3rd Generation of the Hill family to race this year
Discussion
I don't know what he has done previously. I haven't heard of him on the karting scene for example so I don't fancy his chances.
Nigel Moore who won last years championship has been on track since he was four. He was kicking senior drivers (like me) when he was ten in non MSA races.
Henry Surtees has been doing well but he came up through karting
Nigel Moore who won last years championship has been on track since he was four. He was kicking senior drivers (like me) when he was ten in non MSA races.
Henry Surtees has been doing well but he came up through karting
According to the article he's raced in a few kart events but obviously not a career karter. However, he's only 15 and Damon only started racing in his 20s.
Whilst I like to see people progressing on their own merits, it's also nice to have drivers that have lived at least some of their life outside the racing environment, as they tend to be the more interesting characters.
Eric - I was only 3 when Graham Hill died but this still makes me feel old!
Whilst I like to see people progressing on their own merits, it's also nice to have drivers that have lived at least some of their life outside the racing environment, as they tend to be the more interesting characters.
Eric - I was only 3 when Graham Hill died but this still makes me feel old!
kevin ritson said:
Damon only started racing in his 20s.
Whilst I like to see people progressing on their own merits, it's also nice to have drivers that have lived at least some of their life outside the racing environment, as they tend to be the more interesting characters.
Indeed, Damon's original passion was motorbikes, not cars, which probably gave him a different attitude to racing, I think bikers have a different attitude to everything Whilst I like to see people progressing on their own merits, it's also nice to have drivers that have lived at least some of their life outside the racing environment, as they tend to be the more interesting characters.
I knew him when he was in his 20's and he's a genuinely nice chap. We used to meet up for beers in the West End when he was couriering and a common friend was beginning to try to get him some sponsorship for racing acting as an agent I suppose. I remember how chuffed he was one day as he'd just bought a "real" Fender Strat which then seemed to have cost a fortune. I recollect the first decent personal sponsorship deal he brokered was with Cellnet. Seems strange to think that was all pre-kids, pre-BRM, pre-F1 and now his son is 15 and going racing! Where does the time go 
Edited by RichB on Friday 22 February 15:20
The impression I get is that while Hill wasn't the greatest driver ever, he is certainly more balanced than a lot of other drivers due to the late age he started racing at, and that he lived in the 'real world' beforehand.
A lot of kids who started karting when they were ~8 years old seem to exist in this blinkered world of nothing but racing (and we are all aware of the 'karting dads' that exist) and come across as unbalanced and make some suicidal overtaking manouvers (e.g. Gp2 and FFord recently) in pursuit of a win. You need to be very competitive and a sore loser to suceed in motor racing, but I sometimes think kids are starting too early nowawdays.
Someone here invloved in motor racing (the name escapes me) recently pointed out that all karting teaches you is basic racecraft and you get away with manouvers in a kart that would send you spinning in anything RWD, which is why some people can win at karting yet fail to make the transition to full size cars.
A lot of kids who started karting when they were ~8 years old seem to exist in this blinkered world of nothing but racing (and we are all aware of the 'karting dads' that exist) and come across as unbalanced and make some suicidal overtaking manouvers (e.g. Gp2 and FFord recently) in pursuit of a win. You need to be very competitive and a sore loser to suceed in motor racing, but I sometimes think kids are starting too early nowawdays.
Someone here invloved in motor racing (the name escapes me) recently pointed out that all karting teaches you is basic racecraft and you get away with manouvers in a kart that would send you spinning in anything RWD, which is why some people can win at karting yet fail to make the transition to full size cars.
He and his dad pitched up in an old transit in Thurrock of all places,last summer. A friend was thrashing his kart round the track in between trying to stop the pikeys stealing his tow car (it's the sort of place where you daren't spin off - they'll mug you and steal the kart if you do).
Damon was very relaxed, happy to talk to everyone and all round good egg. My friend made damn sure he was on the track at the same time as Damon's son, just to ensure he could claim to have raced against him
....I have no idea whether he is any good though!
Damon was very relaxed, happy to talk to everyone and all round good egg. My friend made damn sure he was on the track at the same time as Damon's son, just to ensure he could claim to have raced against him
....I have no idea whether he is any good though!johnph said:
The impression I get is that while Hill wasn't the greatest driver ever, he is certainly more balanced than a lot of other drivers due to the late age he started racing at, and that he lived in the 'real world' beforehand.
A lot of kids who started karting when they were ~8 years old seem to exist in this blinkered world of nothing but racing (and we are all aware of the 'karting dads' that exist) and come across as unbalanced and make some suicidal overtaking manouvers (e.g. Gp2 and FFord recently) in pursuit of a win. You need to be very competitive and a sore loser to suceed in motor racing, but I sometimes think kids are starting too early nowawdays.
Someone here invloved in motor racing (the name escapes me) recently pointed out that all karting teaches you is basic racecraft and you get away with manouvers in a kart that would send you spinning in anything RWD, which is why some people can win at karting yet fail to make the transition to full size cars.
