could have been done and dusted there.
Alex Legouix (18:01):
At the time of recording, we recently saw an MP,
Craig McKinley, stand up in the Commons after his hands
and feet were amputated because of sepsis, calling for provision
of appropriate prosthetics for amputees. Have you struggled to get
the right prosthetics for you?
Billy Monger (18:21):
It's taken a bit of time. Half the battle with
prosthetics is getting the sockets right and getting them fitted
to you and your body, especially in the early stages
after becoming an amputee, your body changes so much. And
for a long period of time, I remember probably the
first couple of years after I had my crash, I'd
be getting a new set of sockets, my prosthetics every
(18:42):
three to six months.
Alex Legouix (18:44):
Oh, wow.
Billy Monger (18:44):
And it's like wearing shoes that don't fit but on
a bigger scale. And you get sores and rubs and you
can't basically utilize the prosthetics to their maximum. It was
a challenge.
Alex Legouix (18:57):
As a result of your accident, you appealed didn't you? You
changed the rules in motorsport.
Billy Monger (19:03):
When I had those rules changed so that I could race
myself, people say that, " Oh, other people can race too."
It kind of insinuates like I was doing it for
other people. And I'm not going to lie, I was
doing it for myself. I needed to change the rules
so I could race, so I went out there and changed
the rules. Thankfully, the FIA were supportive and I passed
(19:27):
the tests and the things that they'd put in place
for safety to make sure that I'd be able to compete
properly. And I did that. And obviously, that has opened
up the opportunity for others. It's something that I look
back on now and think, " Okay, that's a nice thing."
And I would love to see other people with disabilities
drive single- seaters and compete. But I can't sit here
(19:47):
and say, " Oh yeah, I was thinking about other people while I was doing it." No,
it was just me being competitive, wanting to go and drive
myself. And it was just something that had to get
done so I could do that.
Alex Legouix (19:58):
Fair play.
Billy Monger (19:59):
But I'm not one to be vocal for the sake
of being vocal. At the minute, I feel like a
lot of barriers, particularly in motorsport, which is the world
I'm from, are getting broken down. Obviously, there's a lot of
all female championships that are being brought to the forefront,
so that's great to see. That's the one thing I
would like to continue to try and push and have
an influence on, if I could in any way, is
(20:20):
giving people from all different backgrounds, of any minority the
opportunity to show what they can do. If that's behind the
wheel of a race car or whether that's just them
getting involved in motorsport. In order to do that, I'm
trying to forge my own opportunities in the world of
motorsport, because I feel like having a role model. If
(20:42):
you were another amputee out there and you saw me
driving a racing car and being successful and doing well,
I'm now at a stage where I've realized that can
be quite powerful. And if I can do anything to
have a positive influence on other people whilst doing the
things that I love, that's just an added bonus for me.
Alex Legouix (21:03):
Normally what would be next is snacks. But you are
our only guest that hasn't requested car snacks.
Billy Monger (21:11):
I'm the only guest? Wow.
Alex Legouix (21:18):
Yes.
Billy Monger (21:18):
Again, why have I got to be different?
Alex Legouix (21:18):
What's that all about?
Billy Monger (21:18):
I just feel like, again, there's nothing that really jumps out to me like
a specific snack. I'm quite in- the- moment person. I'll
pull up to a service station, get some fuel, go
into the garage, and something will catch my eye. It might
be a pack of crisps, a chocolate bar, a sandwich, whatever. But it's not
like I'm not the sort of person that has the
same meal deal-
Alex Legouix (21:37):
No reliable go-to.
Billy Monger (21:38):
... every time. No, I like different things in different moments.
Alex Legouix (21:43):
But crisps, chocolate, sandwiches, none of those make an Ironman,
which is what you're training for right now?
Billy Monger (21:50):
It is indeed. Yeah. It's a lot. It's around 15
hours a week, so yeah, just over a couple of
hours a day.
Alex Legouix (21:58):
And what does the actual competition consist of?
Billy Monger (22:02):
So an Ironman is a 3. 8 kilometer swim, which
is going to be in the ocean.
