They came to simply enjoy themselves but put six, high-achieving sportsmen and women togetheron a race track and the competitive juices quickly begin to show.
Sir Steve Redgrave, Sir Chris Hoy, Dame Kelly Holmes, James Degale, Tasha Danvers and Andy Turner had a Top Gear-style Hot Lap competition at Silverstone the other day all in the name of the Jaguar Academy of Sport, of which they are all either patrons or ambassadors of.
After being briefed and then instructed the six high flyers sped around the home of the British Grand Prix in their Jaguar XKR's all under the watchful eye of former F1 star and current TV pundit Martin Brundle in increasingly difficult and slippery conditions asa flurry of rain showers hit the circuit.
With Redgrave's five, Hoy's four, Holmes's two and Degale's one, there were a staggering twelve Olympic gold medals out on show which meant all had a huge amount of excuses when they returned to the garage, shaking their heads and insisting they had not won.
The two biggest culprits were Degale, who ended up second, and Hoy, who did what he always does, and came out on top. Holmes. despite a dramatic skid at a corner which required a recovery vehicle and another attempt, completed the podium, with Redgrave fourth (a decent effort considering the size of the man), Turner fifth and Danvers 6th. All insisted that they would return and record fasterlaps next time.
It was a fun day for all concerned and an impressive turn out for the Jaguar Academy that has already the cream of British sport as patrons and ambassadors, all of whom will be mentoring young recipients of sporting bursaries designed to nurture and support our talented young sports stars. Visit www.jaguaracademyofsport.co.uk