All of the karts I've ever seen are RWD too... A lot of kids who started karting when they were ~8 years old seem to exist in this blinkered world of nothing but racing (and we are all aware of the 'karting dads' that exist) and come across as unbalanced and make some suicidal overtaking manouvers (e.g. Gp2 and FFord recently) in pursuit of a win. You need to be very competitive and a sore loser to suceed in motor racing, but I sometimes think kids are starting too early nowawdays.
Someone here invloved in motor racing (the name escapes me) recently pointed out that all karting teaches you is basic racecraft and you get away with manouvers in a kart that would send you spinning in anything RWD, which is why some people can win at karting yet fail to make the transition to full size cars.
As for kids starting young, it's a nature of the game now if you want to try and make it to F1. There's more to it than just pitching up and driving, as the career path of Lewis Hamilton (and in some instances, Jenson Button) proves.
It's certainly cheaper to skip karting and go straight into cars, but as has already been pointed out, karting gives you more racecraft knowledge than starting from nothing in cars.
I'm looking forward to seeing how Hill Jr (Jnr Jr?) gets on in Ginettas. It's a low key entry level for him, away from single seaters you'll notice. Perhaps he's aiming for a Tin-top/Sportscar career instead. Come to think of it, I still reckon Damon would be fairly handy in an LMP car
It's a shame for Josh that this has been picked up, maybe it was an intentional PR thing, ooks like it in Autosprot.
Good luck to him, he'll have a huge load of pressure on him and I hope he's good, but I'm sure Damon wouldn't go public if not.
As has been pointed out above, they both have done a lot of Club 100 Kart stuff (Damon being rubbish).
Lets just hope Damon doesn't follow Niggle's path and "push" his son(s) onto people and when it doesn't happen just set-up his own team.
It would be a good arguement but I would say Damon had a much harder rise to the top than Niggle (new thread maybe??) and it will be intersting to see how the respective fruits of their loins turn out!!
I know who my money is on and it's not from the Midlands.....
Good luck to him, he'll have a huge load of pressure on him and I hope he's good, but I'm sure Damon wouldn't go public if not.
As has been pointed out above, they both have done a lot of Club 100 Kart stuff (Damon being rubbish
).Lets just hope Damon doesn't follow Niggle's path and "push" his son(s) onto people and when it doesn't happen just set-up his own team.
It would be a good arguement but I would say Damon had a much harder rise to the top than Niggle (new thread maybe??) and it will be intersting to see how the respective fruits of their loins turn out!!
I know who my money is on and it's not from the Midlands.....
Just thought I would point out club 100 isn't really top flight karting, it's more a fancy hire kart, also I thought you had to be a minimum of 16 years old or at least have your 16th birthday in the same year that your competitng. Which if true he couldn't have done that much karting if club 100 is his only experience, unless of course he's done some other karting which hasn't leaked out to the press.
Anyway good luck to him, he has alot to live upto.
Quite suprised he's not doing single seaters tbh.
Anyway good luck to him, he has alot to live upto.
Quite suprised he's not doing single seaters tbh.
Edited by intrepid44 on Friday 22 February 21:48
intrepid44 said:
Quite suprised he's not doing single seaters tbh.
Single-seaters tend to have limited options at top level: F1 or Champ Car or Indy. There are far more drives available in GT and Touring Cars at top level: FIA GT, WTCC, LMS, ALMS, DTM, NASCAR and many more.Edited by intrepid44 on Friday 22 February 21:48
Of course, transition between disciplines can be done, but I think a less committed driver will have more options in tin-tops than in open-wheelers.
Edited by Jungles on Saturday 23 February 00:04
Damon has said in the past, that he'd quite like the Hill racing dynasty to stop with him, so I'm guessing there wasn't much encouragement for Joshua to go karting from an early age. My guess is that he will do single seaters, but only after he's done a season or two in the junior car formulae, if he's proven to be quick and when he has a little experience to match his contemporaries. Either way it looks like his career is going to more like his fathers than Lewis Hamiltons.
I do wonder why Mansell and Hill didn't provide their kids the opporunity from an earlier age, on one hand if they are no good, their career can finish before they get to cars, on another hand, if they are good, then the have not only 6 or 7 years karting experience at a high level, but also access to the contacts, money and media interest that son of ex racers can only get. its almost as if they have an equal opportunity to their contemporaries, they don't have karting experience but do have their world champion dad's, against those that do have karting experience but without the 'name' behind them.
if they succeed maybe it will be deserved.
imho.
I do wonder why Mansell and Hill didn't provide their kids the opporunity from an earlier age, on one hand if they are no good, their career can finish before they get to cars, on another hand, if they are good, then the have not only 6 or 7 years karting experience at a high level, but also access to the contacts, money and media interest that son of ex racers can only get. its almost as if they have an equal opportunity to their contemporaries, they don't have karting experience but do have their world champion dad's, against those that do have karting experience but without the 'name' behind them.
if they succeed maybe it will be deserved.
imho.
It's worth remembering that whilst the kids were young, their dads were actively racing, so had little time for anything family, never mind mentoring their kids in high level karting. I would think it was the last thing they needed after the high presure of F1 with it's sponsor comitments and testing/racing schedule. John Surtees son probably benefited more because John was well out of racing by the time his son was born.
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