“Life Doesn’t End if You Become Disabled”: Wheelchair User Returns to Extreme Sport in Cape Town
- A 62-year-old man named Guy Davies showed that being a wheelchair user didn't stop him from returning to his love for racing on the track
- The Scotsman, who lives in the Western Cape, shared with Briefly News that he suffered a spinal injury after carrying a sack of rooibos
- Later this month, Guy will raise awareness for people with disabilities at Speed Classic Cape Town on Philip Kgosana Drive
Source: UGC
Guy Davies, a Scottish full-time petrolhead and part-time racing driver, proved that determination and passion can take you far, even back to the track. After suffering a spinal injury that left him in a wheelchair, the 62-year-old man aims to raise awareness for people with disabilities.
Born in Inverness, Scotland, Guy inherited his love for speedy vehicles from his father, who collected vintage motorcycles and cars. Guy shared a fun fact with Briefly News, stating that his dad's best friend in university was Keith Duckworth, a mechanical engineer and designer of the Cosworth DFV engine.
Guy admitted that he was a wild teenager growing up, and his father feared he would injure himself or wreck the bikes they owned.
"He might not have been wrong, but at the time, I would put it down to sour grapes as I would beat his own times!"
After school, Guy studied agriculture in York and farmed in Yorkshire for the next decade, during which he married his beloved wife. He noted that farming and married life reduced his time on the racing tracks. Although his wife battled breast cancer and an aggressive form of leukaemia, she still found the energy to support her husband's dreams.
A former rugby player, Guy shared with Briefly News that during his school career, he participated in the sport. He didn't feel he was particularly talented, but he worked hard to achieve reasonable results. Sadly, his rugby career came to a grinding halt after he fractured three vertebrae.
"I had to have a major fusion (T5-T10), and while that was successful, I was warned that I would probably have some problems with my back later in life."
Scottish racing driver injures spine in South Africa
With the plan to buy a farm and replicate much of the specialised herbs and medicinal plants developed in Yorkshire, Guy and his wife moved to the Western Cape in 1995. They included South African plants such as rooibos, buchu, and Namibia's devil's claw on the list of plants.
Fortunately for the father of three, the family never found the perfect farm. In 1999, while loading a 10g sack of rooibos into a trailer, Guy's fusion snapped. It damaged his spinal cord and led to a year of operations after doctors discovered more problems.
Source: Getty Images
"The outcome was that I became a wheelchair user, which called for a complete rethink of how I approached life. Initially, like many others who develop a major disability during their lives, I suffered from depression as I thought all my dreams and desires would have to evaporate.
"I felt I could not continue to be the breadwinner or even be a proper father to my sons or husband to my wife. Her unwavering support got me through quite a dark period, as I adjusted to becoming a paraplegic."
Wheelchair user opens disability consultancy
Guy realised that accessibility across the country was "completely ignored," as he couldn't access the shops and facilities that he often frequented. After some research, he noticed a lack of accessibility consultants in South Africa compared to the United Kingdom. He underwent training and impressively obtained a master's degree in Accessibility and Inclusive Design through the University of Salford in Manchester.
Now running the company Disability Solutions, which, according to its website, is a non-profit consulting firm and job board, Guy told Briefly News:
"I had realised that continuing the export business was going to be difficult, as I was unable to assess crops, but the access consultancy soon took over, starting small with wineries in the Boland. It soon picked up large clients such as Old Mutual, Standard Bank, Nedbank, and ABSA.
Guy's new career path granted him the opportunity to be a part of the design teams for both Cape Town Stadium and Nelson Mandela Stadium during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Wheelchair user races for a course
Guy befriended an engineer named Aivars Priede, the general manager at the Subaru dealership in George, who built accessible minibus taxis. He asked Guy if he was willing to race a Subaru he was preparing in honour of his grandson, Jack, who passed away due to his disabilities. While he loved the idea, the Scotsman had to follow the regulations and requirements set out by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).
"The FIA requirements meant I had to extricate myself while wearing full racing clothing and helmet, from my car and move 10 metres away within 30 seconds. I also had to prove that I was safe and in control of the vehicle on the circuit. They were both ticked off."
The duo then approached the organisers of Simola Hillclimb in Knysna, while Aivars obtained sponsorship from Liqui Moly, a German company specialising in motor oils and additives. At the time, the complex work done on the Subaru meant they wouldn't be ready for Simola. Rather than letting down their sponsors, Guy decided to drive his own dream car (a Porsche 911), which he bought in 2018.
Source: UGC
The aim of driving at the Simola Hillclimb was to raise awareness for people with disabilities and show that they could compete against able-bodied individuals, or the temporarily able-bodied, as he prefers to call them. At one event, Guy came third in his class, beating several established able drivers.
The part-time UCT lecturer hopes that his entry into his next race at Speed Classic Cape Town, which takes place on 25 and 26 October 2025 on Philip Kgosana Drive, encourages people with disabilities to partake in different sports.
He told Briefly News:
"Life doesn't end if you become disabled, but it does become different."
Tickets to the race are available for purchase on Speed Classic Cape Town's website.
3 Other stories about spinal injuries
- In another article, Briefly News reported that South Africans were unsympathetic after a Russian micro-influencer injured her spine attempting the Nicki Minaj pose challenge weeks after giving birth.
- A young woman was bedridden for eight years after breaking her spine while mopping the floor. Thanks to donations, she received treatment and regained the ability to walk.
- A freak go-karting accident left a 15-year-old Durban girl sustaining spinal bruising and spinal cord damage, among other injuries. The girl's father said there were many unanswered questions surrounding the incident.
Source: Briefly News
