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Posted by Celebrity Group on Feb, 28 2012

Damon Hill OBE

Damon Hill is a former Formula One world champion and 22 time Grand Prix winner.

He is the son of the late Graham Hill and the only son of a world champion to win the title. Damon came to professional motorsport at the relatively late age of 23 via racing motorcycles. He became a test driver for the Formula One title-winning Williams team in 1992. He was promoted to the Williams race team the following year and took the first of his 22 victories at the 1993 Hungarian Grand Prix. During the mid 1990s, Damon Hill was Michael Schumacher's main rival for the Formula One Drivers' Championship. The two clashed on and off the track. Their collision at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix gave Schumacher his first title by a single point. Damon became champion two years later. Damon retired from racing after the 1999 season. He has since launched several businesses and has made appearances playing the guitar with celebrity bands. In 2006, he became president of the British Racing Drivers' Club, succeeding Jackie Stewart. He presided over the securing of a 17-year contract for Silverstone to hold Formula One races, which enabled the circuit to see extensive renovation work. He has also regularly appeared in the British media. He has contributed many articles to F1 Racing magazine and has twice appeared in ITV F1's commentary box, covering for Martin Brundle. Damon has also appeared on many British television programmes, including Top Gear, This is Your Life, TFI Friday, Shooting Stars and Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer. In January 2012, British Sky Broadcasting announced that they had signed him to join Martin Brundle as a commentator for the 2012 Formula One season.