Alex Legouix (22:09):
In open water?
Billy Monger (22:10):
Yeah. 180 kilometer bike ride and then a marathon, all back
to back.
Alex Legouix (22:17):
That sounds horrendous.
Billy Monger (22:19):
Yeah, thanks for that.
Alex Legouix (22:23):
Good luck with that. And where are you doing it?
Billy Monger (22:23):
Hawaii.
Alex Legouix (22:23):
Oh, okay. So at least it should, touch wood, be quite warm.
Billy Monger (22:27):
Yeah, you say that. It will probably be too warm for
my liking.
Alex Legouix (22:30):
That's true.
Billy Monger (22:30):
It's really going to be close to 30 degrees and seventy-
something percent humidity. So, it's going to be brutal.
Alex Legouix (22:38):
What a challenge for you to be taking on.
Billy Monger (22:40):
Yeah, this event in particular, there's only been one double
amputee that's ever finished it before. And the time capped
to complete the whole event is 17 hours. And the
only double amputee that finished finished in 16 and a
half hours.
Alex Legouix (22:57):
And your competitive spirit is going, "Oh, yeah."
Billy Monger (23:00):
So, that's the world records that is attached. As much
as finishing it would be a huge achievement, that is
my underlining goal, is to be the fastest double amputee
in the world to do the Ironman in Hawaii.
Alex Legouix (23:24):
So, we've just pulled up to what looks like a very
cool karting center. I'm guessing that's upstairs, downstairs, indoor style?
Billy Monger (23:33):
Yeah, indoor style. Two floors. It's quite a cool circuit
for an indoor karting place. So, I used to enjoy
it when my mates would come and invite me for
birthdays here. These were the days where I'd rock up.
I was a lot better than all my mates. I'd
be lapping them, but there was always an adjustment period when I'd
go and do these go- karting birthdays. Because I'm used
(23:54):
to really quick go- karts, proper tarmac, the go- kart
being fine- tuned. And then you'd get in into a
place like this and it would feel like, " Oh, my God, this thing has
got no grip, no power."
Alex Legouix (24:05):
Yeah, yeah. That's such racing driver talk.
Billy Monger (24:08):
I'd still win, but just saying it would take me a couple laps. I'm
trying to look humble, all right?
Alex Legouix (24:15):
How many seconds would you win by?
Billy Monger (24:17):
Seconds or laps?
Alex Legouix (24:18):
Oh! Oh, oh, oh.
Billy Monger (24:18):
Oh, I went there, I went there.
Alex Legouix (24:24):
Oh, all right. How many laps?
Billy Monger (24:24):
No, I'm joking.
Alex Legouix (24:24):
Brilliant.
Billy Monger (24:24):
All my mates are going to go, "That's a lie. That's a lie. You didn't lap us." No, I don't know. It'd be comfortable. A lot of the
time I'd get bored out front, so I'd try and
make it interesting sometimes and I'd back off and practice
defending from my mate. And quite enjoyed watching them try
to get past me. And they'd have all the helmets
with their clear visors so you could see the frustration.
They're like, " I can't get past him, I can't find
(24:46):
a way past him." And then I'd just be like, well once I'd
finished messing around, I'd clear off.
Alex Legouix (24:53):
Yeah.
Billy Monger (24:54):
I've seen three girls walk in there already.
Alex Legouix (24:56):
Oh, yeah. Nice. That's good. See, that's how times are changing.
Billy Monger (25:02):
Yeah, it's a good sign actually, 'cause I don't think you would've
seen that when I was growing up.
Alex Legouix (25:06):
So last section of our trip then, back to Charldwood. Oh, we're
right beside Gatwick.
Billy Monger (25:18):
We are indeed. Yeah. Getting close to home now.
Alex Legouix (25:24):
When was the last time you raced?
Billy Monger (25:26):
The last time I actually competed was 2019, so it's
been about four years now since I was on track.
