Our Board

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Torsten is a C6 Quadriplegic who had a diving accident in 1994, when he was 15 years old. While it changed his life physically, it didn't change his addiction for speed and extreme activities. Beyond racing, he is the worlds only Quadriplegic that is a Rescue Scuba Diver and completed 12 marathons in 12 months in 2016.

His entry into Motorsports was because of a confluence of events: 1) they moved to Sharon CT, 7 miles away from Lime Rock Park, the country’s most strategic race track 2) for their wedding anniversary his wife surprised him with a track day at Lime Rock, giving him a taste of track driving 3) he was born with a need for speed. You will find him in track as much as possible doing HPDEs, TTs and very soon wheel-to-wheel.

He lives with his wife Maggie and dog Beau, in Sharon, CT and is the Global Head of Advertising and Media at TCS.

James has always been an automotive enthusiast, but only recently started high performance driving once he discovered how easy it is to get onto a race track. He primarily drives at HPDE events with the Boston chapter of the BMW CCA on tracks in the North East. 

James and Torsten first met at a car control clinic at Lime Rock Park and a couple of weeks later they drove together at an HPDE. After a few sessions it was clear that they were evenly matched. Both were driving the same model M3 at a speed and skill where they could push each other to run their best. The camaraderie and friendship grew quickly from there and continues to this day. James is passionate about bringing this experience to anyone interested in high performance driving.

Originally from the UK, James moved to Switzerland where he met his wife and now lives in Boston with his daughter and pup. 

Andrew J. Smiley, Esq is a leader in the field of personal injury law. He is a Past President of The New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers, Past President of The New York City Trial Lawyers Alliance, Master Continuing Legal Education (CLE) instructor, Lecturer, Trial Team Coach and Mentor. His podcast, The Mentor Esq, is listened to around the world. Andrew represents catastrophically injured individuals, many of them in wheelchairs.  He brings a passion for helping people to the foundation which naturally meshes with his passion for motorsports. Andrew is an active member of the Porsche Club of America and enjoys tracking his Cayman GTS 4.0 at High Performance Driving (HPDE) Events as often as possible.

  Chris is a T5 paraplegic due to a motorcycle accident in 2008.  He has always been an adventurous type and nothing has changed since his accident. He has done bungee jumping, sky diving, mountain biking, road cycling, alpine skiing, snowmobiling, still rides a motorcycle and much more. He has been an advocate for people with disabilities locally and also on Capital Hill. Enjoys helping others with volunteering with multiple organizations. Best motto is, “you don’t know until you try it”

Chris grew up on motor sports and loves speed. Before his accident he use to drag race ATV’s in sand drags. Started with a simple ATV then went on to custom ones including one with a motorcycle engine and another with a 700cc snowmobile engine. So when he tried Just Hands Racing, it felt pretty natural to him and left him wanting more. 

Christy is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. With over a decade of extensive clinical experience, Christy has dedicated her career working in a variety of non-profit therapeutic settings. Both a DBSA Peer Support Specialist and a Mental Health Advocate, Christy is passionate about decreasing the stigma related to mental health care and improving the mental health of people living with disabilities through increased equity in access to mental health care.

She will be the first to tell you she is not a “track driver”. But as someone who loves to drive (and yes, fast) and one of Torsten’s oldest friends, she knew Just Hands was something she had to get involved with. Christy lives with her husband and two awesome rescue dogs in CT. 

Eric grew up in a house of automotive and racing enthusiasts, spawned from his grandfather’s racing of Model As in the fields near his home growing up and his father’s friendship with Mark Donohue in prep school. 

Eric has worked in a variety of racing series as a mechanic including the Mazda MX-5 cup, Speed World Challenge, Grand-Am, ALMS, and IMSA. He has built Spec Miatas too numerous to count, and had modest success racing them that grows with each telling. 

Eric recently completed a complete restoration of a 1964 MGB, and looks forward to the lifelong commitment to trying to sort electrical gremlins and leaks. 

Eric lives in Fairfield, CT, serving the whims of his dog, Ursula, and cat, Gus. When not playing with cars, he is a project manager or product owner for technology companies.