William Plant: GT racing car driver
At 17-years-old most people have not passed their driving tests, let alone driven a supercar. But William Plant, 22, started racing in a BMW Z4 GT3 when he was 17 before moving into a Porsche 997 GT3 at just 18-years-old.
William Plant, of Langley Road, Henley-in-Arden, fell in love with cars in 2003, when his dad, Richard Plant, 59, bought a Morgan +8 and decided to start racing.
He said: “From that day onwards it was in my blood and I couldn’t wait to start racing myself.”
Will was first allowed to race when he was 11-years-old, after he gained his ARKS karting licence.
He said: “I began doing a few karting tests at Whilton mill with the Protrain kart team and I was ready for my first ever race in 2007.”
Then in 2010 he made the move to cars, where he took on the Junior Saxmax series run by the 750 motor club in a Citroën saxo 1.6 Vtr. Will continued with the series in 2011, gaining 6 podiums and 3rd in the championship.
Will’s dad, a keen Morgan enthusiast, then trusted him to drive and race one of his Morgans in 2012, where he impressed spectators in his first race by winning the class by an entire lap and taking a lap record.
But soon afterwards, he made the big step up into the world of GT racing wih fellow driver Oliver Bryant, 31, who helped coach him. At the start of 2014, Will was introduced to a Porsche 997 GT3 Cup run by the in2racing team and began competing in the GT Cup Championship.
“My speed was quickly highlighted, as I was the only driver in the GTB class, which was third from the top class, to finish on the podium twice and to also lead a race against the far more powerful machinery,” he said.
But racing in high performance cars came at a large cost and if it wasn’t for the help of his parents, Will might not have made it to where he is today.
He was able to receive £60,000 in sponsorship funds, but his family had to support him when he began racing in a higher discipline.
He said: “The cost to race is astronomical.
“I feel very privileged, not everyone is able to do this sport and I am very lucky to be able to have been given the opportunity.”
The funding did not stop there though and it was not just the car that was expensive to run. The kit cost Will £5,000 to ensure that he was given the best protection when racing at over 100mph.
He said: “A carbon-fibre helmet like the F1 drivers use is mandatory in this discipline and can cost over £2,000.
“Then the gloves, boots, suit etc. adds up to about £5,000 and that’s before you even start the car.”
Through funding, Will was able to race all across Europe throughout his racing career, including France and Belgium.
But with so much travelling, he often found it difficult to find the time to complete his university work. He attended Oxford Brookes University, where he studied Business and joined the university karting team.
He travelled to Wales, Yorkshire and Kent to compete in tough competitions and met a lot of friends in the process. However, after his first year, he was unable to continue to race for the team due to commitments with Porsche.
Will said: “I graduated in 2016 with a 2:1 honours degree, but I definitely found it difficult to find the time to study.”
Will also had to attend regular fitness testing events at Porsche, where they tailored a package to him to ensure that he performed at his best.
He said: “People don’t think you need to be fit to race, but it’s very demanding on the legs and on the upper body, especially in the Porsche and in the faster cars.
“You’ve got to be fit as well because of the heat as it can reach 50 degrees, meaning you’ll fatigue and your performance will drop.”
“But you can’t just jump in a car everyday, so outside of the gym there are car simulators that you can use for training to get more experience,” he said.
The training paid off because throughout his sporting career Will took home a countless number of trophies and in 2014 he won 12 out of 21 possible races in the Porsche 997 GT3.
He said: “You can’t really complain about that can you!
He said: “There’s honestly no better feeling than standing on the podium in first place.
“I couldn’t think of a better sport, I’ve got to drive so many amazing cars that people can only dream of driving.”
“I’ve been able to race on different Grand Prix tracks too, which is just incredible,” he said.
Since taking on a full-time job at Handelsbanken in Stratford-upon-Avon, racing in the Porsche has had to take a backseat.
He said: “I’ve just got my first job after graduating and I’d like to keep it that way.
“In a few months time once everything has settled down I will be straight back on the sponsorship run and back in the Porsche.”
But in the meantime Will still races with his dad in the Morgan and having only recently turned 22, he hopes to continue to win even more races.
“Not everybody gets the chance to take part in a sport with their dad,” he said.
But unlike most young racing drivers, Will does not have plans to race in Formula 1, and wants to continue to compete in GT supercars.
He said: “It’s not my ambition to be in F1, there are only 20 people in the team, so it’s not everyday that a seat becomes free.”
“My ultimate goal for the next five to ten years is to compete at the Le Mans 24-hour race.
“If I could do that and finish then I’d be 100% satisfied and could stop racing, that is what I dream of,” he said.
