Changing lanes
Young British motorsport rising star Will Macintyre and how a shock diagnosis led to a focus on fundraising.
Following a recent launch event at the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) at the legendary Silverstone motor racing circuit, we find out more about Will’s story and how his family has joined forces with Cambridge University Hospitals and the BRDC to raise money for an intra-operative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) facility.
Are passionate and committed volunteers born or made?
Perhaps a bit of both: a humanitarian spirit is catalysed by circumstances... and lives and futures are changed.
This is certainly the case for the Macintyre family.
In tandem with supporting their talented, budding racing driver son Will through a diagnosis of a rare neurological condition, they are together driving an effort to provide the University of Cambridge and Addenbrooke’s Hospital with the equipment that will transform the research, care and treatment of brain tumours and neurodegenerative diseases, which affect hundreds of thousands of children and adults in the UK.
An intra-operative MRI (iMRI) is a pioneering tool that integrates real-time MRI scanning directly into the operating theatre. It allows surgeons to obtain high-resolution images during surgery, enabling far greater precision. For example, surgeons can verify that a brain tumour has been completely and safely removed by performing a final scan before the skull and scalp are closed, significantly improving outcomes and reducing the need for repeat operations.
The iMRI is the planned centrepiece of a new Advanced Neurological Treatment Centre, which will combine the University’s strength in research with the clinical expertise of Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
And it has unexpectedly and suddenly taken on particular significance for the Macintyres.
Will Macintyre
Will Macintyre
Intra-operative MRI scanner suite
Intra-operative MRI scanner suite
A rare talent: in the race of his life
At just 18, Will’s career had been going from strength to strength.
He competed in the GB3 Championship in 2025, winning two races, and was regularly on the podium for Elite Motorsport, even while feeling the start of the neurological condition that took him to the hospital mid-season.
In that same year, he was awarded the Innes Ireland Trophy from the BRDC, which recognises the individuals who best display the qualities of courage and sportsmanship epitomised by the late Innes Ireland, a former President of the BRDC and a Grand Prix and Sportscar driver.
In 2024, he raced for Hitech Pulse-Eight and was a title contender heading into the final race decided in his first year in single-seater cars.
Will was Vice-Champion in the hugely competitive Wera Tools British F4 Championship in 2023, following an equally impressive campaign in the 2022 Ginetta Junior Championship, where he finished Vice-Champion in his maiden season in car racing.
His immense potential was clear to everyone in the racing community, and the momentum was gathering for an extraordinarily successful career in a field that Will loves.
Then came mysterious symptoms and a shocking diagnosis.
Will’s mother Sian describes the speed with which it unfolded:
“We noticed in May or June of 2025 that he wasn't particularly healthy. He started to lose weight and was always complaining of headaches. Then in July, he was away on holiday and was taken ill, and the doctor had to be called. His symptoms were vomiting and extreme headaches, which no painkillers would take away. The only way he'd feel any better was by going to sleep.
“One day, he was supposed to be driving in the morning, and he said, ‘I can't do this’. So, we knew that something was up. Milton Keynes Hospital did a CT scan that straightaway showed the mass in his brain. And they told us that he had a brain tumour and lung cancer.
That was 15 September.
“In early December we were told that the tumour was inoperable and there was nothing they could do.”
Then a conversation with the family’s motorsport contact, Jonathan Palmer, owner of most of the circuits across the UK and several motorsport magazines, introduced Professor Peter Hutchinson to their increasingly desperate landscape.
Peter, widely known as Hutch, is a Professor of Neurosurgery, National Institute for Health and Care Research senior investigator, and head of the Division of Academic Neurosurgery at the University of Cambridge.
Hutch immediately brought Will into Addenbrooke’s for more investigations, which suggest a rare neurological condition, and explorations are urgent and ongoing.
Dateline June 2026, and Will’s search for the solution is gathering pace with genetic testing. Further brain bleeds are characterised in part by dramatic memory and vocabulary loss.
In Sian’s words: “Will puts up an incredibly resilient front day-to-day, but not being able to remember his friends’ names, and everyday items become ‘thingys’, is scary.”
It’s both astonishing and inspiring that the Macintyres are finding the mental and emotional bandwidth to be so committed to the iMRI fundraising project, alongside their personal anxiety and concern for Will.
But the family wants his story to vividly illustrate how much we can and must advance research in this critical area of medicine with the aid of the iMRI.
Professor Peter Hutchinson
Professor Peter Hutchinson
How?
According to Will's own website:
“Imagine the harrowing 72-hour window in the hospital awaiting a brain biopsy, weighed down by uncertainty, isolation, and family worry.
"With Project iMRI, that biopsy could be condensed to about 5 hours, a 93 per cent reduction in time and uncertainty, easing both resources and emotional burden. This shorter, integrated pathway could transform [a patient’s] journey from fragmentation to coordinated, humane care.”
As Sian explains: “The process of brain biopsies and lung biopsies is that they scan you the day before, gather the result as a map, then 24 hours later they operate. Usually, 24 hours after the operation, a second scan is done to ensure that they've operated on the correct area.
This is three days of hospital resources rather than the one day it would be with the iMRI.
“William's bed costs £11k per day, so that’s £33k for only one person; the millions quickly creep up. Investing in the iMRI would be much more efficient and cost-effective. The technology is there!”
It is estimated that more than 340 patients each year would be candidates for procedures where iMRI is considered beneficial, including over 140 cases where its use is deemed essential.
Beyond supporting routine clinical care, the iMRI suite would serve as a highly specialised facility at the forefront of next-generation therapies, including gene and cell-based treatments.
