Will Davison

William Davison (born 30 August 1982) is an Australian professional racing driver. He previously drove the No. 23 Ford Mustang GT for 23Red Racing in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship. In May 2020, 23Red Racing announced it was withdrawing from the category as a result of their major backer, Milwaukee Tools, terminating its sponsorship with the team due to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Davison is a two-time winner of the Bathurst 1000, in 2009 and 2016.

Will Davison
Will Davison at the 2012 Clipsal 500 Adelaide
Nationality	Australian
Born	30 August 1982 (1982-08-30) (age 37) Melbourne, Victoria
Supercars Record
Series championships	0
Races	428
Race wins	19
Podium finishes	54
Pole positions	17
2020 Championship position	7th (231 pts)*

Early career

Having won the Victorian title in 2000, Davison won the 2001 Australian Formula Ford Championship, competing against future IndyCar driver Will Power and Leanne Ferrier.

Open-wheel career

European campaign

Taking a common route to Formula One, Davison packed up and moved to Buckinghamshire in England where he competed in the 2002 British Formula Renault Championship, finishing fourth in the series. In 2003 he moved up to the British Formula 3 Championship with Alan Docking Racing but an enforced mid-year change of teams to Menu F3 did not help his campaign. Davison continued with Menu F3 into 2004 but his campaign was cut short for financial reasons.

In 2004 he tested a Minardi Formula One car with fellow Australian Will Power at the Misano World Circuit in Italy, organised by Minardi's Australian team owner, Paul Stoddart.[1]

A1 Grand Prix

During his time between Formula 3 and V8 Supercar seats, Davison drove for A1 Team Australia in the inaugural season of the A1 Grand Prix, where he was once again racing for Alan Docking Racing. During the season he experienced many ups and downs, including being involved in various incidents outside his own control. The positives for the season were two sixth-place finishes in both the Portuguese and Australian feature races.

Touring car career

Team Dynamik

In 2004, Will made his first appearance in Australia's premier touring car series, V8 Supercars, driving a third car for Team Dynamik at Winton. However, it was an inauspicious debut as he only managed to complete a single lap before retiring.[2] He then reappeared in the next round at Oran Park before co-driving with Dale Brede in the endurance events, the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000, with the latter event marking his final appearance of the season.[3]

Dick Johnson Racing

In 2005, Will was not able to find a full-time drive. However, he did appear at Sandown and Bathurst, where he drove for Dick Johnson Racing, co-driving with Steven Johnson in the No. 17 Westpoint Falcon. By mid-November 2005, Davison had been signed as a full-time driver for Dick Johnson Racing, set to pilot the team's No. 18 Falcon in 2006.

For Davison, 2006 was a quiet year as Davison was plagued by technical difficulties. He recorded only modest results, with a fourth place with team-mate Steven Johnson at Sandown being his lone highlight. He finished 19th in the championship. In 2007, Davison continued to drive the No. 18 Falcon under the team's new naming rights sponsor, Jim Beam. In the 2007 endurance races, Davison partnered with Steven Johnson for the third straight year, with the duo scoring a third place at Bathurst.[4] He finished 10th in the championship.

Davison remained at the team to race the No. 18 Falcon in 2008, winning his first championship race and round at Eastern Creek Raceway the second round of 2008. It was the team's first round victory in seven years.[3] Davison also scored a further 2 podiums in the year, one of these with teammate Steven Johnson at the Phillip Island 500. He finished a career-high 5th in championship.

Holden Racing Team

In 2009, Davison moved to the Holden Racing Team to drive the No. 22 Holden VE Commodore. This was Davison's best year to date; he finished 2nd in the championship after collecting a round win at the Sandown Challenge, a race win at Queensland Raceway and a rare endurance double at the Phillip Island 500 and Bathurst 1000, driving with Garth Tander. This provided Davison with his first Bathurst victory. He also scored several other podiums during the year, and won the Barry Sheene Medal at the post-season awards night.[5]

In 2010, Davison continued with HRT, but technical issues and bad luck plagued him throughout the entire year and he finished the championship in 22nd place.[3] Midway through the season, Davison decided to end his relationship with Holden Racing Team and signed with Ford Performance Racing for 2011 to drive the No. 6 Trading Post FPR Falcon.[6]

Ford Performance Racing

The Ford FG Falcon of Will Davison at the 2011 Clipsal 500 Adelaide.

2011 saw Davison regain his form as a front runner, with four pole positions and six podiums. Although unable to break through for a win, he ended the season 7th in the championship.

