"School Is Important, But Racing Is Importanterer" 😉
Caleb McDuff Launches Inspiring Schools Tour to Empower Deaf Young People Across Wales & the UK
27th November 2025
Seventeen-year-old racing driver Caleb McDuff, a former Cwmbran High School pupil from Pontypool, and one of the only profoundly Deaf competitors racing at elite level in global motorsport, is preparing to take his story on the road through a brand-new Schools Tour set to visit classrooms across Wales and the wider UK.
With the 2025 race season now complete, Caleb is using the winter months to give back, taking on speaking engagements as part of his Schools Tour before preparations begin for his 2026 racing goals.
Caleb will be joined on the tour by his father and manager, Ian McDuff, who has worked with him from day one to build his racing career and dismantle many of the barriers that Deaf young people face. Together, they operate as ‘Team McDuff’, a father-and-son partnership dedicated not only to motorsport but to empowering the Deaf community.
Breaking Barriers On and Off the Track
The tour will visit both mainstream schools and specialist Deaf education settings, following a growing number of invitations from headteachers and SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) departments.
From the age of four, Caleb has progressed through one of the world’s most competitive sports while navigating challenges most drivers never encounter. Racing without hearing forced him to develop exceptional levels of focus, awareness and resilience. Every race required him to think quicker, work harder and adapt faster than anyone else on the grid.
His determination, combined with years of support, advocacy and innovation from Ian, has taken him from grass-roots karting to racing a McLaren GT4 at just 17 years old.
A key breakthrough came when Ian put in place the idea for a custom system that allowed Caleb’s cochlear implants to work with the race radio. For the first time, Caleb could race with full team radio communication, just like every other driver on the grid. This pioneering system has since drawn interest from engineers, racing teams and Deaf tech specialists across the UK.
Their journey is documented in the book Breaking the Sound Barrier: The Caleb McDuff Story, written by Ian and Caleb, and published earlier this year.
Sharing Their Story With Schools Across the Country
Through their Schools Tour, Caleb and Ian will give young people an honest, powerful look at their journey. The struggles, the barriers, the unexpected breakthroughs, and the belief that kept them pushing forward.
Caleb commented “I want Deaf kids to see that they can achieve incredible things. Not just in sport, in anything. They’re capable, they’re powerful, and being Deaf isn’t a limit. It’s part of their story.”
Ian will also share invaluable insight from a parent’s perspective, navigating the education system, advocating for accessibility, fighting expectations, and creating opportunities that didn’t previously exist.
“When Caleb lost his hearing as a toddler, I made myself a promise,” Ian says.
“I promised that Deaf or not, nothing would be allowed to take his dreams away. Everything we’ve built, from the early karting days, to racing the McLaren, to this Schools Tour, is about showing Deaf young people that their future can be bigger than anyone imagines.”
More Than Racing. A Mission
This Schools Tour marks a powerful new chapter in the Team McDuff mission, not just racing to win, but racing to lift others with them.
Schools interested in booking a talk as part of the tour can enquire via the contact page