Hoy targets Le Mans

Record-breaking Olympian Sir Chris Hoy has revealed a three-year plan to compete in the Le Mans 24 Hours, starting with an attack on this year’s British GT Championship.

The former track cyclist, who won six gold medals at the Athens, Beijing and London Olympics, will drive a Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 in Britain this year for the factory-supported RJN team. At the same time he will join the development programme the Japanese manufacturer runs for its GT Academy gamers-turned-racers. The ultimate goal is to take part at Le Mans in 2016.

Hoy, who took his first steps in motor sport last year in the Radical SR1 Cup for novices, said: “It might sound ridiculous right now, but my ambition in motor sport is to compete at Le Mans.

“Who knows if that’s even remotely possible, but it’s my dream.

“I’m in the right place to do it. There are fantastic people here who have the right experience, so if I can do what they tell me to do, listen to them and develop, then it might not be a ridiculous dream.”

Hoy began his campaign with ninth- and 14th-place finishes in the British GT opener at Oulton Park at Easter, sharing with regular 2014 team-mate Alex Buncombe.