Matt Hamilton (racing driver)
Encyclopedia
Matthew Hamilton is a British
auto racing
driver. He is currently competing in the British Touring Car Championship
.
scholarship, which gave him entry to the 2006 Formula BMW UK season. He raced in Formula Palmer Audi
in 2007
. He won the opening race of the season at Silverstone
, and was on pole position for the second. A fast-changing red starting light left Hamilton stranded on the startline. He was hit by several unsighted drivers and was spun around; it was then hit broadside at full racing speed by a car from the back of the grid. Hamilton was extracted from the cockpit and airlifted to hospital in Coventry with a broken right femur
. In 2008 he competed in FPA and in the British Formula Ford Championship
. In 2009 he made his GT racing debut at Silverstone racing in the FIA GT4 European Cup in a Ginetta G50
.
He competed in the final two rounds of the 2009 British Touring Car Championship
in a TH Motorsport
-prepared Honda Civic
, and continued in the same car for 2010. At the season's first meeting at Thruxton
he collected funds for Help For Heroes
. He was forced to miss the Croft round of the championship due to budgetary issues.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
auto racing
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
driver. He is currently competing in the British Touring Car Championship
British Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
.
Racing career
Hamilton raced in karting between 1999 and 2005. In 2005 he won a Formula BMWFormula BMW
Formula BMW is a junior racing formula for single seater cars. It is positioned at the bottom of the motorsport career ladder alongside the longer established Formula Ford category...
scholarship, which gave him entry to the 2006 Formula BMW UK season. He raced in Formula Palmer Audi
Formula Palmer Audi
Formula Palmer Audi, officially abbreviated to FPA, and sometimes informally abbreviated to Palmer Audi, was a one-make class of open wheel Formula racing founded in 1998 by former Formula One driver, Jonathan Palmer. It was based in the United Kingdom , and was organised and operated by MotorSport...
in 2007
2007 Formula Palmer Audi season
2007 saw the 10th season of the Formula Palmer Audi open wheel racing series, contested over 20 races between 7 April and 23 September. The championship was won by Tim Bridgman in his first Palmer Audi season.-Championship:...
. He won the opening race of the season at Silverstone
Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side...
, and was on pole position for the second. A fast-changing red starting light left Hamilton stranded on the startline. He was hit by several unsighted drivers and was spun around; it was then hit broadside at full racing speed by a car from the back of the grid. Hamilton was extracted from the cockpit and airlifted to hospital in Coventry with a broken right femur
Femur
The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...
. In 2008 he competed in FPA and in the British Formula Ford Championship
British Formula Ford Championship
The Formula Ford Championship single seater category is a motor sport category which gives many racing drivers their first step into car racing after karting...
. In 2009 he made his GT racing debut at Silverstone racing in the FIA GT4 European Cup in a Ginetta G50
Ginetta G50
Ginetta G50 is a specialist GT4 class-developed racing car, designed by Ginetta Cars.-Development:In late 2007, in what he later described as his Victor Kiam moment, Leeds-based businessman Lawrence Tomlinson bough Ginetta Cars from the group of enthusiasts, who themselves had bought it out of...
.
He competed in the final two rounds of the 2009 British Touring Car Championship
British Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
in a TH Motorsport
TH Motorsport
TH Motorsport is a British motorsports team based in Watford. It was founded in 1997 by Trevor Humphrey. Initially entering in various one make national series and Rally events, the team is best known for competing in the British Touring Car Championship and Britcar Championship.-Proton Satria GTI...
-prepared Honda Civic
Honda Civic
The Honda Civic is a line of subcompact and subsequently compact cars made and manufactured by Honda. The Civic, along with the Accord and Prelude, comprised Honda's vehicles sold in North America until the 1990s, when the model lineup was expanded...
, and continued in the same car for 2010. At the season's first meeting at Thruxton
Thruxton Circuit
Thruxton Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near the village of Thruxton in Hampshire, England which is used to host a number of motorsport events including British Touring Cars and Formula 3 racing....
he collected funds for Help For Heroes
Help for Heroes
Help for Heroes is a British charity launched on 1 October 2007 to help provide better facilities for British servicemen and women wounded since September 11, 2001. It was founded by Bryn Parry OBE and his wife Emma Parry OBE after they visited soldiers at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham...
. He was forced to miss the Croft round of the championship due to budgetary issues.