Basically my on track racing career kind of took a
back seat when COVID came about. So early 2020, I
had it all sort of set that I was going
to be racing in FIA Formula 3. And then they
(25:49):
all went into lockdown. All the junior series and racing
were kind of put on the back burner. I remember
all my sponsors, because of businesses just being in trouble,
pulled out of funding my career. And next thing you
know I was having had close to a million euros
of sponsorship, which is what roughly is the cost of
a season in Formula 3, ready to go. I had
(26:11):
nothing. And since COVID, haven't really been able to manage
to get that kind of funding together.
Alex Legouix (26:18):
No. So if you were able to, you'd be back
on track.
Billy Monger (26:22):
Yeah. Yeah, I still have a passion for racing. I've
done it since I was a kid. And I know
that I'm capable of beating and competing with the best.
Alex Legouix (26:31):
Well, you came back and raced at Pau. That was insane, wasn't it?
Billy Monger (26:35):
Yeah, that was definitely one of the highlights, winning that
race. Obviously, it's historic race in the world of Motorsport, the
Pau Grand Prix. A lot of people that I looked up
to have won that race. Fangio, Lewis Hamilton, heroes of
mine. My name's on the same trophy as theirs, so
that's a positive thing. I was hoping that I'd have
a few more years to win a few more trophies
(26:57):
and give myself a shot at Formula 1. It's not
necessarily over, that dream, but it's getting tougher, the more
time I spend out the seat. So, I'm just keen
to get back where I can and get the opportunity
to prove myself, 'cause I know I'm still quite capable.
Alex Legouix (27:13):
Do you feel like the likes of Ironman have filled
the void to an extent?
Billy Monger (27:18):
I think that's part of the reason why I'm so
keen to challenge myself. And probably why I've dipped into
the Ironman and triathlon space is because with racing, fundamentally,
you are quite reliant on raising money. And reliant on
other people supporting me to be able to do what
I do. Anyone can go swim, ride a bike, and
(27:40):
run. And I'm not reliant on anyone else. So, my
dedication and my hard work in that sport will be
shown on the day I compete. And I won't be
sat there thinking, " Oh, well if I'd had more sponsorship
then I would've been able to do this." Or for
me, it kind of puts the onus back on me
(28:00):
where I'm like, " Okay, no excuses." I've put in the
hard work and I can show people what I'm capable
of without having to rely on anyone else.
Alex Legouix (28:10):
Yeah. So, are you desperate to get back in the seat? Is
that still-
Billy Monger (28:14):
It's definitely.
Alex Legouix (28:15):
Is the passion there as much as it was when you were
a child?
Billy Monger (28:17):
It's a huge itch that I've got to scratch. There's
no doubt about that. And my job now, if you can
call it a job of traveling the world, going to F-
1 races, Formula E races, commentating, presenting, doing all that
kind of stuff, it is as close as I can
possibly beat the action without driving, which I love. But
at the same time, it's really hard because-
Alex Legouix (28:38):
It's really hard.
Billy Monger (28:38):
It's really hard 'cause I look at people doing what I want to
do and I'm thinking, " I know if I got the
opportunity, I could win. I could beat you, I know."
And that's just me being competitive. But yeah, that makes
me want it even more.
Alex Legouix (28:50):
Yeah, I bet. You've been that very busy doing TV stuff.
Not only doing Channel 4's F1 coverage, but Formula E, but
also racing across the world. How cool was that?
Billy Monger (29:02):
That was really cool. So, the opportunity came about because
they had basically asked, " Do I want to do a show?" And
me and my sister had spoken about for a few
years, about going and doing some traveling together. So I
watched a couple of episodes, and then I said to my sister, "
Listen..." I didn't think you'd be up for it, to
be honest. So I said to her, " Listen, I've been
(29:23):
approached to do this show." And she watched 20 minutes
of one episode and she was like, " Yeah, I'm up
for it." And I was like, " Really? You're up for
it?" It was a bit of a shock, but we were away for a month.
No phones, just a map. And the budget you get
is the cost of the plane ticket from the start
of the whole thing to the end of the whole
thing. And you can't fly. So it's buses, trains, taxis,
(29:49):
all stuff like that. And you've got to make your
way from place to place.
