British sporting icon Sir Chris Hoy to compete in Caterham race series
Six-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy has confirmed the next step on his motorsport journey after announcing he will compete in six races in the new Caterham Seven 310R Championship this summer.
Sir Chris will take to the track at Brands Hatch this weekend (June 3rd/4th) before tackling races at Donington Park (July 8th/9th) and Oulton Park (August 12th).
The Olympic legend is an exciting addition to the new-for-2017 Seven 310R championship. The field offers competitive racing and is the highest-level championship with which competitors can use their original Academy engines, tuned to deliver a hair-raising 152bhp.
With Caterham’s race championships regarded as one of the most competitive on the domestic circuit, Sir Chris knows he has his hands full if he wants to secure a top three finish.
“Dropping into the 310R Championship is going to be really tough,” said the 41-year-old. “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.”
Since purchasing his first ever track car in 2008, a Caterham Superlight R400, Sir Chris 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, 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,” added Sir Chris. “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.”
Sir Chris Hoy Race Schedule
Event Date
Brands Hatch June 3rd and 4th
Donington Park July 8th and 9th
Oulton Park August 12th