A VETERAN who suffered extreme injury after a motorbike accident is joining disabled troops in a karting challenge.

Warren McKinlay, from Braintree, is a driver for team BRIT, a motor racing team of disabled ex-troops.

Mr McKinlay, 34, of Notley Road, damaged his pelvis and suffered brain injuries in 2005, when his motorbike collided into a tree at 60mph.

He joined the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers in November 1999 and had the accident whilst at work.

After finding a new lease of life in karting, he is on his way to Le Mans in 2020.

He said: “When people see me, they don’t expect me to suffer with a disability as the lasting effects of my accident are psychological.

“My brain injury means I suffer low motivation, low moods, anger and anxiety problems.

"It's hard for me to concentrate on one single task, which makes it very hard for me to get things done.

"I struggle to process information given to me and get over loaded quite easily.

“Racing has given me an escape from this. As soon as I’m the car, all of these issues go away and my only focus is driving.

"I am 100 per cent committed to the challenge we have set ourselves and hope that I can inspire other people with brain injuries or disabilities to try something new and see what they can achieve.”

Mr McKinlay, who lives with his wife Sarah, daughter Katie, 11, and son Frazer, five, was diagnosed with Cotard’s Syndrome following the accident.

It is also known as ‘walking corpse syndrome’, as Warren believed he had died and was living in purgatory after the accident.

He was medically discharged in 2006 and began racing with KartForce, which sparked off his desire to race.

The team recently announced that insurance giant ‘Brit’ will support them in a multi-year deal to get them to Le Mans.

His team mates include Andy Searle, 24, from Torquay, who lost both legs, his right him and two fingers after being hit during an explosion in Afghanistan in 2011.

Tony Williams, 32, from Lancashire, was shot six times whilst serving as a medic in Afghanistan in 2010.

The last team mate is Jimmy Hill, 34, from Bournemouth, who was shot five times in the leg whilst serving in Afghanistan in the Royal Marines.

The team is a branch of KartForce, a charity set up to motivate injured ex-troops.

Team BRIT’s season begins on Saturday, April 8 at the opening race of the Fun Cup series at Silverstone.