Hoy, Will

[RollingThunder]

When I started Super Touring Magazine Will Hoy was one of my first major interview subjects, though by then I already knew him quite well both through three years covering Touring Cars for other titles and my involvement in some of the other things he got up to outside the BTCC.

He loved to drive cars of any sort and I particularly remember a feature we did on Fast Car magazine in I think 1992, when Will drove and gave his opinions on a number of road saloon racers at Goodwood - we all had a lot of fun that day.

Will was always the perfect gentleman and made my life as a Touring Car journalist a great deal easier. Even when things weren't going well, and let's face it he had some pretty dire years especially the later ones with Toyota, he was always willing to give me full answers to my questions without any bull - unlike some of his colleagues.

His one BTCC title stands as testament to Will's talent, and we should remember that it could so easily have been two back-to-back successes. While everyone remembers John Cleland being punted out of the title finale in 1992, they forget the unreliability that suddenly blighted Will's Toyota, while his team-mate and team boss won the race.

Now that I spend some time on a Classic magazine, I was privileged to watch some of Will's historic racing, and it was a pleasure to see him clearly enjoying himself a lot.

Andrew Charman

[DavidStHubbins]

Will Hoy was one of the touring car drivers who didnt carry an ego in a wheel barrow. He was like Anthony Reid who was also really nice to talk to and helpful.

[touringlegend]

Will was such a smashing bloke. I remember going to my first race at Knockhill when Will was racing the Arena Laguna. He signed my programme and was the only guy that thanked you with a smile for asking him for his autograph.

[danieljboys]

I agree with touringlegend. I met him on several occasions at Goodwood and Le Mans, only to get another touring car picture or program signed but always found him very approachable and he always greeted you with a smile.

[Stuart Hill]

Whilst I never met Will while he was racing, I did have the opportunity to chat with him whilst he was doing a Motorsport programme on Hillclimbing at Prescott. neither he or any of his film crew gave any of us on post the mearest hint of trouble and he went out of his way to make sure that they were not "in-our-way" during the meeting.

[Reido Rules]

I met Will on a couple of occasions, but the time/image that sticks in my mind at the moment was when I met him at Silverstine, and Mansell was racing, all the fans, were chasing Nige, and there was Will, sat alone on a chair just outside the garage with a smile on his face, greeting anyone who walked past. Anytime he was asked for an autograph he would ablige with a wide smile. Which these days is quite rare.

Although it wasn't the greatest race I've ever seen, his win in the Mondeo at Silverstone, was a stunning drive, considering the car, the conditions, and the huge margin he pulled out over the rest, without mistake.

Not only a great racer, but a great bloke!

[MGF]

Will, it has to be said, was one of the nicest blokes to ever grace a touring car grid.... A gentleman in a sea of primadonna's.

My favourite memories of him will be the marvellous insights into racing that he gave through commentating on TV and watching him from the trackside give his all, and embarrassing quite a few other much fancied runners, in an un-competitive Laguna at Thruxton.

[racer69]

1991 was the first time i had seen very much of the BTCC, the first time the review video was available in Australia. I was very impressed by his dominence of the 1991 season, and it's shame that he wasn't able to add to the tally, as he proved many times that he was one of the better drivers in the BTCC. Silverstone 1998 as Michael H mentioned was a fantastic drive.

[Woolley]

I was fortunate to have met Will on three brief occasions and he was always friendly and approachable. Once was on the grid immediately before the first race of the Touring Car season. When all the other drivers seemed to be uptight and nervous, Will was calm and relaxed. Sitting in his Mondeo, he had the tallest "Grid Girl" you've ever seen standing in front of him, such that the only view he had was from the top of her boots to the bottom of her shorts. He called me over and asked if I knew what the competition had been, because he had clearly won!

In a sport where drivers are categorised as either 'Professional' or 'Gentleman' Will was one of the very few who were genuinely both.

[stevebrown]

Will was a genuine nice guy who always had time for the fans and marshals. I remember marshalling at Snet two years ago for the Touring cars. I was at the Esses on the Friday night practice session. Will came down to film for the BBC. He took time to come over and chat with us and was there for ages, joking about some of the antics of the Fiestsa that were on track.
He always acknowledged the marshals at the end of a race and if you walked by his garage he always said 'hi'.

[S griffin]

Moving stuff around in my house, I found my 1997 Touring car yearbook which has drivers autographs in the sleeve including Will's from the 98 Silverstone meeting, my first motorsport meeting, and I'll always remember seeing him dominating in the wet conditions and seeing Ford finally end their two and a bit year winning drought. Sad to think that both he and the other race winner David Leslie are no longer with us

[Andy Clegg]

I always enjoyed watching Will's and David's driving over the years.

[metswinagain]

Sadly missed.

My earliest encounters with Will were when he, I think, was first starting out in car racing. Pretty sure he'd earlier been in karts (certainly his brother James and sister-in-law Carolynn were prominent in the gearbox karting scene). Anyway, remember him being indecently quick in a Hugh Chamberlain run Mallock in the BRDC Clubman series.

Company called Reid Wines put some money into the programme and Will and all of the team were terrific people to deal with. Spent many a happy evening in various hostelries on Saturday nights chatting with them over a few drinks.

I recall that Will later went on to run in a one-off F3 outing at Thruxton (early 80's). He was again decently quick (finished just out of top 10 I think) but there was another guy out that day in his first F3 outing too....Ayrton Senna...who proved to be even quicker. Not too long after that Will went the tin-top route and proved that his skills worked just as well, perhaps even better, with a roof over his head.

[S griffin]

I assume his brother James was also Ed’s father who did a bit of FBMW?