Will Davison facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Will Davison
Davison in 2010
Nationality	Australian
Born	30 August 1982 (1982-08-30) (age 42) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Racing licence	FIA Gold

Supercars record
Car number	17
Current team	Dick Johnson Racing
Series championships	0
Races	578
Race wins	22
Podium finishes	88
Pole positions	29
2024 position	9th (1812 pts)

William Davison (born on August 30, 1982) is a professional racing driver from Australia. He currently races the No. 17 Ford Mustang GT for Dick Johnson Racing in the Repco Supercars Championship. Will Davison has won the famous Bathurst 1000 race two times, first in 2009 and again in 2016.

Starting His Racing Journey

Will Davison began his racing career in Australia. In 2000, he won the Victorian title. The next year, in 2001, he won the 2001 Australian Formula Ford Championship. He competed against other talented drivers, including IndyCar driver Will Power.

Racing in Open-Wheel Cars

Racing in Europe

To chase his dream of racing in Formula One, Will moved to England in 2002. There, he competed in the British Formula Renault Championship and finished fourth overall. In 2003, he moved up to the British Formula 3 Championship. His time in Formula 3 was cut short in 2004 due to money issues.

In 2004, he got a special chance to test a Minardi Formula One car in Italy. He tested alongside fellow Australian Will Power. This test was set up by Minardi's Australian team owner, Paul Stoddart.

Racing for Australia

Between his Formula 3 and V8 Supercar races, Will also drove for A1 Team Australia. This was in the first season of the A1 Grand Prix series. He had some good races, finishing sixth twice, in Portugal and Australia.

Racing in Touring Cars

First Steps with Team Dynamik

Will first joined Australia's top touring car series, V8 Supercars, in 2004. He drove for Team Dynamik at Winton. He also raced at Oran Park. Later that year, he teamed up with Dale Brede for longer endurance races like the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000.

Joining Dick Johnson Racing

In 2005, Will found a spot with Dick Johnson Racing for the Sandown and Bathurst races. He co-drove with Steven Johnson. By the end of 2005, he became a full-time driver for the team.

The 2006 season was tough for Will due to car problems. His best result was a fourth place at Sandown. In 2007, he continued with the team. He and Steven Johnson finished third at Bathurst, which was a great achievement. Will finished 10th in the championship that year.

In 2008, Will stayed with Dick Johnson Racing. He won his first championship race and round at Eastern Creek Raceway. This was the team's first win in seven years! He also achieved two more podium finishes, ending the year in a career-best 5th place in the championship.

Moving to Holden Racing Team

Davison at the 2009 Sydney Telstra 500

In 2009, Will moved to the Holden Racing Team. This was his best year yet. He finished 2nd in the championship. He won a round at the Sandown Challenge and a race at Queensland Raceway. He also achieved a rare double win in endurance races, taking victory at both the Phillip Island 500 and the Bathurst 1000. He won Bathurst with his teammate Garth Tander. This was Will's first win at the famous Bathurst race. He also won the Barry Sheene Medal for his sportsmanship and performance.

The 2010 season was challenging for Will. He faced many technical problems and bad luck. He finished 22nd in the championship. During this year, he decided to leave Holden Racing Team. He signed with Ford Performance Racing for the 2011 season.

Racing for Ford Performance Racing

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

In 2011, Will started to perform well again. He earned four pole positions and six podium finishes. Even though he didn't win a race, he finished 7th in the championship.

The 2012 season started very strongly for Will. He won six races, including the Clipsal 500 Adelaide for the first time. He was leading the series for a while. However, he had some bad luck in the endurance races. Despite getting pole position for the Bathurst 1000, he finished fourth overall in the championship.

In 2013, Will faced more disappointment. Several racing incidents hurt his chances of winning the championship. He ended up finishing third in the standings.

Time with Erebus Motorsport

Davison's Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG (W212) at the 2015 Clipsal 500 Adelaide

In 2014, Will joined Erebus Motorsport. He drove a Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG. He finished 14th in 2014 and 15th in 2015. He won one race at the 2015 Ubet Perth Super Sprint. He also had six top-five finishes. In both years, he raced with his brother Alex in the Enduro Cup. They just missed a podium at Bathurst in 2014. Due to financial issues with the team, Will was allowed to look for a new team in mid-2015.

Racing for Tekno Autosports

Will Davison and Jonathon Webb at the 2016 Bathurst 1000, a race in which they won

Davison's Ford Falcon FG X at the 2018 Adelaide 500

Will moved to Tekno Autosports in 2016. This meant he was back with Holden cars. This move brought him quick success. He won the second round of the year, the Tasmania SuperSprint. Later in the year, he finished third at Sandown with Jonathon Webb. At the Bathurst 1000, Will achieved an even better result. He took his second Bathurst win after some exciting drama at the end of the race. He won even though he didn't lead any laps until the very end!

Time with 23Red Racing

Will Davison raced for 23Red Racing from 2018 until the team closed down in 2020.

Davison at a Supercars Ride Day in August 2019

Returning to Dick Johnson Racing

In 2020, it was announced that Will Davison would return to Dick Johnson Racing. He started racing for them again in the 2021 Supercars Championship. He races alongside Anton de Pasquale.

GT Racing Career

Will Davison has also competed in the Bathurst 12 Hour race many times. His best result was finishing 3rd in 2014. He drove a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in that race.

Will's Family and Life

Will comes from a very famous racing family. His grandfather, Lex Davison, won the Australian Grand Prix four times. His father, Richard Davison, won the 1980 Australian Formula 2 Championship. His brother, Alex Davison, has won many titles and also raced in Supercars. His cousin, James Davison, has raced in the IndyCar Series. Even his grandmother, Diana Davison, was one of the first female racing drivers in Australia! His step-grandfather, Tony Gaze, was a brave fighter pilot in World War II and also a Formula One driver.

Will Davison married Riana Crehan in early 2020. Riana is a pit reporter for Supercars Media.

Key Race Results

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 AMG	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 S550	Alex Davison	10th	161
2020	Tickford Racing	Ford Mustang S550	Cam Waters	2nd	161
2021	Dick Johnson Racing	Ford Mustang S550	Alex Davison	10th	161
2022	Dick Johnson Racing	Ford Mustang S550	Alex Davison	DNF	141
2023	Dick Johnson Racing	Ford Mustang S650	Alex Davison	16th	161
2024	Dick Johnson Racing	Ford Mustang S650	Kai Allen	12th	161

Bathurst 12 Hour Results

Year	Team	Co-drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class pos.
2014	Erebus Motorsport	Greg Crick Jack Le Brocq	Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG	A	296	3rd	3rd
2016	Tekno Autosports	Robert Bell Andrew Watson	McLaren 650S GT3	AP	292	9th	8th
2017	Scott Taylor Motorsports	Warren Luff Tim Slade Tony Walls	McLaren 650S GT3	APA	268	20th	6th
2018	Competition Motorsports	David Calvert-Jones Patrick Long Alex Davison	Porsche 911 GT3 R	APA	271	4th	2nd

Bathurst 6 Hour Results

Year	Team	Co-drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class pos.
2022	Bruce Lynton BMW	Beric Lynton Tim Leahey	BMW M3 F80	X	119	27th	8th
2023	Bruce Lynton BMW	Beric Lynton Tim Leahey	BMW M3 F80	X	112	6th	6th
2024	Bruce Lynton BMW	Beric Lynton Tim Leahey	BMW M3 F80	X	112	3rd	3rd
2025	Bruce Lynton BMW	Beric Lynton Tim Leahey	BMW M3 F80	X	122	4th	3rd