Thomas Potter Racing

This post is dedicated to Catherine Potter Racing for having the courage to speak out about something happening within the BTCC community.

It’s a controversial subject following last weekend’s round at Silverstone, and people will naturally have different opinions.

But one thing shouldn’t be controversial:

Personal attacks on drivers, teams, mechanics or anyone involved in our sport are never acceptable.

As many of you know, Thomas’s social media is managed by us as his parents, with help and support from his big sister Catherine.

We know first-hand just how damaging words can be.

If his dream was to become a BTCC driver but wasn’t as quick as everyone expected. That’s ok we don’t know his personal circumstances. Catherine genuinely likes the previous driver and actually misses him been in the paddock same as Thomas does. They have the uttermost respect for all drivers.

Many years ago, this sport almost broke our son. He was even asked to end his own life 😔

What happened was awful, and there were times when we genuinely wondered whether Thomas should continue racing.

But incredibly, this very same sport also helped rebuild his confidence and gave him the strength to keep going. 💚🏁

We will always be grateful to the people who went that extra mile for a little boy who was struggling including Jenson Button Chaz Mostert and the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team

And now Thomas wants to use what happened to him to help other children.

At the Brands Hatch BTCC, we’ll be making an announcement that represents a huge next step for Words Do Hurt.

Thomas’s promotional car will be behind the grandstand, giving children the opportunity to sit inside it add names and families the chance to learn about the campaign, our journey and what we’re trying to achieve.

Across the window of that car are words Thomas has carried with him for years:

“Never let anyone ruin your dreams.”

The dream now is much bigger than racing.

🌍 Our dream is to help put a stop to bullying and not just in motorsport.

WORDS DO HURT. 💚

🎂🏁 WHAT AN AMAZING BIRTHDAY WEEKEND! 🏁🎂

So many amazing people, so many kind words and so many thoughtful gifts. 💚

A special thank you to Fraya and James for the wonderful T-shirt, Barry for the special Skittles surprise, and to the incredibly kind people who have been following our journey and surprised Thomas with grandstand tickets for the next BTCC round. 🏁

Honestly, we’ve been blown away by everyone’s kindness.

But there was one moment that stood out more than any gift Thomas received…

One of the head marshals, Hazel Morton, took the time to thank Thomas for everything he does with the Words Do Hurt campaign and surprised him with a birthday cake. 🎂💚 even more special it was home baked by her husband’s business.

That meant more than she will probably ever realise.

For Thomas to be recognised not for how fast he can drive, how many championships he has won or what he has achieved on track but for trying to help other people made an already special birthday even more memorable.

From the bottom of our hearts ♥️ thank you to absolutely everyone for everything.

You made his birthday weekend one we will never forget. 💚🏁

Happy 15th birthday to my little brother, Thomas. 💚🎂

I genuinely don’t know where the years have gone. It feels like yesterday I was watching you start karting and now I’m watching you race cars while we chase our dreams together. 💭

I couldn’t be prouder of the person you’re becoming not just for what you do on track but for the way you use what you’re doing to help those struggling out there! 🥹

Being your sister and your biggest supporter is something I’ll never take for granted. I’ll always be there shouting from the sidelines and reminding you to keep going when things don’t go your way.

You’ve got so much ahead of you and so many people rooting for you! What better way to spend your birthday than at Silverstone watching the British Touring Cars! 🏎️💨

I promise, one day you’ll be on the other side of that fence racing them and I’ll be living my dream of working in the paddock alongside you. ❤️

Please join me in wishing Thomas the happiest of birthdays and if you see us at the track this weekend make sure to say hello 👋

Happy birthday, little bro.
Keep being you.

Love you always.
Catherine 💗

🏁 THIS WEEKEND WE’LL BE IN THIS VERY BUILDING BEHIND US! 💚

Brooklands Hospitality at Silverstone Circuit.

Why are we there? To watch the BTCC? Of course! 😂🏁

But there’s actually a much bigger reason.

We’ll be helping to host a VIP event, with Catherine joining us to give interviews and talks about the incredible journey of the Words Do Hurt campaign where it started, what we’ve achieved and what’s coming next. 💚

For those of you who started following this journey many years ago, you’ll remember the little kid in the green helmet who just wanted to race.

Watching that little boy grow into the respectful young man he is today is pretty incredible.

