Will Hoy - sad news (merged)

Dear all

Just received this message from Doug Nye (courtesy of AtlasF1):

"It's so sad - especially at this time of year - Will Hoy passed away last night, having developed an inoperable brain tumour whose symptoms first manifested themselves seriously during the Goodwood Revival meeting in September. In many ways you couldn't have wished to meet a nicer guy..."

This extremely sad news, Will was a true gent and a bloody good racer to boot,British Motorsport has lost one of it's greatest supporters

Suzy has already posted this on the BTCC forum: a message via Doug Nye, originally posted at Atlas.

"It's so sad - especially at this time of year - Will Hoy passed away last night, having developed an inoperable brain tumour whose symptoms first manifested themselves seriously during the Goodwood Revival meeting in September. In many ways you couldn't have wished to meet a nicer guy..."

RIP:(

I'm stunned by the news, a true gentleman! My condolences to his family and friends.

Very sad news

Unbelievably sad news - Rest in Peace Will

Gone but never forgotten.

My conolences to his family and friends

Very sad to hear this.
Will should not just be remembered for his Touring car races but also his many sportscar and most recent historic outings.

I can't believe it, I really can't. My sympathies to all in his family.

Thanks for letting us know, not a nice thing to find out. My condolances go out to his family and friends, who I hope will keep his memory alive.

Total shock.

Will Hoy was always quite tongue in cheek humour which I liked. Fair and top racer too.

Top man.

Terrible news. I heard some time ago that he was ill, but I hoped it wouldn't come to this. A cracking good driver and a lovely bloke too by all accounts. Another good guy no longer with us.

Terrible news - my condolences to his family and close friends. He will be sadly missed by many people.

:( Blimey thats a shock. deepest sympathys to his family. Such a great bloke and a great loss to everyone. Not only is he such a great guy but he has been such a great driver.

Sympathy to Will's family and friends, he was always a driver to watch, and brings back memories from well before BTTC.
rest in Peace Will, you always put on a show

Very Sad news, Will was one of the finest drivers in British Motorsport, he was a generous person.

British motorsport has lost one of its finest drivers

My condolences to his family and friends

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.

Touring Car racing, and the sport as a whole is a lot poorer for Will's passing - my sympathies to Will's family, former team-mates and many friends.

Andrew Charman

Oh dear, oh dear , oh dear... so very sad. Especially for his family at this time of year. Lifes very hard sometimes.
What a great racer, and man we have lost.

I am so very sad, I meet him once and he was a true gentleman who always had time to talk to the "ordinary people" regardless of his other commitments. A devastating loss to his family and friends and to the world of motorsport. My sincerest condolences.

My condolences for his family from Spain

That's very sad news, especially, as ghinzani says, at Christmas. I remember asking him to sign a recipe book for me once (it was a charity book called Racy Recipes with drivers contributing their favourite recipes) and we ended up having a conversation about the merits of stew and dumplings over mince and tatties!

Jeez I feel terrible at this news. He was such a nice bloke.

This is awful news and a terrible shock :( He will be greatly missed amongst the whole motorsport community. Rest in peace, Will.

I really can't believe how sad I am to hear this news. He was such a lovely bloke and always good value for money. Never ever saw him miserable. My condolences to Will's friends and family. I will miss him.

To all of Will's admirers & colleagues.
I was with Will when he passed away in hospital last night. And I'm sure you'll take some comfort from knowing that he went with no pain or discomfort. In fact he had 5 darned good looking women (including his wife and three nurses) telling him he was the sexiest guy in the hospital - and he just passed peacefully away. In the circumstances, it was a fine moment. Will was a fine guy and he will be remembered for all the right reasons. I would ask that you say a prayer for his wife and children who face a Christmas that none of us can contemplate. There will be a family private service in the next few days and we are planning a wider Celebration of Will Hoy for sometime soon in the New Year. His website will give all the details (and I apologise for it not being up to date as I write this, but it's been a long night & day). Make a note of www.willhoyracing.com. And many, many thanks for all your kind thoughts and words.

MIKE SMITH.

Extreemly sad news, especially at this time of year.

I was told of this terribly sad news in a phone call this afternoon. I nearly crashed the car. I'm really upset to hear of the news as we, like everyone else, were praying he would make a recovery and be back amongst us next year. I guess it was just not meant to be - life can be cruel sometimes.

Thank you for sharing that moment with us, Mike, and I am sure that little story, typical Will, will bring a smile to a few faces. Please pass our regards to his family.

RIP Will.

Sad to hear that, my condolences to his family.