2012 started on a high note: after 11 starts and 6 wins, including winning the Clipsal 500 Adelaide for the first time, Davison was the leader of the series, albeit involved in a very tight battle for the championship with Jamie Whincup and his FPR teammate Mark Winterbottom. However, after a stroke of bad luck in the endurance races, despite scoring his maiden Bathurst 1000 pole position, Davison only managed to finish fourth overall.

2013 once again ended in disappointment for Davison, with a number of racing incidents transpiring to ruin his championship ambitions causing him to finish third in the standings behind the Triple Eight Racing duo of Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup.

Erebus Motorsport

Davison confirmed in early 2014 that he would be joining Erebus Motorsport on a four-year contract.[7] Driving a Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, he finished 14th in 2014 and 15th in 2015, collecting just one win, at the 2015 Ubet Perth Super Sprint, and six top five results. In both years, Davison drove with his brother Alex in the Enduro Cup, narrowly missing a Bathurst podium in 2014. Financial pressures on the team resulted in Davison being given permission in mid-2015 to negotiate a drive elsewhere.[8]

Tekno Autosports

Will Davison at the 2016 Red Rooster Sydney SuperSprint

Will Davison and Jonathon Webb win the 2016 Bathurst 1000 after Jamie Whincup causes a late crash in a dramatic race.

Davison moved to Tekno Autosports in 2016, returning to Holden for the first time since 2010.[9] The move brought Davison near-immediate success, winning the second round of the year, the Tasmania SuperSprint.[10] After a lean patch in the middle of the year, Davison returned to form at the Enduro Cup, finishing third at Sandown with Jonathon Webb. At the Bathurst 1000, Davison achieved an even better result, capitalising on late drama between the race leaders to take his second Bathurst crown, despite not leading any laps.[11]

23Red Racing

At the end of the 2017 season, rumours started spreading that Davison was going to join the newly formed 23Red Racing, owned by Lucas Dumbrell. Then in early December, it was confirmed that Davison would race for 23Red Racing in the 2018 season.

GT career

Davison has competed multiple times in the Bathurst 12 Hour, with a best result of 3rd in 2014 in an Erebus Motorsport-prepared Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.

Personal life

His grandfather Lex Davison won the Australian Grand Prix four times and also won the 1957 Australian Drivers' Championship. His father Richard Davison was the winner of the 1980 Australian Formula 2 Championship and his brother Alex Davison has won numerous titles including the 2004 Australian Carrera Cup Championship as well as also competing in Supercars for several years. Continuing the family tradition, cousin James Davison has competed in the IndyCar Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series. His grandmother Diana Davison was one of the first female racing drivers in Australia. His stepgrandfather Tony Gaze was a decorated fighter pilot in World War II and also a Formula One driver.

Davison is married to Riana Crehan as of early 2020, a pit reporter for Supercars Media.

Career results

Season	Series	Position	Car	Team
2000	Australian Formula Ford Championship	6th	Stealth Van Diemen RF95 - Ford	Will Davison
	Victorian Formula Ford Championship	1st
2001	Australian Formula Ford Championship	1st	Van Diemen RF01 - Ford	Sonic Motor Racing Services
2002	British Formula Renault Championship	4th	Tatuus - Renault 2.0	Motaworld Racing
2003	British Formula 3 Championship	8th	Dallara F303 Spiess - Opel	Alan Docking Racing Menu F3 Motorsport
2004	British Formula 3 Championship	13th	Dallara F303 Spiess - Opel	Menu F3 Motorsport
	V8 Supercar Championship Series	67th	Holden VY Commodore	Team Dynamik
2005	V8 Supercar Championship Series	59th	Ford BA Falcon	Dick Johnson Racing
	HPDC V8 Supercar Series	28th	Ford AU Falcon
2005/06	A1 Grand Prix	13th	Lola A1GP Zytek	A1 Team Australia
2006	V8 Supercar Championship Series	19th	Ford BA Falcon	Dick Johnson Racing
2007	V8 Supercar Championship Series	10th	Ford BF Falcon	Dick Johnson Racing
	Australian GT Championship	20th	Aston Martin DBRS9	Abcor
2008	V8 Supercar Championship Series	5th	Ford BF Falcon	Dick Johnson Racing
2009	V8 Supercar Championship Series	2nd	Holden VE Commodore	Holden Racing Team
2010	V8 Supercar Championship Series	22nd	Holden VE Commodore	Holden Racing Team
2011	International V8 Supercars Championship	7th	Ford FG Falcon	Ford Performance Racing
2012	International V8 Supercars Championship	4th	Ford FG Falcon	Ford Performance Racing
2013	International V8 Supercars Championship	3rd	Ford FG Falcon	Ford Performance Racing
2014	International V8 Supercars Championship	14th	Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG	Erebus Motorsport
2015	International V8 Supercars Championship	15th	Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG	Erebus Motorsport
2016	International V8 Supercars Championship	5th	Holden VF Commodore	Tekno Autosports
2017	Virgin Australia Supercars Championship	15th	Holden VF Commodore	Tekno Autosports
2018	Virgin Australia Supercars Championship	15th	Ford FG X Falcon	23Red Racing
2019	Virgin Australia Supercars Championship	8th	Ford Mustang GT	23Red Racing

