At 18, Welsh racing driver Caleb McDuff is using the very thing that once set him apart from other competitors as the focus of a new campaign designed to help him secure sponsorship for the next stage of his career. Created by Hijinks and TheGardening.Club, “Fuelled by Silence” tells McDuff’s story through a 90-second film developed as part of Hijinks’ Positivity Through Creativity programme.
Diagnosed as profoundly deaf as a young child, McDuff learned to race without access to the in-car radio systems used by other drivers. Rather than allowing the silence to become a limitation, he developed an intense level of focus and learned to compete on his own terms.
Directed by Lee J Ford, the film combines archive footage from McDuff’s childhood racing years with AI-generated visuals that transport him and his car to distant planets and remote landscapes where silence dominates.Narrated by McDuff himself, the film follows his journey from learning to drive as a child to competing professionally, before revealing how technology has now enabled him to communicate with his team during races.
The campaign takes its name from McDuff’s belief that silence has helped shape him as a driver, culminating in his message: “Now I am ready to prove to the world just how loud silence can be.”McDuff made history at 16 when he became the first deaf racing driver to win a Britcar Trophy Championship race. He is now seeking additional sponsorship as he targets the Porsche Carrera World Cup in 2027.
The campaign is live across social media, online video and press, with potential out-of-home and cinema activity also being explored.