:( very sad news

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. Most of the others ran from Motorhome to Signing on to car etc. I was thinking about him the other day for some reason or other. I didnt know he was ill. A huge loss for British motorsport.

Just awful news. Will was genuinely one of the very best, both as a human being, and as a competitor. He's going to be missed dreadfully.

I'm going to keep his family and his friends foremost in my prayers this year.

I didn't even know Will was ill.

Its really sad, I'll miss him.

Really sad news, that - Will always seemed to be one of the real "nice guys" of touring cars, and he will be badly missed by a lot of people. http://forum.racesimcentral.com/images/smilies/tombstone.gif

I was shocked-I had no idea he was ill and although I haven't seen much of him since his Peugeot drives in 2000 I am extremely sad about this news. I remember him taking the Ford Mondeo to victory at Silverstone 1998; his last BTCC win I believe, his car on rails as all around slid off. I really can't believe it, the guy was a great driver and a thoroughly nice bloke.

A true great that will be dearly missed im just glad i met him truely nice guy

Very sad news. RIP

I can't believe it-I'm really shocked.

What a horrible thing to happen, Will was one of the finest racers but more importantly people you could ever wish to meet. Condolences to his family and friends. The world is a poorer place without him.

RIP Will.

This is awful, it's hit me very, very hard, my condolences go to his family and his children, an awful thing to happen at this time...

Deepest sympathies to all Will's friends & family. I only met him a few times briefly, but he seemed like a really nice bloke, and a great driver as well. Who else could have won at Silverstone in '98 in a Ford as bad as that year's Mondeo?

Rest In Peace Will.

My deepest sympathies to his family & friends, it certainly is very sad news.

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.

He'll be badly missed, and we should all remember during Christmas what his family and friends must be going through.

Rest in peace, Will.
I just cant imagine touring cars without you

Even though we'd all heard that Will was ill, it's still a big shock to come on here tonight and read this news. How terribly, terribly sad.
My sincere sympathies to all of Will's family and friends.
Also, thanks to Mike for taking the time to pop over to the forum here.

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. What a terrific guy. He was a true gentleman and will be missed. I hope Autosport will give us an article on his life and achievements in the new year.
Thanks, Will. RIP.

:( :( :( :(

May he rest in peace, I'll keep him and his family in my prayers for a while.

He'll always be remembered as a gentleman and a terrific racer.

Thank you Will for the entertainment you have given to all of us who watched you race or met you...

Our deepest sympathies to your family and friends

May you rest in peace

This is really sad news, dreadful for his friends and family at any time of year, but especially so at Christmas.
Many many condolences to all who knew him.

Its terribl and very sad. I hope the BTCC will have some tribute for him next year.

This is shocking news, and my thoughts are with his family and friends at this terrible time.

very sad news indeed, I didnt really see alot of his racing only a few BTCC races but enjoyed what I did see , a sad day not only in motorsport but life in general.

he will be greatly missed.

RIP WILL

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. As had been said previously, Motorsport has lost a true gentleman and is that much poorer because of it.

My condolences to his wife and family, for what they are worth, but i truly feel sorry for British Motorsport. We have lost as much as his family have.

RIP Will.

I've just been out with my mates havig a good time
Then i read this , it brings me back down to earth . it is not fair , Will was one of a kind , and i will always look up to him . I just cant beleave it ...

Lets all just spair a moment to remember him ....

RIP WILL, A TRUE BTCC LEGEND.

Very sad news, Condolences to his family and freinds.

The world is now 1 more Touring Car driver short.

All my thoughts go to Will's family at such a sensitive time of year. A Character who will be greatly missed amongst the touring car world and who's legacy of being one of the 'good old boys' from the 90's will live on. Life is so hard.....

...

A genuinely nice guy, he'll be much missed.

Terrible News

Rest In Peace Will.

Terrible news indeed- condolences to Will's family and friends. There's never a good time of year to lose someone, but somehow it seems worse at Christmas when it's supposed to be a happy time for everyone.....

I've been watching Will race for close to 20 years, and remeber him as much as a sportscar racer as for his BTCC achievements- I think the first time I saw him drive was at Silverstone in 1985 (about the second meeting I ever went to) in one of Roy Baker's Group C Tiga-Fords. Sadly, Roy also passed away earlier this week. RIP to them both- two of the true gentlemen of the sport

I sit hear with tears rolling down my face, remembering the personal message I received from Will when I was in hospital after suffering a stroke, and also the great greeting at my first meeting after recovery. A great and wonderfull man,who will be sorely missed both as a person and as a driver.
REST IN PEACE WILL!!

I've only just seen the news on Autosport, I can only echo the sentiments already expressed, and the shock of it all. He'll be greatly missed by many, and my heart goes out to his family. To lose someone at this time of year is one of the very cruellest tricks that life can play.