Complete Bathurst 1000 results

Year	Team	Car	Co-driver	Position	Laps
2004	Team Dynamik	Holden Commodore VY	Dale Brede	DNF	49
2005	Dick Johnson Racing	Ford Falcon BA	Steven Johnson	19th	133
2006	Dick Johnson Racing	Ford Falcon BA	Steven Johnson	DNF	27
2007	Dick Johnson Racing	Ford Falcon BF	Steven Johnson	3rd	161
2008	Dick Johnson Racing	Ford Falcon BF	Steven Johnson	6th	161
2009	Holden Racing Team	Holden Commodore VE	Garth Tander	1st	161
2010	Holden Racing Team	Holden Commodore VE	David Reynolds	DNF	152
2011	Ford Performance Racing	Ford Falcon FG	Luke Youlden	18th	161
2012	Ford Performance Racing	Ford Falcon FG	John McIntyre	24th	143
2013	Ford Performance Racing	Ford Falcon FG	Steve Owen	7th	161
2014	Erebus Motorsport	Mercedes-Benz E63 W212	Alex Davison	4th	161
2015	Erebus Motorsport	Mercedes-Benz E63 W212	Alex Davison	12th	161
2016	Tekno Autosports	Holden Commodore VF	Jonathon Webb	1st	161
2017	Tekno Autosports	Holden Commodore VF	Jonathon Webb	14th	159
2018	23Red Racing	Ford Falcon FG X	Alex Davison	19th	159
2019	23Red Racing	Ford Mustang Mk.6	Alex Davison	10th	161

Complete A1 Grand Prix results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Entrant	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	DC	Points
2005–06	A1 Team Australia	GBR SPR	GBR FEA	GER SPR	GER FEA	POR SPR RET	POR FEA 6	AUS SPR 11	AUS FEA 6	MYS SPR RET	MYS FEA 11	UAE SPR 21	UAE FEA 10	RSA SPR 9	RSA FEA RET	IDN SPR	IDN FEA	MEX SPR	MEX FEA	USA SPR	USA FEA	CHN SPR	CHN FEA	13th	51

References

1. "Minardi Misano test notes 2004-11-23". Motorsport.com. 29 November 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
2. "Result". Natsoft Race Results. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
3. Greenhalgh, David; Howard, Graham; Wilson, Stewart (2011). The official history: Australian Touring Car Championship - 50 Years. St Leonards, New South Wales: Chevron Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-9805912-2-4.
4. Greenhalgh, David; Tuckey, Bill (2013). The official history of The Great Race Bathurst : 50 years. St Leonards, New South Wales: Chevron Publishing Group. ISBN 9780980591231.
5. Jackson, Ed (7 December 2009). "V8 Supercar driver Will Davison takes out the 2009 Barry Sheene Medal". foxsports. Australian Associated Press. Archived from the original on 21 June 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
6. "Davison confirms HRT departure". Australian Associated Press. abc.net.au. 25 November 2010. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
7. "Will Davison joins Erebus Motorsport for 2014 V8 Supercars season". Fox Sports. foxsports.com.au. 6 January 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
8. "Tekno announces multi year Davison deal". Speedcafe. 23 October 2015.
9. "Davison Joins Tekno". V8Supercars.com.au. 23 October 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
10. Bartholomaeus, Stefan (3 April 2016). "Davison wins after late drama at Symmons". Speedcafe. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
11. Bartholomaeus, Stefan (9 October 2016). "Davison/Webb win controversial Bathurst 1000". Speedcafe. Retrieved 10 October 2016.

External links

• Will Davison's racing profile

Sporting positions
Preceded by Craig Lowndes Jamie Whincup	Winner of the Bathurst 1000 2009 (with Garth Tander)	Succeeded by Craig Lowndes Mark Skaife
Preceded by Craig Lowndes Steven Richards	Winner of the Bathurst 1000 2016 (with Jonathon Webb)	Succeeded by David Reynolds Luke Youlden
Preceded by Jamie Whincup	Winner of the Clipsal 500 2012	Succeeded by Shane van Gisbergen
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Jamie Whincup	Barry Sheene Medal 2009	Succeeded by James Courtney