British sailing superstar Sir Ben Ainslie will be furling his sails and grabbing his driving goggles next month as he joins forces with Sir Steve Redgrave to tackle the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run on 2 November.
The most successful Olympic sailor in history will pilot a 1904 Panhard-Levassor belonging to Lord Irvine Laidlaw – a keen sailor and London to Brighton regular, while five-time gold medalist Redgrave will drive a Thornycroft from the same year.
"I am really looking forward to making the trip from Hyde Park to Maderia Drive in Brighton," said Ainslie. "If it's raining I shall feel quite at home with all that spray in my face… the Panhard has no weather protection at all!"
Ainslie, who was knighted in 2013, won his first medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games at the age of just 19. He went on to win gold medals at the next four games – Syndey 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
