Olympic cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy will compete in the 2014 British GT Championship with Nissan as he aims to compete in the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Hoy, an eleven-time world champion and six-time Olympic cycling champion has signed with Nissan as a Brand Ambassador on the Road to Rio 2016, and will also be placed on the advanced Driver Development Programme, along with GT Academy winners, to fast-track his path into top-level motorsport.
The Scotsman, who has competed in a number of club level events, will drive a Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 car in the British GT Championship, with the ultimate goal to see the Olympian back on the podium and well on the way to competing at Le Mans in 2016.
“Nissan is already a huge contributor to the British economy with its investment in manufacturing, technology and design – now it is also investing in British sporting success via the Team GB and ParalympicsGB programmes,” explained Hoy, who will compete as a ‘bronze’ level driver. “It’s fantastic for me to be working with Nissan GB on this.”
“When we sat down to discuss the relationship, we talked about how we could make things a two-way street. When I learned what had been achieved through Nissan’s Driver Development Programme I was keen to take my enthusiasm for motorsport to the next level. This won’t be easy – but I could not turn down the chance to give it a go. My ultimate ambition is to race at Le Mans. That is the dream, but I’m taking this one step at a time.”
Partnering Hoy in the Nissan GT Academy Team RJN squad for the majority of the seven-weekend season will be Nismo athlete Alex Buncombe. Buncombe has been a major part in helping all GT Academy graduates make the switch from gamers to racers.
“At Nissan, we always do things differently,” said Marketing Director for Nissan GB, Guillaume Masurel.
“As Britain’s biggest vehicle manufacturer, we are proud to commit our support for both the British Olympic Association and British Paralympic Association on the road to success in Rio 2016. Through our #uniteandexcite campaign we will be giving fans exclusive access to our team of athletes and showcasing their stories and preparation as we count down to Rio 2016. Now we can offer another new story, which is a further demonstration of Nissan’s innovative thinking.
“We will be supporting the new talent and new technology through our partnership with BOA and BPA but in this case the new talent happens to be Britain’s most successful Olympian. Sir Chris has already shown that he is a very capable driver and by combining our expertise in driver development, a great car and an experienced team with his natural ability, drive and determination, this will be a fascinating journey.”
