10 questions to Mike Newman

How did your enthusiasm for motorsports begin?

I have always been interested in motor cars since I was a little boy and I'm especially keen on powerful cars. In my teens I became really interested in motorsport itself I don't believe there was a particular spark, but I like to see how motor cars perform in a race.

How does it feel when attempting to break the World Blind Land Speed Record?

For me as a person who can't drive on a day-to-day basis, the opportunity to drive a car is fantastic. To experience that freedom and exhilaration for a few moments is really great.

How was your experience of your land speed record attempt last year?

A lot of planning and preparation goes into these events and we were in the desert, where we had a technical problem with the car, which mean we had to abort the attempt. At the time that was very disappointing for me, but in hindsight, maybe it was a blessing in disguise. Since then, we have managed at long last to speak to the local authority at Pendine Sands, and they are keen for us to attempt the record there.

What do you regard as the single most important moment in your career so far?

As a working man, being employed is a significant achievement. I am pleased that I have been able to forge a career that I enjoy and do well in. As far as record breaking is concerned, the most exiting moment is when you hear you have been successful. You have the excitement of the event itself and the thrill of the run. Then you wait and somebody says ‘you have been successful - that feeling is unbelievably fantastic.

What is the most challenging thing you have ever done?

As a disabled person, general mobility, even for mundane day-to-day things - just getting from A to B - can be one of the most challenging things.

What is the most rewarding thing you have ever done?

Having a family and bringing them up. My two children are now in their late teens and early twenties, and being a part of their upbringing is probably the most rewarding thing.

If you were the Secretary of State for Transport, what would you priorities be for the motor industry?

Make accessibility a priority for people in general. Also, we at the Speed of Sight Team are looking into a project where we are trying to bring motorsports to disabled people, and that's what we are hoping to focus on as a small group and as individuals after the record attempt. Some support for us in that area would be good.

Who and what inspires you to do what you do?

It's great to see our drivers doing so well for the last two years or so in the Grand Prix arena, and it's fantastic they do it in a British car. What inspires me about the Grand Prix is that most of the technology and engineers are British. Most of the Formula 1 cars are manufactured in the UK, which is fantastic and inspiring and it is a shame a lot more manufacturing doesn't happen here generally.

What are you expectations for the UK's motorsport industry in the future?

I think as long as you can continue to make it exciting, and if it stays accessible to the public and doesn't become to elitist, it should then have a bright future.

What are you ambitions for the future?

In the short term, to regain my record and become the first blind person to drive unaccompanied in excess of 200mph. That's been my ambition for over seven years now, since I got my first record, and we are hoping that ambition will be realised in a locally built car, the Keating Supercar, this summer. This is a British built sports car that at some 1,800bhp has nearly twice the power of the acclaimed Bugatti Veyron. I have set my goal at 220mph - the car is significantly faster than that - and if I can go quicker than that I will do my best to do so.

In the long term, I want to sail single-handed across the Atlantic and work with charities to raise their profile and raise money.

Public Service Review: Transport: Issue 25

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