The suite would play a central role in advancing University of Cambridge research by enrolling patients into major active research programmes, such as ultrafast whole genome sequencing for paediatric brain tumours, the Adult Personalised Brain Tumour Programme, and NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC)-linked genomic studies.
Pioneering research would be embedded into everyday activity, with the facility providing dedicated capacity that is ringfenced for research procedures. In doing so, it would provide a critical bridge between experimental innovation and clinical application.
In driving forward research into rare neurological conditions, the facility would bring renewed hope to patients like Will and their families, who too often confront some of the most complex and life-limiting conditions without answers.
A close-knit community rallies round
The Macintyres have appealed directly to the motorsport community, which by its nature thrives on results, to help fast-track fundraising. The recent event at Silverstone officially kicked off the campaign and launched Will’s ambassadorship for Project iMRI.
According to Sian: “Hutch had discussed the iMRI with us, and we thought, ‘What can we do to help?’ We reached out to the motorsport community partly because of the level of personal resources among some of its supporters, and as a way of Will keeping in touch with all his beloved community and peers.
"It’s giving him something else to focus on while we wait for more understanding of his situation.”
Silverstone: the official campaign launch
Members of the motorsport community, alongside friends of the Macintyre family, Cambridge alumni, and supporters, braved the wind and rain to gather for lunch at the British Racing Drivers’ Club at the heart of the Silverstone circuit on 11 June. The occasion marked the launch of Will Macintyre’s ambassadorship for the iMRI Campaign.
Although sadly the guest of honour was unable to attend as he continues to receive treatment in hospital, the strength of support for Will was clear.
The motorsport community rallied around his family and the iMRI initiative, with contributions and appearances from Luke Evans (BRDC), Taylor Barnard (DS Penske), and legendary broadcaster David Croft, better known as 'Crofty.' Guests heard from Will’s mother, Sian, as well as Professor Hutchinson, who was joined by members of his team: Claudia Craven, Professor Ghezzi, and Professor Chatterjee.
Will's pre-recorded message from hospital, thanking guests and reflecting on being an iMRI Ambassador
Will's pre-recorded message from hospital, thanking guests and reflecting on being an iMRI Ambassador
Jonathan Palmer (Former F1 driver, BBC commentator and multiple race circuit owner and CEO of Motorsport Vision), Sian Macintyre and Professor Peter Hutchinson
Jonathan Palmer (Former F1 driver, BBC commentator and multiple race circuit owner and CEO of Motorsport Vision), Sian Macintyre and Professor Peter Hutchinson
Legendary sports broadcaster David Croft, 'Crofty', gives his opening address
Legendary sports broadcaster David Croft, 'Crofty', gives his opening address
Professor Khrishna Chatterjee presenting his work
Professor Khrishna Chatterjee presenting his work
Harriet Aspin (Development and Alumni Relations) presenting Sian and Will (in absentia) with their gifts, alongside Professor Hutch and Hugh Chambers, CEO of Motorsport UK
Harriet Aspin (Development and Alumni Relations) presenting Sian and Will (in absentia) with their gifts, alongside Professor Hutch and Hugh Chambers, CEO of Motorsport UK
What has the response been like?
“It's been amazingly positive. Plans are already underway for a karting event at Silverstone. Plus hundreds of people are sporting Mini Will driver stickers on their vehicles, supporting #TeamWill37 and the iMRI.
“The stickers are so he can be tagged, and they were on the Formula E cars in Berlin. He got a real kick out of seeing the Formula E drivers posting about it on their social media.
"When highly respected motorsports professionals are out there thinking of him while working so hard at their jobs, it’s such a morale boost. William has even had letters from Sir Jackie Stewart and David Coulthard.
“There have been a few donations so far, and two or three individuals are looking at giving 7-figure sums, which is fantastic.
"And it's all because William opened up to the motorsport community. People who follow motorsport have become interested and donated to the project because they've resonated so deeply with William's story.”
Hutch reflects: “I am incredibly grateful to be working with Will Macintyre and his family as an Ambassador for the campaign to bring an intra-operative MRI to Cambridge.
"Will’s story is a powerful reminder that, despite significant advances, there is still much to do to improve outcomes for patients with brain conditions.
"The provision of an iMRI would be a quantum leap for the management of patients with diseases affecting the brain. A facility of this nature will build on the strong partnership between the University of Cambridge and Addenbrooke’s Hospital to improve the treatment of patients and facilitate research projects investigating novel therapies for a wide range of neurological conditions across all ages.”
Practical goals and hopes for the future in the face of the unknown
Will Macintyre's journey in motorsport and in life has been marked by breathtaking achievements and challenges, in equal measure.
This courageous and resourceful young man, along with his equally brave and determined family, is battling not only his own illness but fighting as well for the better diagnoses and new and more precise treatments that will benefit everyone who suffers from brain tumours and neurodegenerative conditions.
With the level of precision and accuracy that the iMRI represents, and the research breakthroughs that it will enable, Addenbrooke’s can dramatically further our understanding of brain conditions and how to treat them without additional stress, travel, and isolation.
Will may have changed lanes from his promising career, but he and his family are no less results-driven for it. And they are delivering a world-class performance in record time.
The iMRI will address a vital regional patient and research need within the University and the NHS, providing capacity for complex neurosurgical procedures that would not otherwise be possible at Cambridge University Hospitals.
It will form the centrepiece of a new, purpose-built facility with its own operating theatre, anaesthetic room and recovery beds. Alongside its clinical benefits, the iMRI will also enable researchers to develop pioneering gene- and cell-based treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.
Contact
If you’d like to know more about Project iMRI and the Silverstone event, please contact:
Harriet Aspin
Associate Director, Cambridge University Health Partners
Support Project iMRI
Your support will help to drive the future of treatment for neurological conditions.