BBC F1 anchorman Jake Humphrey made an action-packed race debut on Saturday (10 October) at Silverstone. Having recently passed his ARDS test to obtain a competition licence, the 30-year-old presenter stepped out from behind the microphone to contest the latest round of the popular ‘Lotus on Track Elise Trophy’ held last weekend at the home of the British Grand Prix.

Driving the same Sinclaire Motorsport prepared Lotus Elise Sport as raced in the past by former Lotus F1 man Martin Donnelly and World Land Speed record holder Wing Commander Andy Green OBE, Humphrey’s exploits were backed by Go Motorsport. Established by the Motor Sports Association, governing body of UK motor sport, the Go Motorsport initiative has been set up to help all newcomers to experience the excitement offered by all forms of motor sport.

Since first making his name on CBBC children’s TV, Humphrey has certainly shown plenty of courage in his broadcasting career – he’s the youngest ever presenter of Match of the Day and last year co-hosted the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year with Gary Lineker and Sue Barker. But, by his own admission, his first race was always going to be a daunting prospect… even with moral support from several fellow BBC F1 team members including commentator Jonathan Legard and pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz.

Underlining the challenge – as well as the huge popularity of the Lotus on Track Elise Trophy – more than 45 ‘production class’ Lotus Elises lined up at Silverstone, including similar cars driven by several other rookies. Qualifying took place on drying yet slippery track and, despite a quick spin, Jake survived. He was far from the slowest man on track, qualifying to start from 31st position on the full grid.

The 20-minute race that followed later in the morning proved even more dramatic. A first lap melee resulted in a rival’s car spinning; contact was inevitable but, thankfully, the front-end damage to Jake’s Elise was far from serious. He survived this and another ‘minor incident’ to reach the finish. His fellow competitors were clearly impressed as they gave him a hero’s champagne reception on the coveted Silverstone podium usually reserved for grand prix winners. The BBC will screen highlights of Jake’s progress during the coverage of one of this year’s two remaining Grands Prix.

“It‘s been a magical journey,” enthused a delighted and relieved Jake afterwards. “The whole point for me to get involved was to show people that they really can be a part of motor sport. It’s not just this alien Formula One world operating in far-flung exotic locations, which no one can afford. Motor sport is on your doorstep; it’s on rainy Saturday mornings; it’s on sunny days at Silverstone. It’s just great to have been part of such a fantastic club meeting: special people; great cars and a real passion for motor sport.”