Alex Legouix (29:52):
Oh, I absolutely love it. But you're being followed by,
you must have a couple of cameramen, right?
Billy Monger (29:58):
Yeah, yeah.
Alex Legouix (29:58):
But they're not allowed to help you at all.
Billy Monger (30:00):
No. So, there was five of us. And then behind
us there'd be a support vehicle which had two drivers
in, one that could drive for six hours, then they'd
swap, do another six hours. And they were basically following
us around the world and they had-
Alex Legouix (30:15):
And that's for every team.
Billy Monger (30:16):
Yeah. They had spare-
Alex Legouix (30:17):
Amazing.
Billy Monger (30:17):
... batteries, camera lenses, everything. So, they basically tried to
stay as close to us as possible so they could
help support our crew if they needed support. We were
doing 15 hour overnight buses for fun on this trip.
That was a regular thing we did. They'd be sleeping
on the bus with us, and then having to get up and
(30:38):
film us. And we think we had it hard. That's probably the
hardest job in television, I'd say.
Alex Legouix (30:44):
Wow. How interesting. Do you ever look back on everything
that's happened to you and, well, maybe this isn't a
question or an observation, but you probably wouldn't have ever
had the opportunities to do these things, right?
Billy Monger (30:57):
Oh, a hundred percent. My life, if I hadn't had the accident, I
can imagine would've looked very different. There's no point in
trying to guess whether it would've been better or worse
'cause it is what it is. And my life has taken the
route it's taken. But yeah, I get opportunities as a result
of my accident and becoming a more well- known figure
(31:18):
through that. Where yeah, I'm not sure I would've had
the same opportunities otherwise. So, there's always a silver lining
to everything. There's always a positive to every negative. And
some of the opportunities I get are stuff where you think, "
Wow, this is super cool and I'm glad I get
to do this."
Alex Legouix (31:36):
That's awesome. That feels like a good place to stop.
Billy Monger (31:41):
And we're like a minute from my house.
Alex Legouix (31:42):
I know. Home sweet home.
Billy Monger (31:50):
Home sweet home. Yeah.
Alex Legouix (31:51):
Thank you so much. I love that. That was good fun.
Billy Monger (31:53):
Yeah, it was really good fun.
Alex Legouix (31:55):
I will inevitably see you in a pit lane, somewhere, sometime.
Billy Monger (31:58):
I'm sure we'll cross paths again.
Alex Legouix (32:00):
Thank you, Billy. Take care.
Billy Monger (32:01):
Cheers. Thank you for that. All, good. All right, to training I go.
Alex Legouix (32:05):
Yeah, good luck. See you.
Billy Monger (32:05):
See you.
Alex Legouix (32:14):
Well, there goes another extraordinary passenger in this Show On
The Road series. Billy's overcome the most unimaginable tragedy with
such humility and modesty. And it was an absolute pleasure
to be in his company. Show On The Road is
a fresh air production for Auto Trader. If you enjoyed
it and you think others will as well, please spread
(32:37):
the word. Leave a quick in your podcast app and
a nice little comment. You can also subscribe to our
YouTube channel where there's exclusive footage of this and all
the other drives we've done in this series. And choosing
the vehicle you are going to start your next story in
could not be easier on Autotrader. Thousands of vehicles to
choose from with expert reviews and videos to help you pick.
(33:01):
And loads of options to buy used, new, or lease
so you get the best for you each time. Find your
next car and start your next story on the Autotrader
app or at autotrader.co.uk. In our next episode, one very
famous singer will be showing us around the streets, which
have helped shaped his life. Sharing stories about many things
(33:23):
including X Factor, football, and fatherhood.
Speaker 3 (33:27):
I love how we're driving around in my local town in a Bentley. And they're all like, "
State of this guy, thinks he's big time Charlie. This
is what I try not to do when I drive around here."
Alex Legouix (33:36):
Until then, I'm Alex Legouix, see ya.
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