Just heard on Radio 5 Live. Sad, sad news.

Sincerest condolences to Will's family and his many friends.

He will always exist in thousands of memories. A fine chappy and a great motorsport driver.

Thoughts and prayers to Will's family. I, and so many others are thinking of you during this difficult time.

*Hugs*

Jackie and I had the pleasure of working with Will in 1995-1997 as members of the merchandising units that supported him at BTCC rounds, and he was always a gentleman, signing autographs and having the time to answer any question asked.

And after my own marshalling accident in 2000, we met up at Goodwood and he was so pleased that I'd started the road to recovery.

This is indeed a sad loss at so early an age. To his wife and family, we aso wish to add our deepest sympathies at this time. He will be sorely missed.

Will was a person who brought character to the pit lane like no other. A truely great racer and human being. The last time I saw him race was the 1999 final of BTCC that great scrap with Neal, Radermecker and Muller in sub standard machinery showed his talent.
But also this year he stayed among the BTCC with Arena motorsport and
his enthusiastic commentry kept us listening.
Will you'll be deeply missed.

this news is a total shock to the system. RIP Will Hoy.

A very sad loss . British motorsport has lost a great driver , character and a gentleman on and off the track .

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.

RIP Will- Not only a great racer, but a great bloke!

i'm saddened by the terrible news,a great bloke and a real gentleman.he will be missed by everyone who ever met him or watched him compete.my sympathy to his family and friends...byron matthews

This is really sad news

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 premadonna's.

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


All of my condolences and thoughts are with his nearest and dearest.

RIP Will.... The sport has lost a true hero

I am shocked and saddened by this news. I would like to offer my sincere condolences to his family and friends.

He was one of a rare breed. A fighter in the car, but a real nice bloke outside it.

Will, you will be sorely missed.. :(

Only just heard the news. Such a sad loss of a great man and racing driver.
:(

Condolences to all his family and friends.

Such a shame. i can sympathise with his family, cause I'm in a similar place at the moment. Will will be sorely missed.

:(

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.

I've only just heard this news, and had not even known he was ill. Usually when you hear of the death of a famous person, there is merely an acknowledgement of the fact, perhaps some good thoughts about what they've done. A few, very few, make you sit down with a genuine feeling of loss, and Will is in that category.

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. He will be much missed. My deepest condolences to his family and friends.

Terrible news, my condolences to Will's family and friends.

My condolences to Will's family at such a sad time.

Originally posted by Woolley
A few, very few, make you sit down with a genuine feeling of loss, and Will is in that category.



You are too right. I feel so unfortunate not to have met him but I still feel deeply saddened and with a feeling of loss.

But this just makes you wonder the huge devastation the family and fiends must have felt. It's such a cruel way for him to be taken away.

The photo that was posted earlier was really good.

It's good to hear from Mike Smith that he passed away painlessly and peacefully. Goodbye Will, you shall not be forgotten.

he was the spirit of the BTCC, there are not drivers like him. It was a pleasure to see him racing and talking. he will be missed...

When I was visiting races as a Little kiddy, years ago, Will was one of those people who made you feel special at your first race, by just being welcoming, acknowledging and always willing to show his appreciation to a fan for their support.

He was very much a person who was appreciated by people Young and Old not only for his racing but for his personality.

I couldn't believe it when i heard this news, a sad day for Motor racing. 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. A great driver who will be sorely missed at race tracks around the country.

Steve B

On Behalf of the BRSCC East Anglian Centre please accept our deepest sympathy

There were tears in the kitchen when I relayed the sad news to my wife who as a pit marshall was involved with the BTCC through out most of Will's racing. She saw the brighter side of a wonderful gentleman, no matter what age he would always have a happy word for everyone. The other side of Will we know was when he was a "trainee" rally driver on the Great Orme stage of the Cambrian Rally. A truly wonderful man & will be sadly missed. Our condolences to his wife and family & close friends at this sad time.
Tony & the Pits Dragon

Very sad indeed, condolences to all involved with Will be it, family, friends, drivers, teams, marshalls and fans

very sad to hear of Will. I met him on a couple of occasions, years ago when he was with Toyota, and like most people hear found him as the perfect gentlemen, and always having time available, which is seldom found in the pit lane. A "real" racer as well. Top guy

A true ambassador to touring cars, rest in peace Will. You wont be forgotten, thats for sure

Yesterday was the first time I have been in a situation where a group of friends have spontaneously decided to hold a minute's silence. It was very moving.

my condolences to his family and friends. Rest in peace

According to Wills site the funeral is 2.30pm today, if you read this in time think of Will, and his family.

