Hoy supplemented his racing career as a fully qualified chartered surveyor, employed first by Bernard Thorpe and latterly by DTZ.

Hoy made full use of his opportunity in a car entered by Vic Lee, building a championship lead nobody was able to overhaul.

For 1992 he was signed by the Toyota team, went into the final round in a three-way tussle for the championship but was beaten by Tim Harvey's BMW.

Despite two largely result-free seasons, Hoy was still an established star, and Renault hired him alongside Alain Menu for 1995.

The BTCC of this era was dominated by high-investment manufacturer teams, largely made up of overseas former single-seater drivers.

1997 was somewhat disappointing but 1998 was a much better performance, with Hoy finishing in the top 10 in the championship in one of the least competitive works cars and even picking up a race win at Round 4 at Silverstone.