For the past two years, Tim Horrell has been driving for W&S Motorsport in a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, which was specially adapted to his needs in cooperation with PARAVAN GmbH. The US-American has been paralysed from the waist down since a car accident at the age of 21. But that didn’t stop him from becoming a racing driver.

“My accident had nothing to do with motorsport, but I’ve always had an interest in it,” says Horrell, who lives near Miami. “I liked the speed and was fascinated by it, but I put it off for a long time. I started motorsport very late, whereas a lot of my competitors were here much earlier.”

After several years in American racing series, he ventured across the pond in 2023 and competed in the GTC Race for the first time. “The level of competition in Europe is much higher than in the USA,” he says, explaining his move to Europe. “There are lots of great tracks here that I’ve always wanted to drive on. Plus, racing in Europe and Germany is more affordable than in America.”

But how can Horrell drive the vehicle despite being paraplegic? “I can drive the Porsche Cayman with a hand control, which consists of a throttle lever on the front of the steering wheel and a mechanical brake that I operate to the right of the steering wheel,” says Horrell.

Constant development of the system in the GT4 Porsche

Before the 2024 season, the car’s setup was revised in collaboration with W&S Motorsport and PARAVAN based on the experience Horrell gained in the previous season. The vehicle pioneers from the Swabian Alb, who specialise in adapting vehicles for people with physical disabilities, had brought the Porsche to the racetrack together with the Porsche racing team in 2023.

The project was a new challenge for the team led by Patrick Wagner and Daniel Schellhaas. “We became aware of the topic of inclusive motorsport through Tim’s enquiry,” says Team Principal Daniel Schellhaas. “It was completely new to us, but through our contact with the PARAVAN team and the joint steer-by-wire projects, we already had an insight into how the vehicles are converted for road use and how people with disabilities cope with them, including on the racetrack, such as Janis McDavid.”

The project was a new challenge for Patrick Wagner and Daniel Schellhaas’ team. “We became aware of the topic of inclusive motorsport through Tim’s enquiry,” says Team Principal Daniel Schellhaas. “It was completely new to us, but through our contact with the PARAVAN team and the joint steer-by-wire projects, we already had an insight into how the vehicles are converted for road use and how people with disabilities cope with them, including on the racetrack, such as Janis McDavid.”

Even though W&S Motorsport was breaking new ground with the project, they wanted to take on the challenge. “We have always faced numerous challenges at W&S Motorsport. Whether it was a customer project with biofibre parts or the alternative fuel that we worked on at the beginning of our motorsport career in 2016,” recalls Schellhaas. “Or the 2020 project, where we were the first racing team in the world to successfully compete in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring without a steering column. Our aim has always been to do something different and develop something new. For me, developing and testing new innovative technologies on the race track is simply part of future-proof motorsport.”

Horrell works hard on fitness and in the simulator

When Tim Horrell contacted the W&S Motorsport team boss in the winter of 2022 and discussed a possible collaboration, they quickly agreed to take on the project together. Since the beginning, two goals have been set: the further development of the system to control the Porsche and Horrell’s personal development as a racing driver.

“My goal is to get as far as possible in motorsport and be as competitive as possible. Of course, I started much later than many of my competitors, but I think I could also have some advantages! For example, with my training and my physique, because I go to the gym six times a week! I also spend a lot of time in the simulator and I drive a lot of karts – I do everything I can to drive at the same level as the competition,” says Horrell, giving an insight into his training programme. “It’s a big challenge, but I love it!”

Working with Tim Horrell is just like working with other racing drivers, as Schellhaas reveals: “We try to support him in his motorsport career and help him to develop further. He takes experience from the workshops and the W&S Motorsport Academy with him. There is no difference, he is part of our team like all the other drivers, including Finn Zulauf, for example, the first GTC Race sponsored driver and this year’s ADAC GT4 Germany champion. We see Tim as a great talent and his performance deserves great respect when you consider how late he started motorsport and the circumstances under which he has to drive the car. We are very, very happy about the cooperation with Tim and hope that we will be working with him for a long time to come.”

The second season in GTC Race was full of ups and downs for Tim Horrell, who coached a number of races together with W&S Motorsport driver Hendrik Still. “The 2024 season was full of new experiences on tracks like Spa, where I’ve always wanted to drive,” summarises the 34-year-old. “Unfortunately, we had to deal with technical problems throughout the season, which made the season a bit frustrating. Nevertheless, I am trying to stay positive and hope that we can find a solution to get back on track next year.”

“I am definitely looking forward to my third season with W&S Motorsport,” says Horrell, looking ahead. “If we can find a solution and fix the problem with the throttle valve, I will be racing in the GT4 Winter Series. I then have other plans and ideas for the coming season.”

Motorsport in transition

For W&S Motorsport, the development of new technologies is just as important a part of the company’s philosophy as the further training of its drivers. “When we started motorsport and I was a mechanic in the VLN in 2006, it was normal to build and develop the cars ourselves and take part in development for manufacturers,” explains Schellhaas. “That is our origin and we had our first successes back then with our Group H BMW, which was also a home-built car. The projects in the AT class and with Schaeffler Paravan were important milestones for us.”

The team boss regrets that motorsport has changed in recent years. “I think it is a great pity that the racing series have become so closed due to homologation that it’s no longer so easy to open up. It would be desirable for the motorsport authorities to have a rethink. We have various sponsors and partners who would like to test their products. Be it a simple wheel rim, body parts or even if you think about the steer-by-wire system. None of this is an advantage in competition, but it cannot be used in many classes and racing series due to the regulations. This closes off access for automotive suppliers and car manufacturers.”

Sponsors could not only gain advertising advantages, but synergies could also be created between the various departments within a group. “However, the synergies cannot be realised because motorsport currently only has this classic advertising-event theme. I personally think that’s a shame and hope that the doors will be opened in the future to drive development forward in a highly competitive environment,” he concludes.

W&S Motorsport is one of the top teams in international motorsport and specialises in GT4 racing and races on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. 2024 was the most successful year to date: the racing team won all four ADAC GT4 Germany championship titles. In the Nürburgring endurance series, the team secured the Cup3 title early with the CMS Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport #962 and also took the runner-up title in the Cup2 class with the AVIA racing Porsche 992 GT3 Cup #120. In the GT4 European Series, Max Kronberg and Finn Zulauf won the driver and team championship in the Pro-Am class.