Picture the scene. It’s not an easy one, but give it a go anyway. You’ve had a serious car accident. You’ve broken your back in 37 separate places, crushing six vertebrae. You’ve punctured your right lung. You have a head injury. Every single one of your ribs is broken. You’re lying in hospital and you know it will be a long time before you can even think about regaining your mobility. What’s the first thing on your mind? What’s the primary motivation in your quest for fitness? What is it that keeps you going?

In the case of Fareham’s James Wren, his main focus as he lay in hospital was his all-consuming desire to get back behind the wheel of a racing car as soon as possible. Given that he had nearly lost his life in a road accident, this may sound bizarre, even crazy. Well, that’s just racing drivers for you. Incredibly skilled, brave and talented, but also just the tiniest bit unhinged.

James had been driving home from a kart race at Forest Edge when the accident happened. He had only been karting for two years but had already become the man to beat at both the aforementioned track and the Clay Pigeon circuit. That was in September 1996. It would be nearly eight months before his recovery was nearing completion, and already plans were afoot for his graduation to single-seater racing.

Talk to James about the events now and he will shrug it off with his characteristic modesty. Most people don’t even know, he just occasionally casually throws it into conversation. You tread carefully when discussing it, wondering if too much delving into the past might reawaken dormant memories and cause panic, but he talks frankly and honestly about the accident, finishing your sentences for you if you begin to falter over details. The way James describes it, you would think that returning to racing after an injury like that was an everyday occurrence.

“Getting back into racing was my main motivation, it was what kept me going,” he recalled. “I actually grew up a lot during that time, so I suppose in a way it made me stronger.”

“Anyway,” he continues, hopefully at least half-joking, “if you’re going to do something like that, you might as well do it properly. If it’s not life-threatening, what’s the point?”

If this matter-of-fact indifference is just a façade, it’s a seemingly impenetrable one. James made his car racing debut in 1998, competing in the Castle Combe Formula Ford 1600 Championship. The main point of those early outings was to overcome the inevitable psychological hurdles that such a harrowing experience created. He was driving a Van Diemen RF92, a car much modified from original spec during its time as a factory team entry, and the decision was taken to work on getting the car back to genuine RF92 status. The last thing a novice like James needed was an unnecessarily complex car, so he took time out to strip the Van Diemen down to its bare essentials and rebuild it.

This massive task, combined with a period of family illness, contrived to delay Wren’s comeback until the middle of the 1999 season. The Castle Combe series is the most competitive of the many regional Formula Ford 1600 Championships by a long way, and it takes time to get to the front. Richard Carter has won the title for the past two seasons, yet five years ago he was a backmarker, struggling to break out of the mediocrity of the midfield. Few newcomers expect to make an immediate impact, an even smaller number do so.

James was intending to buck that trend. Starting with round five of the championship at the beginning of July, his initial aim was just to “go steady and see what falls off the car,” but by the end of the season he was expecting to be finishing in the points at the very least.

The first race went pretty much as expected, 22nd on the 30-car grid, then 18th after the race after a sensible performance. He lapped much faster in the race than in qualifying, proving that all he needed was more time in the car to get right on the pace.

Accumulating that mileage would prove difficult however. Motor racing can so easily become a vicious circle. To make progress requires funding, to pay for both testing and development work, but few companies are willing to provide sponsorship for a venture which, on paper at least, appears to have precious little chance of success. Yet it is only with that support that they will ever be able to make progress. The problem invariably then escalates, to the point where the driver becomes unwilling to push too hard because they know that their budget will not extend to cover the costs of accident damage.

Although his financial situation was far from ideal in 1999, James managed to keep his head above water and avoided becoming demotivated. Sure, he could have done with having the money to test as much as his rivals. Indeed, actually doing some testing at all would have been a step in the right direction, but there was no point getting depressed about something that was out of his hands. He would have to impress by achieving good results against the odds, and then (surely) the money would start to come rolling in.

Round six, at the start of August, saw Wren in unusually disgruntled mood after qualifying. He was languishing down in 21st place, and was not enormously happy about it. Feeling he had under-performed, he growled a few terse quotes then curled up and went to sleep for a couple of hours.

Cat-napping is an under-rated racing technique which on this occasion certainly proved useful to James. By the time he woke up, he was in a much more positive frame of mind, and fought through to 15th in the race, impressing with some strong passing moves.

The most important thing was that progress was being made. Starting his season in July was always going to be a massive handicap, all James wanted was to keep moving up the field with every outing. That way he was bound to be a top ten contender in time.

“We started at the very back,” he admitted. “We’ve tried to look for small gains rather than going for big leaps, that way there’s not so far to fall if we make a mistake.”

This approach didn’t pay off in round eight however. James had to spend the first part of qualifying bedding-in a new set of brake pads, the kind of menial work that most can afford to do in a test session. By the time he was ready to go for a flying lap, the track had been coated by oil after series newcomer Peter Chambers blew his engine and helpfully drove around the length of the circuit dumping fluid before pulling off.