Today hearing about Joe Strummer so soon after Will, I feel exactly the same as when Senna and Kurt Cobain went in a short space of time - namely why do people have to go before their time like this? The only comfort , then as know is what they have left us, their legacy. Reading thru all of the above posts, Will left us so much.

God speed Will.

Gutted..............no other words than that....

Im deeply saddend by wills death. Ive watched him race since 1991 and meet him in 1996 in the pit lane walk about on the top of a laguna and he was smashing bloke that didnt mind talking to anyone. My fondest memory was in 1998 when he found himself in the lead in silverstone rnd 3 and me and my dad were the only people cheering will on in a Vauxhall and Nissan hospitallty area in a Luffield grandstand. He was a sensational chap that i wont ever forget and its the biggest loss for the BTCC.

My best wishes to his family and friends and this hard time.

Rest in peace Will Hoy

At 7.30pm on Thursday 19th December 2002, Will lost his fight against a malignant brain tumour. He passed away with no pain. Today at 2.30pm in London a gathering of Will's family and closest friends bade farewell at a small celebration of his life. Attendees included Sir Frank Williams, Jody Scheckter, Richard Lloyd, Bill Wykeham, Ray Bellm, and Will's 2002 protege Andy Priaulx. Will's daughter read from the Bible, Mike Smith spoke in praise of Will's life and the small congregation sang Jerusalem and Lord of the Dance. Mike Batt directed the music which included a soprano and trumpet rendition of Handel's Let the Bright Seraphim. Best wishes for Christmas from the family of the "Hoyboy".

I can't believe it! He was only 50, which isnt exactly old. He was always one of my favourite racers. Its the speed of the thing that I cant comprehend-he was commentating just a few months ago-now, gone.....awful news

Ive only just found out this news today ,...i am totally shocked . My thoughts go out to everyone that was close to such a nice man......I know how quickly these things can develop , me and my wife went through exactly the same thing last October when her mother was diagnosed with a brain tuma .....and she passed away at the end of January this year........

Man, I hope Thommo, Muller, Rydell and other Touring Car drivers can come to Hoy's funeral. I don't know Will Hoy very well in touring car racing, but I know more than now and remember the touring car video game that has his name in it.

So sad. I had the priviledge of meeting Will some time ago and it will be a memory I will always treasure. He did bring so much pleasure to so many of us with both his racing skill and his charm as a person. He will indeed be missed. My condolences go out to his family and friends at this very sad time. Thank you Will for the pleasure you brought to so many. RIP Will. God speed.

I still can't believe the sad news my friends told me at the weekend.

Will was one of those truly nice guys, who will never be forgotten.

RIP Will Hoy.

I have only just heard the shocking news about Will.
For me,he was the archetypal British racing driver - a tough competitor on the track, but gracious in the paddock. He set an example for others to follow.
He was obviously greatly respected by his fellow drivers and tremendously popular with the fans. He will be sorely missed.

Just so sad, a great british driver.

It's just so sad, condolences to all his family and friends.

Goodbye Will, rest in peace.

very sad news my condolences to his family.

will was a great racer and a great bloke he will be sadly missed.

Very sad. It will be very different watching those reviews and seeing him knowing he's not there. Good racer, more importantly a good man.

Originally posted by Suzy
Dear all

Just received this message from Doug Nye (courtesy of AtlasF1):

"It's so sad - especially at this time of year - Will Hoy passed away last night, having developed an inoperable brain tumour whose symptoms first manifested themselves seriously during the Goodwood Revival meeting in September. In many ways you couldn't have wished to meet a nicer guy..."


Just came into this part of the forum for the first time in months and read this news!!! Ive seen will in action on plenty of footage over the years. Very very sad news.

Patently obvious that I'm not the most observant person in the world - I remember reading about Will during the early days - this is un bloomin beleivable - I was fortunate enough to meet Will once at a wet meeting at Brands - what a gentleman - Will you are sadly missed - my condolences to your family.

Jeff

Unfortunately,
Not Claiming to have personally known or met him (seen him in paddock walkabouts.)
However, what a sad loss for British Motorsport and BTCC.
Autosport certainly offered him some justice.
Any stories, pics or otherwise that would offer a fitting tribute to him?

Rest in peace Will...

.... thanx, whoever for tucking me in the right place, missed the thread..

I'm sorry to be so late here, but I didn't know nothing about this until now, four months later!

I just want to express my sadness here. I remember Hoy from his days in BTCC, although I never met him even remotely (I live in Spain) I had a kind of special support for him, I don't know why, it is just one of those things.

RIP