. Episode two airs on Mon 9 January, 20:00 GMT.<\/em><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nRuben Stanislaus and Lewis Appiagyei are both young, black British drivers with ambitions of reaching Formula 1. <\/span><\/p>\n\n
A new two-part series on BBC iPlayer, We Are England: Born to Race, follows both young men and their families on their journeys to try and become professional racers, including meeting Formula 1’s first and only black driver, Lewis Hamilton. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\nStanislaus, 18 started karting at the age of four. Appiagyei, 19, picked up racing when he was five. They first met one another in 2011 at Buckmore Park Karting, in Kent – the same circuit where their hero, Lewis Hamilton trained as a child. <\/span><\/p>\nBetween them, the two drivers have represented their country, won over 400 trophies and broken track records at Buckmore Park. Their goal is to make the transition from karting to professional racing and eventually break into Formula 1. Their future success may rely not just on talent, but also on continuing to secure sponsorship and support.<\/span><\/p>\nBoth young men have made strides in the world of professional racing. Stanislaus has secured place on a driver development programme, whilst Appiagyei has received numerous opportunities, including to test F3 cars. <\/span><\/p>\nBut both have told the BBC that they have faced barriers in the sport because of their ethnicity. During the series, both young men explore the lack of diversity within motorsport. <\/span><\/p>\nWe also get an insight into the struggles their families face in order to try and finance what is a very expensive career path to pursue.<\/span><\/p>\n‘I was disqualified for being too quick’<\/h3>\n
In episode one, Stanislaus describes meeting his friend Appiagyei for the first time at Buckmore Park, aged seven.<\/span><\/p>\n“Back then, seeing another driver of colour was very rare,” he says. “To see someone else that looked like me, naturally you work with the person and understand where they come from.”<\/span><\/p>\nDuring the documentary, Stanislaus describes situations where he feels that he has been discriminated against because of his skin colour.<\/span><\/p>\n“When I was karting, there were even some races I was disqualified from for being too quick,” he explains. “They accused me of cheating, checked the car, checked everything. Everything was clean. We never cheated – we even had a slower car than most people, but I feel personally it was to do with my race. I can’t think of any other reason.”<\/span><\/p>\nStanislaus’ dad Steve, 58, believes his son’s skin colour means, he has to be “twice as good” as his white counterparts, in order to succeed. <\/span><\/p>\n“If the people in powerful positions are not like you, it’s going to be harder to impress them,” he says in the series.<\/span><\/p>\nMeanwhile, Appiagyei says that while he has never faced direct discrimination, he does believe there is “a lack of opportunity” in motorsport, for “people that look like me”. <\/span><\/p>\n