Zubair Hoque ( bn, জুবায়ের হক; born 18 July 1996) is an English
racing driver. He is the only British Asian in single-seat
formula racing
Formula racing (known as open-wheel racing in North America) is any of several forms of open-wheeled single-seater motorsport. The origin of the term lies in the nomenclature that was adopted by the FIA for all of its post-World War II single ...
.
Career
2008–2011 (TMR Development Race Team)
Supported and encouraged by his father Mashukul, Hoque first developed an interest for motor racing at the age of five He began his racing career at the age of eight at the Daytona Manchester karting track, where he was spotted by
Daytona management during arrive and drive sessions. He was fast-tracked to junior race schools and progressed from novice to intermediate and then advanced levels, despite racing against, and beating many older and more experienced drivers.
Hoque competed in karting from 2007 until 2012.
In his first 'rookie' outing at the Inkart championships, he came second overall. From 2005 to 2008, he competed in indoor racing tracks throughout the North West region. In 2006 and 2007, he came third and second in the Manchester and North West indoor cadet-class karting championship and overall he managed 18 podium finishes while racing indoors.
Between 2008 and 2011, Hoque was trained by Chris Norris at his Ormskirk-based TMR team.
In 2008, Hoque obtained his National A outdoor karting license.
In 2008, after performances in the Rotax Mini-Max class championship organisers of the Formula Kart Stars and Super 1 Championships invited him to take part in their 2009 seasons.
In 2009, he finished his first season in the
Formula Kart Stars championship in fourth place, making him the highest ranked rookie.
In the same year, he finished eighth overall in the
Super 1 British Championship, again being the highest ranked rookie in the competition.
He also broke the lap record at Oxford's
Shenington race track, which he held for over a year.
In 2010, he competed in 13 races all over UK and Europe.
In the same year, he broke the lap record at
Rowrah
Rowrah is a village in Cumbria, England, and spans the civil parishes of Arlecdon and Frizington and Lamplugh. The majority of Rowrah is within Arlecdon and Frizington. The parish boundaries are formed from the Windergill Beck and Colliergate B ...
's circuit.
In October 2010, he finished second in the Formula Kart Stars Mini Max title.
In February 2011, based on his performance in his rookie season,
he was one of three drivers from the UK
invited to attend the BMW Motorsport facility in Valencia, Spain to receive coaching from
BMW Formula Motorsport division's top instructors
as part of Formula BMW Talent Cup evaluations in Valencia, Spain. This was the first time Hoque tested a single-seater.
In the same month, he participated in the Official Test Course for the Formula BMW Talent Cup as a reward for their achievements in the 2010 Formula Kart Stars season.
2012–2014 (Ricky Flynn Motorsport)
Ricky Flynn took an interest in his 2009/2010 season lap records and finishing positions.
In July 2011, Hoque entered into talks with Ricky Flynn after attending the WSK Euro Series at the Zuera circuit in Zaragoza, Spain. In early October 2011, following his signing to the Ricky Flynn Motorsport (RFM) team, he began training under RFM's guidance, with a visit to the PFi circuit in Lincolnshire. He travelled with the RFM team to compete in the International Winter Cup at Garda, Italy in February 2012. In 2012, he made the transition between the Super 1 British Championship and next race category
KF2
KF2, is a kart racing class for top drivers aged 14 and up.
This class used to be called Intercontinental A (ICA) and has changed since January 2007 when CIK- FIA decided to replace the 100 cc water-cooled two-stroke engines with 125 c ...
(a kart racing class for top drivers over the age of 15).
As well as receiving coaching, Hoque competed with some of the best drivers in the world, aged 14 to 18, for the chance to drive as one of BMW's drivers in the
Formula BMW Talent Cup, in special junior-spec cars derived from
Formula Three
Formula Three, also called Formula 3, abbreviated as F3, is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One dri ...
racing.
In 2012, he finished fifth in the MSA British Championship Positions
with a hat-trick of podium results.
In 2011, Hoque helped his school
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys win the fifth annual British Schools Karting Championship at Daytona Milton Keynes beating 450 teams
from 176 schools competing nationally.
In 2012, they finished second and missed out on becoming BSKC champions by a tenth of a second.
In 2013, Over 1600 boys and girls from schools across the country competed, Altrincham Grammar School won the North West regional final
but lost to Emrys School in the national final.
In 2014, it was confirmed Hoque would competing in the
Formula Four
FIA Formula 4, also called FIA F4, is an open-wheel racing car category intended for junior drivers. There is no global championship, but rather individual nations or regions can host their own championships in compliance with a universal set of r ...
/
Formula Renault category.
[ Zubair Hoque] In October of that year, he moved to
Formula 4
FIA Formula 4, also called FIA F4, is an open-wheel racing car category intended for junior drivers. There is no global championship, but rather individual nations or regions can host their own championships in compliance with a universal set of r ...
after 10 years in kart racing.
In November of that year, he made his single-seater racing debut at the 2014
BRDC Winter Series Championship with the HHC Motorsport squad.
He won the 'top rookie' title
after achieving two top-five finishes at
Snetterton
Snetterton is a village and civil parish in Norfolk, England. The village is about east-northeast of Thetford and southwest of Norwich. The civil parish has an area of . The 2011 Census recorded a parish population of 201 people living in 74 h ...
300 Circuit and
Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently host ...
Indy Circuit during the eight-race Winter Series.
2015–present (Sean Walkinshaw Racing)
In January 2015, Hoque joined the Chipping Norton-based Sean Walkinshaw Racing (SWR) team for his first full season in the BRDC Formula 4 Championship.
In May of that year, Hoque finished third position to score his first podium success in the Duo BRDC Formula 4 Championship at
Rockingham Motor Speedway.
Awards, nominations and recognition
In 2009, Hoque was nominated for Asian Image Achievement in Sport Award at the Fusion Awards.
In January 2014 and 2015, he was named in the ''
British Bangladeshi Power & Inspiration 100''.
Personal life
Hoque lives in Trafford,
Hale
Hale may refer to:
Places Australia
*Hale, Northern Territory, a locality
*Hale River, in southeastern Northern Territory
Canada
*Hale, Ontario, in Algoma District United Kingdom
* Hale, Cumbria, a hamlet near Beetham, Cumbria
*Hale, Greater Man ...
,
Trafford
Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, with an estimated population of 235,493 in 2017. It covers Retrieved on 13 December 2007. and includes the area of Old Trafford and the towns of Altrincham, Stretford, Ur ...
, Cheshire.
From 2007 to 2014, Hoque attended
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys. In 2013, he took
18 months
on the racing sidelines
to focus on his
A Levels.
See also
*
British Bangladeshi
British Bangladeshis ( bn, বিলাতী বাংলাদেশী, Bilatī Bangladeshī) are people of Bangladeshi origin who have attained citizenship in the United Kingdom, through immigration and historical naturalisation. The term c ...
*
List of British Bangladeshis
This is a list of notable British Bangladeshis ( bn, উল্লেখযোগ্য বিলাতী বাংলাদেশীদের তালিকা). This includes Bangladeshi immigrants settled or residing in the United Kingdom a ...
References
External links
*
*
Zubair Hoqueon Blogger
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoque, Zubair
1996 births
Living people
English Muslims
English people of Bangladeshi descent
English racing drivers
Karting World Championship drivers
People from Hale, Halton
People educated at Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
Sportspeople from Cheshire
bn:জুবায়ের হক