The paraplegic rookie who went from Clios to Le Mans in four years

This is where the story becomes truly remarkable. Bailly showed almost no hesitation. Within weeks of being told he would forever be bound to a wheelchair, Bailly was racing again.

“I switched over straightaway [to a hand-throttle control kart],” he says. “I knew that it was possible for me to recreate some adventure with an engine.”

The 31-year old didn’t want his disability to define the type of sport he took part in.

“I always wanted to practice sports which didn’t require a wheelchair,” he says. “That was my goal. I never wanted to play basketball, tennis or ping pong. I wanted to compete as an able-bodied guy.”

Bailly’s rise to Le Mans has been meteoric. It’s hard to believe that his first car race was just four years ago in rather more humble beginnings.

“I just started racing 2017 after just doing go-karts and track days before,” he tells us. “My first race was in Spa-Francorchamps in the Clio Cup. Before then, I’d just done a few track days at the same circuit.”

Competing in an adapted hand control car for the Renault hatchback class at the Spa Six Hours, Bailly surprised even himself by finishing fourth in his segment. He’d already surpassed his original goal set when he got back on track.

“My biggest dream was to just race – even at a small level like that, that was OK for me,” he explains. “I didn’t expect to go higher than that. I had no idea what level I was at, or if I could even improve on that.”

“My biggest dream was to just race – even at a small level”

Soon though, Bailly was catapulted to a stage that, despite his clear determination, even he couldn’t have even dreamt of.

“Later in 2017, I heard Frédéric Sausset was looking for disabled drivers for a Le Mans team. I thought ‘Why don’t I apply? I’ve got nothing to lose!’

“I attended a test at Paul Ricard, and then in 2018 heard from Frédéric that I was part of the game!

“I was surprised because I was not the best one on the track, but was one of the two guys who was able to apply what they asked of us. Some of the drivers didn’t.”

This ability to take on information meant Bailly would be lining up for the 2020 Le Mans 24 Hours. Joining him were to be the aforementioned Aoki and Snoussi Ben Moussa, in the first all-disabled team to ever enter Le Mans.

To prepare, the squad dipped its toe in the water first with adapted LMP3 machinery, participating in the V de V Endurance championship, Ultimate Cup series and Michelin Le Mans Cup over the next two seasons.

Such was the daunting task, Bailly had to focus on what was directly ahead of him – as he explains, a Ligier PS J3 is a bit of a step up from a Renault Clio.

“The two seasons with the LMP3 cars were insane!” he exclaims. “The first time it was quite difficult, because the prototype was a perfectly unknown car for us at the beginning.

“But we didn’t crash, we finished all the races, which was the most important thing.

“I’ve been working out for three years now, but would say that we’re still not prepared enough. The car is very demanding. It’s quite difficult to know right now if our bodies are going to last 24 hours.

“But I think it should be OK, because Le Mans isn’t as physical compared to Barcelona where we raced earlier this season. Le Mans is more demanding in terms of mental strength.”

Despite the daunting challenge ahead, the SRT41 team set a more than respectable time in testing, besting three other LMP2 cars, of which there are 25 in total.

Looking at his chances amongst the grid Bailly is realistic, but there’s still a steely resilience to what he says, understanding the significance of his undertaking.

I’m not and will never been the best one – of course,” he admits. “But we all have a story to write, and to tell as well.

“The main goal is to finish race without crashing, without annoying some other drivers, because we know that we’re going to be slower than them.’

With less experience of driving the LMP2 car than many of his competitors, and furthermore ones who don’t have to take their hands off the wheel, it’s understandable that the team might be expected to struggle against other fellow category cars. However, it’s not behind the wheel that Bailly believes he and his team-mates might lose speed.

“The pilot changing is going to be way slower for us – that’s our weakness,” he says. “We’re not going to look for the last second per lap, we know that we’re going to be slower than professionals. But we can be as fast as a gentleman driver for example– we know that. With good strategy, we might not be the slowest car out there.”

“All we have been trying to do is to remove the stereotype of guys with disabilities racing”

As a trailblazer in motor sport, Bailly and has a vision for the influence him and his team-mates success might have.

“All we have been trying to do is to remove the stereotype of guys with disabilities racing,” he says. “I’m hoping in the future disabled people can race in the ‘normal’ class, but we’ll have to see how the evolution of the sport goes. Myself and Aoki, we’re the only two disabled drivers in racing. We’re doing this with the help of the FIA, but we have to stay humble.”

Beyond Le Mans this year, Bailly has quite a clear idea of where he sees himself racing in the future.

“I will say everything is possible in future. I hope to race GT3s after prototypes because for us, you can feel the car more, the way the car is set-up is easier to get in and out of. But for now, we’re focusing on 2021.