Dr Andy Lim (in red) attending to a driver after a crashBeing on the medical team in motorsports is not something that everyone is familiar with. The two medical specialties that directly provide an applicable skill set are anaesthesia and emergency medicine; however there are roles for various medical specialties of different levels. It is important to get involved early, from a junior doctor level, and volunteer to be on the medical team to gain more experience, as the pre-hospital environment at the track is a lot different from what doctors face in the hospital.

Coming home for the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix every year, UK-based Singaporean anaesthetic Dr Andy Lim has been a medical doctor at circuits in the UK for the last 25 years. Currently one of the FIV doctors at the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, Dr Lim, 50, is listed as one of the contributors for the FIA medical handbook. When he is back in Singapore in September, he spares time to give a lecture to the Singapore GP medical team about dealing with high speed trauma and his other experiences.

Sent to boarding school in 1975 at the age of 13, Dr Lim went to medical school in UK after that. Returning to complete National Service in Singapore, he went back to UK for his first graduate medical training and settled there permanently after that.

Dr Lim dedicates a significant amount of his weekends to volunteer as a medical officer at motor racing events. To get a better understanding of his role in motorsports, Dr Lim shared more about his experiences with me when he was here for the Singapore Grand Prix last month.

Q: What made you want to get involved in motorsports on the medical side? A: I've always liked cars and there is a family history of motor racing. My uncle was an Indonesian karter in the sixties and he unfortunately got killed in practice one day. I have a passion for cars and I learnt to service my own cars. I also watch a lot of motorsports but I didn't do any motorsports until after I qualified as a doctor, when I tried one of those track days with car clubs. I've always wanted to involve motorsports in my life and I knew I was not good enough to be a driver. With my profession, the easiest way for me was to be on the medical side.

Q: How did you go about getting involved then? A: Some consultants at the hospital I work at used to be chief medical officers at the RAC British Rally so they pointed me in the right direction. It was in 1993 when I met up with the chief medical officer of Castle Combe, a local racing track. That was the year I launched my official motorsports medicine career. In 1994 I started going to Silverstone. As volunteers, we are not tied to particular circuits but we are just like the marshals, and can apply to circuits or race organisers to be part of their team.

Q: Why do you like being involved in motorsports? A: I like motorsports and I enjoy teaching. I conduct training on ad hoc basis and I take the young doctors and train them on the job. It's fulfilling to see them start out as medical students and then I work alongside them until they become consultants in their careers.

Q: Describe your journey. A: For the last 25 years, I've been a doctor at Castle Combe, Brands Hatch and now Silverstone. I have been doing the British Grand Prix as a doctor for the last 23 years. I started out standing on the banks with the marshals, where I was assigned a sector to cover. The Clerk-of-Course works out the most dangerous points and places the doctors where crashes are most likely to happen. I stood in the banks for 10 years before progressing to the start-finish line then to the pit-lane and now to one of the FIV vehicles.

Q: How much time do you dedicate to motorsports? A: At my peak, I was spending about 15 weekends a year at the tracks. Now I do about six race meetings a year.

Q: What are some interesting anecdotes? A: Once, I was driving the medical car (a 4WD estate car fully loaded with medical kit) and it was raining very hard. I was going into this 90-degree right-hander off-camber, with excessive loading on the inside and the car slipped. When it rains, a lot of oil and dirt comes up, making the track greasy. I wasn't scared and I was taught very well by professional instructors so I just reacted accordingly.

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Singaporean doctor shares his UK motorsport medical experience