Will Hoy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Will Hoy |
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Hoy at Brands Hatch in 1995
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| Nationality |  British |
| Born | 2 April 1952 Melbourn, Cambridgeshire, England |
| Died | 19 December 2002 (aged 50) Chelsea, London, England |
| BTCC record | |
| Teams | Ford, BMW, Toyota, Renault, Arena, VLR |
| Drivers' championships |
1 |
| Wins | 9 (1 in class) |
| Podium finishes | – |
| Poles | 6 |
| Fastest laps | 10 |
| Debut season | 1987 |
| First win | 1991 |
| Best championship position | 1st (1991) |
| Final season (2000) position | 15th (Class B) |
William Ewing Hoy (born April 2, 1952 – died December 19, 2002) was a British racing driver. He became the British Touring Car Champion in 1991, which was the biggest moment in his 20-year career in motor racing.
About Will Hoy
Will Hoy was born in Melbourn, Cambridgeshire, England. He didn't start racing until he was nearly 30 years old. In 1985, he began racing at an international level, even competing in the famous Le Mans race. Over the next few years, he raced in many different championships and special races. A big achievement was finishing second in the 1988 All Japan Touring Car Championship.
Besides racing, Will was also a qualified surveyor. This means he was a professional who measured and valued land and buildings. Sadly, in late 2002, Will became very ill with a brain tumor and passed away soon after. He is remembered by his wife and three children.
Will's Racing Journey
In 1991, Will focused on the BTCC. This was the first year for the new "Super Touring" rules, which made the cars very exciting. Even though big car makers like Vauxhall and Toyota had their own teams, the BMW cars were the ones to beat at first. Will made the most of his chance with a BMW car from the Vic Lee team. He built up a big lead in the championship that no one could catch, and he won the title! That same year, he also won the Willhire 24 Hour race at Snetterton in a BMW M3, racing with Ray Bellm and Kurt Luby.
For 1992, Will joined the Toyota team. He was in a close fight for the championship right up to the last race, but Tim Harvey in a BMW won instead. In the years that followed, the Toyota car wasn't as competitive. Will came closest to another win at Silverstone in 1993. In a famous moment, his teammate Julian Bailey accidentally crashed into him, flipping Will's car upside down. The TV commentator, Murray Walker, famously said, "the car upside down is a Toyota," playing on Toyota's advertising slogan at the time. In 1994, Will also drove a special Toyota Celica in the RAC Rally, which is part of the World Rally Championship. He had a well-known crash into a tree, but luckily, he and his co-driver were not hurt.
Even after two seasons without many wins, Will was still a well-known driver. In 1995, Renault hired him to race alongside Alain Menu. The start of that season was tough with many mechanical problems and crashes. But later in the year, Will improved a lot, winning three races as his car became one of the fastest. People hoped he would fight for the title in 1996, but the new 4-wheel drive Audi car driven by Frank Biela was too strong. Will finished ninth that year.
During this time, the BTCC was mostly dominated by big car manufacturers with lots of money, often hiring drivers from other countries. Like other British drivers such as Tim Harvey and Robb Gravett, Will found it hard to get or keep a top-performing car. He joined the Ford team for 1997 and 1998. While 1997 was a bit disappointing, 1998 was much better. Will finished in the top 10 in the championship, even though his car wasn't the most competitive. He even won a race at Silverstone!
In 1999, Will raced independently in the BTCC for part of the season, doing better than other independent drivers with an Arena Motorsport Renault Laguna. After this, he mostly retired from full-time racing. He also competed in two rounds of the 1999 FIA GT Championship. His very last race appearance was at Silverstone in 2000, where he drove a Vic Lee Racing Peugeot 306 in a special class. He got the fastest qualifying time for both races but had to stop early in both due to mechanical problems. In 2002, Will also worked as a commentator for the BTCC season, sharing his knowledge with fans.
Images for kids
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Hoy at Brands Hatch in 1995
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Hoy driving for Renault in the 1996 British Touring Car Championship.
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Hoy driving for Ford in the 1998 British Touring Car Championship.
