The Richard Burns Foundation, the charitable trust formed in memory of the 2001 World Rally Champion, last week announced that Paul Hembery, the Pirelli Director of Motorsport, would be joining the charity’s board as a Trustee.
In the tenth anniversary year of Richard’s 2001 World Rally title, the Foundation has re-focused its charitable endeavour to support the establishment of a Brain Centre with the Brain & Spine Foundation as part of a wider mission to establish an improved national network of advice and specialist support for those suffering from neuro injury and illness in the UK.
Every year in the UK, over a million people suffer some form of head injury or illness, with over half under the age of 18. Despite head injury and illness being the biggest killer of males until their mid-twenties, only 4% of England & Wales’ 760 acute hospitals have specialist Neuro units. The Richard Burns Foundation is committed to spreading awareness of the prevalence of neurological injury and disorder and to assist in fund-raising to help close this gap between need and scarce provision.
Paul Hembery’s extensive experience both in motorsport and in a commercial context will assist the Foundation to reach an ever-wider audience and support their mission to use Richard’s memory to help others facing neurological illness. “Richard was the first World Champion I worked with and he set the bar in terms of being a highly motivated and competitive athlete, while remaining a very grounded, decent person and I was proud to call him a friend. Taking on the role of Trustee for the Foundation is a privilege.”
Paul Hembery joined Pirelli in 1992, initially in a research and development role as an engineer, before being promoted to look after Pirelli’s markets in the Asia Pacific. In 2000, he took charge of Pirelli’s motorsport portfolio, and a year later as tyre supplier to Subaru, where he was part of the team that delivered Richard’s World Rally Championship. In 2011, Paul will be stewarding Pirelli’s new motorsport engagement as the official tyre supplier to Formula OneĀ.
Pirelli has had a long tradition of supporting grass-roots motorsports initiatives to help aspiring youth engage in many aspects of racing and rallying. “Despite becoming an international star, Richard always maintained a common touch and never forgot the support network that had helped him progress from the Peugeot Challenge to the World Rally Championship. Just like Pirelli, I hope the Foundation will continue to follow Richard’s example and recognise that our future is in our youth and whatever can be done to help young people disadvantaged by neurological illness and injury will be a fitting way to remember our friend. The task to establish a Brain Centre gives us a clear focus for this year.”