Sir Chris Hoy keen to sample more endurance classics

Sir Chris Hoy has said that he is keen to sample more iconic endurance races having successfully competed at Le Mans last year.

The six-time Olympic gold medallist competed at Le Sarthe last year after a meteoric rise up the motorsport ranks, and he now hopes to be given the chance to compete in more famous endurance contests.

However, Hoy's deal with Nissan expired last season, and he feels that the only way he would get such an opportunity is if he were to strike another deal with a major manufacturer.

"Bathurst would be amazing, any of them would be amazing but again it comes down to the backing," Hoy admitted. "I’m not with Nissan any more, it was just a hand-in-hand deal that went to the Rio Olympics so when you don’t have a major manufacturer backing you that’s when it’s tricky because you need to find the money somehow.

But I’m open to offers really," he added. "Any racing of any kind I’d enjoy and I’ll just see what comes along."

After making his four-wheeled début in 2013 in the Radical SR1 championship and was quickly snapped up by Nissan later that year. He then went on a three-year campaign to race at Le Mans, with stops in British GT, as well as LMP3 and LMP2 in the European Le Mans Series.

Despite the high profile of his motor racing exploits, Hoy has always insisted that his racing is nothing more than a hobby.

"I still see it as a hobby but it’s a hobby that’s grown legs and when you’re in the car and you’re racing you’re giving it the same commitment," he said. "When I was given the opportunity to start racing, when Nissan came on board and started to support me and back me I wanted to do the best job that I could and when you’re racing obviously you’re committed you’re giving it 100% all the time."

"Then when Le Mans was a potential goal, a realistic goal, I really wanted just to make the most of it because I know how many millions of people out there presumably would want to compete at Le Mans and will never have the chance," he continued. "So when I had that chance I thought I’ve got to do it justice and do the best I can."

"But it’s not a career, I’m not a professional driver, I don’t get paid, I don’t make a living from it," Hoy insisted. "The key thing now is to try and keep getting races wherever I can, get seats in cars."



Images: Dominik Wilde