For Lewis Hamilton, it may have been just another day at the office, but for the family of Antony and Christopher Surridge, their visit to the McLaren Technology Centre on Friday 4th September to personally meet the world champion was a dream come true.
The Surridge family made the trip to Woking for a tour of the world-famous McLaren Technology Centre. Both 17-year-old Antony and his younger brother Christopher have Duchenne muscular dystrophy, leaving them both in wheelchairs. Antony and Christopher were joined on their visit by their parents and Tasha, Anthony's twin sister, in the visit that was facilitated in part by the Dream Factory.
At the end of their tour, the family were able to meet Lewis, who took time out from his preparations for next weekend's race in Italy to speak personally with them all.
Lewis spoke about his recent experiences behind the wheel at Spa-Francorchamps as well as giving an up-close-and-personal guided tour of his Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 car, his 2009 trophies and the high-tech steering wheel he uses in his F1 car.
Lewis said: "Meeting people like Antony and Christopher is always a humbling and inspirational experience. As world champion, it's important to meet and connect with all kinds of people, so to be able to light up the day of somebody who is less fortunate than yourself is always a hugely worthwhile experience.
"They have all dealt with their situations with courage, determination and good humour - and I am proud to have been able to meet them and hopefully provide them with inspiration for the future."