There have been plenty of difficult moments along the way, but Thomas has taken those experiences and turned them into something that can hopefully help other children.

And Sunday is going to be even more special…

🎂 IT’S THOMAS’S BIRTHDAY! 🎂

He’ll be spending it at one of his favourite places in the world Silverstone Circuit. 🏁

Not a bad way to celebrate a birthday!

What started with a little kid in a green helmet has become something much bigger than we ever imagined.

And the next chapter of Words Do Hurt is only just beginning. 💚

Winning races is a great feeling. Holding a trophy 🏆 is something we’ve been lucky enough to experience many times as a family over the years well over 100 times, in fact.

But being awarded a trophy for helping others, raising awareness and giving something back means far more to us than any race win ever could. 💚

And now, we’re ready to take the next step.

This afternoon we have a meeting with a primary school. Tomorrow we have meetings with investors. Next week we’ll be speaking with some of Thomas’s partners.

But this time, it’s not just about Thomas’s racing.

Something really big is coming with the WORDS DO HURT project something we genuinely believe can make a difference to children in schools.

We’ve been working incredibly hard behind the scenes, and very soon we’ll be able to share exactly what we’ve been creating. 💚

For now, we need a little help…

🏫 Are you involved in primary education?

Whether you’re a teacher, teaching assistant, headteacher, safeguarding lead or work within a primary school, we’d really love to hear from you.

Please drop the page a DM. 📩

This next chapter is about much more than motorsport.

WORDS DO HURT. 💚

🏁 SO WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED?

Truthfully… Thomas was scared.

Was it the fear of the high speed?
The fear of getting hurt?
The fear of another puncture like he had in practice?

Surprisingly, none of them.

In Race 1, Thomas missed several opportunities to overtake and brought the car home in exactly the same position he started after qualifying.

For anyone who has followed Thomas over the past nine years of racing, you’ll know how unusual that is. Unless there’s been an incident, he normally finds a way forward.

Afterwards, Thomas finally told us what was going through his head.

He was worried about the damage bill.

He knew we’d only just managed to make the budget for this round, with absolutely nothing left to spare. He knew that if the car was damaged, it could financially hurt the family.

More than anything, he wanted to get the WORDS DO HURT message out there for the children who are struggling and then bring the car home safely.

As parents, hearing him admit that actually made us incredibly proud.

At just 14, we saw a very different side of Thomas this weekend. A respectful and mature young man who was thinking about everyone else before himself.

Fortunately, we also had an army of people around us.

Phone calls were made. Fellow Ford lovers stepped forward. People spoke to Thomas and reassured him:

Don’t worry about it we can help. Just go racing. 💚

Sometimes, good things happen to good people.

🏁 RACE 2

Thomas absolutely SENT IT.

Multiple overtakes, fighting his way forward and, at one point, holding the fastest lap of the race.

Then disaster struck.

Another driver accidentally slid into him and shortly afterwards the engine stopped, forcing Thomas to retire.

Thomas managed to roll the car somewhere safe, allowing the race to continue without causing further disruption. Well done for that too. 👏

Thankfully, the problem appears to be an easy fix. The crankshaft sensor wiring had apparently been dislodged during the impact, causing the engine to lose spark. ✅

🏁 RACE 3

Then came even more reassurance from somebody who wishes to remain anonymous.

That gave Thomas the confidence to forget about everything and simply do what he does best:

RACE.

And what a difference.

🔥 Thomas made up as many as 11 places.

He genuinely believes that, had the race not been stopped early by a red flag, he had the pace to fight his way inside the top ten.

A special thank you to Brian and Stu for taking the time to speak to Thomas earlier in the day. I think the change we saw on track speaks for itself.

This weekend wasn’t just about lap times or finishing positions.

We watched our son show just how much he has matured.

Going forward, we’re going to work incredibly hard on finding the budget and support he needs, because we want Thomas concentrating on one thing when he gets behind that wheel:

Doing what he loves. Racing. 🏁

We also want to ensure he gets enough budget for at least one test day so he doesn’t start the weekend on the back foot again.

A massive thank you to everybody working away in the background, everyone who has supported us recently, and everyone who continues to stand behind the WORDS DO HURT campaign. 💚

And yes… despite battling the Silverstone wind with a huge banner we’ve got some absolutely brilliant content to come. 😂