Hoy swaps Le Mans for Caterhamposted in OTHER30 | 05 | 2017
SCOTLAND’S SIX-TIME OLYMPIC gold medallist, Sir Chris Hoy, will compete in six races in the new Caterham Seven 310R Championship this summer. (Related: Chris Hoy — My amazing Le Mans debut)
The Edinburgh 41-year-old, who last June successfully completed the Le Mans 24-Hours with Nissan, will make his Caterham racing debut this weekend (June 3/4) at Brands Hatch, before outings at Donington and Oulton Park. (Watch Chris Hoy prepapre for his Cateram racing debut)
The Caterham race championships are regarded as one of the most competitive on the domestic circuit, and Hoy acknowledges he will have his hands full if he wants to secure a top three finish.
“Dropping into the 310R Championship is going to be really tough,” Hoy, who drove a Caterham Superlight R400 at track days in the build-up to his Le Mans debut, said.
“I’m not hopeful I’m going to set the world alight but, as I’ve always done throughout my sporting career, I will be as competitive as I can be and see where that takes me.
“I’m under no illusions about the challenge being anything other than difficult, but clearly I’d be delighted if I managed to secure a place on the podium.”
Hoy has been hooked on the British brand’s sportscars but never thought he’d actually get a chance to race a Seven.
“When I’d get downtime during the cycling season, I’d bring my R400 up to Oulton Park and drive around all day,” he continued. “I couldn’t get enough of it.
“It never occurred to me that I’d get the chance to actually race in the Caterham racing series, so to be able to compete in six races this summer in the year the Seven is celebrating its 60th anniversary, is a bit of a dream of mine.
“There’s only one word to sum up the Caterham experience: fun. The driving experience is so direct, you get so much feedback from the car, if you’re driving it well it will be stable and go quickly; if you’re driving it poorly, you’ll know about it.”
Related: Chris Hoy — Le Mans 24-Hours interview
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Jim McGill