Bobby Thompson to back World Mental Health Day in season finale

Bobby Thompson has revealed that he will run special branding on his Volkswagen CC during the final rounds of the BTCC season this weekend at Brands Hatch to support World Mental Health Day.

Thompson’s Team HARD-run car will feature #TimeToTalk and #AskTwice to promote the cause, which this year has been focused on suicide prevention.

Suicide is the most common cause of death among men aged between 20 and 49 in the UK and of the 6507 recorded suicides in the UK in 2018, three quarters of them were men.

In recent weeks, Thompson has had to deal with the loss of long-time family friend Lee Carpenter to suicide, with Carpenter’s name featuring on the car alongside John Cook; a colleague of sponsor GKR Scaffolding who also took his own life.

“In the last week my family have been devastated by Lee’s passing and so I understand the emotions you go through when someone very close to you takes their own life,” Thompson said. “You just wish they had spoken to you and you ask yourself if there is anything I could have done.

“Sometimes a simple phone call or text to ask ‘Are You OK?’ could make the difference. It can’t bring Lee back but if we can encourage people, mainly men, to talk about how they are feeling, it might help others feeling the same.”

“This year we are supporting the #AskTwice campaign and wanted to extend the message outside GKR,” GKR Scaffolding Managing Director Neil Rowswell added. “We want everyone to look out for their colleagues and friends and when asking them if they are okay, to ask again. People are more likely to open up on the second time of asking.

“Part of suicide prevention and mental health support is getting people talking. We want this message to be seen by the motorsport community and hopefully get more people, especially men talking about their mental health.”

World Mental Health Day takes place today [Thursday 10 October].