Most estimated that the oil-soaked track was costing them 4-5s every lap. James had to do his best on the slippery surface, and slithered round fast enough to again qualify 21st, but if the 4s theory is correct, that could have been a top twelve position had he not had to impersonate Torvill and Dean.

With too much work to do in the race, he had to be content with 19th place, making a couple of mistakes in his haste to pass people who by rights should have been far behind him on the grid.

The final rounds of the Combe championship were on 11-12th September. James was jubilant after Saturday qualifying, knowing that he had put in his best ever lap times around the circuit, but the quality of the competition was such that these were only good for 18th on the grid. With the new chicanes having rendered overtaking virtually impossible in 1999, James only took home a 15th and a 17th place finish, delayed by a couple of minor ‘offs’ and a baffling tyre problem in race two.

Time for a change, in the form of a trip to Silverstone. Some call it the “Home of British Motor Racing,” others call it “that soulless hole near Northampton,” but whatever your opinion of the actual circuit, there is still something just a little bit special about using the same pits as the Formula One teams use for the British Grand Prix every year.

Wren thought about that in qualifying as he pulled into the same pit box as Damon Hill had used for his final Silverstone appearance two months previously. However, this showbiz moment only lasted a few seconds, James being more concerned with the fact that he was going to have to start 30th on the 32-car grid. He had suffered a puncture in qualifying, and knowing that if he didn’t complete at least three laps he wouldn’t be allowed to start the race, cruised round to fulfil his obligations before pitting for repairs. With only 15 minutes of practice, that meant he had no time for do any fast laps.

Heavy rain before the start added an extra dimension to the race. In his karting days James was a wet weather specialist (although that piece of information has to be teased out of him,) but being behind 29 other cars on a flooded track was always going to hamper his visibility to say the least. This is a particular problem at Silverstone, a track that seems to hold water like a sheepdog on a rainy day.

Blinded by spray, James was relieved to make it around the first corner intact. Others were not so lucky, and as he exited the corner, Wren casually noticed the eight-car pile-up occurring on either side of him. He threaded his way through the chaos, then picked up a few more places into Becketts, putting him into the top twenty already.

Inevitably however, the red flags came out so that the mess could be cleared up. The grid reformed in the original order, putting James back to 30th. In the shortened eight lap race, to fight through to 17th was a major accomplishment.

Afterwards, he mentioned that, seeing as the Silverstone race had gone rather well, he wouldn’t mind if the end of season Combe meeting six days later was also wet. James would subsequently regret that remark…

The Formula Ford 1600 Carnival is the traditional end-of-season showdown at Combe, a prestigious event that anyone is welcome to enter. In theory, it should be a chance for the competitors in the various regional FF1600 series to get together and battle it out in a spectacular one-off grudge match. In practice, it’s a chance for the Combe regulars to have fun without worrying about the championship battle, because no ‘outsiders’ ever bother to enter. In 1999, it also happened to be one of the most farcical meetings in the circuit’s history.

James had a great run in his heat, finishing seventh after a great battle with Hugh Elliott. Wren had struggled initially, again hampered by a tyre problem. By the middle of the race however, this seemed to have cured itself, and when the rain began to fall in the closing stages, James was able to really get a move on.

This result meant he would start the Final from 14th on the grid, well placed to score his first top ten finish. However, a mixture of appalling weather and appalling management meant that the meeting over-ran drastically and the supposed highlight of the day, the Grand Carnival Final, started at dusk and was abandoned after three sorry, soggy laps. As furious as all his fellow competitors, James had left the circuit by the time it was announced that everyone would be financially compensated.

Although the season ended on a low note, James can afford to look back on 1999 with pride. Missing the first four races meant that he was always destined to be playing catch-up from the start, and so it proved. He could probably forget Combe if he wanted to, and waltz off to the Midlands, North West or Kent Championships, where he would undoubtedly be a top five contender within very little time, but James wants to be where the competition is.

The car is now virtually on the pace. The winter rebuild has given the team a good base to work from, and their links with engine guru John Percy mean that James has no shortage of power. Although still on a steep learning curve, he is mastering the black art of car set-ups and has already gained the respect and admiration of his fellow Formula Fordsters.

With his lack of experience compared to his Combe rivals and his comparatively small budget, not to mention the fact that he nearly killed himself in a car crash three years ago, James has more than enough excuses if he ever under-performs. But he never takes advantage of this. If things go badly, he is extremely hard on himself, generally without cause. When things go well, he modestly deflects the praise. Although the story of his recovery and comeback is a great one, James doesn’t want people’s sympathy. He wants to win races. And at his present rate of progression, it won’t be long before he is in a position to do so.

James is clearly one of the most determined and dedicated racers in the country, with the potential to achieve great things in future years. His level-headed, matter-of-fact approach belies his hard-charging, ‘maximum attack’ driving style. Best of all, at this stage in his career, James is only going to get better. Just don’t expect him to tell you that himself…