Jake Humphrey, the presenter of the
BBC's coverage of the 2009 F1 season, is to make his own racing debut next month in the Lotus on Track Elise Trophy at Silverstone.
Humphrey, who took up the role of F1 presenter when the sport returned to the
BBC at the start of the year, will line up on the grid for the race on Saturday 10 October as part of the Go Motorsport initiative, set up to encourage participation in motorsport by the MSA.
“I'm really excited about racing and delighted to be helping the Go Motorsport initiative by showing people just how easy it is for someone like me with no track experience to go racing," Humphrey, who has already arranged for fellow F1 presenters
David Coulthard and Eddie Jordan to act as his driving coach and team boss respectively, said.
Humphrey passed his ARDS test last month at Silverstone, in order to gain his National B racing licence and he will now follow the likes of Martin Donnelly and land speed record holder Andy Green in getting behind the wheel of a Lotus Elise S1.
"It's all part of the Motor Sports Association's drive to get more of us involved in motor racing via a Jenson-Button endorsed initiative called Go Motorsport," he said. “Don't think I've suddenly decided that after a dozen F1 races and sharing the TV with
David Coulthard that I'm qualified to do the business behind the wheel. Simply, the offer of competing in the Elise Trophy, for identical Lotus cars, came my way after I passed my ARDS test and I just couldn't resist. Mind you, since then I've had my doubts!"
