Hoy to make rallycross debut days after crash

He was involved in a highspeed crash at Silverstone but Sir Chris Hoy has declared himself ready to compete again. The Scot is take part in the World RX of Catalunya, the second round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship.

The six-time Olympic cycling gold medallist was driving a Caterham Seven lightweight sports car at the Northamptonshire track, when the smash took place.

Footage emerged of the incident at the weekend and the Scot admitted it “scared the bejeezus out of me”.

But it hasn’t put him off and the 43-year-old will be at the wheel of the Xite Racing-prepared Ford Fiesta in Spain on 27-28 April.

Hoy will head to Pembrey Circuit in Wales next week for testing in preparation for his debut in World RX.

“I am really looking forward to competing in the FIA World Rallycross Championship in Barcelona,” Hoy said. “Driving a rallycross car has always been on my bucket list, but to actually race against the world’s best will really be something special – and a huge challenge,” he said.

“I will be testing next week with Oliver Bennett and his Xite Racing team, and learning all I can ahead of my World RX debut.”

Since retiring from competitive cycling in 2013, Hoy has taken on a number of motorsport challenges – most notably the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2016 in the LMP2 class.