Olympic cycling legend Sir Chris Hoy wins Silverstone ELMS LMP3

Hoy, who raced in the British GT Championship last year, and team-mate Charlie Robertson won the LMP3 class in the European Le Mans Series season-opener at Silverstone.

Robertson started and finished the race in the Team LNT Ginetta-Nissan LMP3, with Hoy able to hold onto the lead during his stint in the middle of the four-hour event.

Hoy is part of Nissan's driver development programme with a view to racing at Le Mans next year in a Nissan-engined LMP2 car.

"It's a stepping stone ideally towards competing at Le Mans next year or at some point in an LMP2 car," said Hoy, who has stepped up from a British GT proramme with an RJN-run Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3.

"It's a bridging vehicle between GT and LMP2, but it's a whole different experience.

"That belief in the aero and the downforce is just something that you have to learn but I'm just trying to take in as much experience and information as I can."

Hoy admitted that he went into the race hoping to claim a podium finish, but that Robertson's strong first stint put on the pressure.

His stint of around one-and-a-quarter hours is the longest he has ever completed in a race.

"I knew we had a good chance of making the podium, but when Charlie started and extended that lead I realised that I had to try and hang onto it," he said.

"I had a couple of scary moments, a couple of spins as the tyres started to go, but other than that I had a great car.

"It's my longest stint ever in a car, so it's a new experience for me.

"With the LMP2 cars and the GT cars around as well, it's challenging in traffic."