Will Davison facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Will Davison
Davison in 2010
Nationality	Australian
Born	30 August 1982 (1982-08-30) (age 42) Melbourne, Victoria
Racing licence	FIA Gold
Supercars record
Car number	17
Current team	Dick Johnson Racing
Series championships	0
Races	499
Race wins	22
Podium finishes	87
Pole positions	29
2022 position	5th (2573 pts)

William "Will" Davison (born August 30, 1982) is a professional racing driver from Australia. He races a Ford Mustang GT for the Dick Johnson Racing team. Will is famous for winning the Bathurst 1000 race twice, once in 2009 and again in 2016. This is one of Australia's biggest car races!

Early Career Highlights

Will Davison started his racing journey early. In 2000, he won the Victorian title in Australia. The next year, in 2001, he won the Australian Formula Ford Championship. He competed against other talented drivers, including Will Power, who later became an IndyCar star.

Racing in Open-Wheel Cars

European Adventures

Like many young drivers hoping to reach Formula One, Will moved to England in 2002. He raced in the British Formula Renault Championship and finished fourth overall. In 2003, he moved up to the British Formula 3 Championship. His time there was cut short in 2004 because he ran out of money.

In 2004, Will got a special chance to test a Minardi Formula One car. He tested it in Italy with another Australian driver, Will Power. This test was arranged by Paul Stoddart, who owned the Minardi team and was also Australian.

A1 Grand Prix Racing

Between his Formula 3 and V8 Supercar races, Will drove for A1 Team Australia. This was in the first season of the A1 Grand Prix series. He had some good moments, like finishing sixth in races in Portugal and Australia. However, he also faced some bad luck and crashes that were not his fault.

Touring Car Racing Journey

Starting with Team Dynamik

In 2004, Will first raced in Australia's main touring car series, V8 Supercars. He drove for Team Dynamik at Winton. His first race was short, as he had to stop after only one lap. He raced again at Oran Park and then joined Dale Brede for longer endurance races like the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000.

First Time with Dick Johnson Racing

In 2005, Will could not find a full-time racing spot. However, he did race at Sandown and Bathurst with Dick Johnson Racing. He shared a car with Steven Johnson. By the end of 2005, Will was signed to race full-time for Dick Johnson Racing in 2006.

The year 2006 was tough for Will. He had many technical problems with his car. His best result was a fourth-place finish at Sandown with Steven Johnson. He finished 19th in the championship that year. In 2007, he continued with the team and finished 10th in the championship. He also got a third-place finish at Bathurst with Steven Johnson.

In 2008, Will stayed with the team and won his first championship race at Eastern Creek Raceway. This was the team's first win in seven years! He also achieved two more podium finishes, including one with Steven Johnson at the Phillip Island 500. He finished a career-best 5th in the championship that year.

Racing for 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 at the Phillip Island 500 and the Bathurst 1000. He won Bathurst with his teammate Garth Tander. This was Will's first time winning the famous Bathurst race. He also won the Barry Sheene Medal, a special award, at the end of the season.

In 2010, Will continued with Holden Racing Team. However, he had many technical problems and bad luck. He finished 22nd in the championship. During the season, he decided to leave the team. He signed with Ford Performance Racing for 2011.

Time with Ford Performance Racing

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

In 2011, Will started racing well again. He got four pole positions (starting first in a race) and six podium finishes (finishing in the top three). Even though he did not win a race, he finished 7th in the championship.

The year 2012 started very strong 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 longer endurance races. Even though he started first at the Bathurst 1000, he only finished fourth overall in the championship.

In 2013, Will faced more disappointment. Several racing incidents stopped him from winning the championship. He finished third overall.

Joining Erebus Motorsport

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

In 2014, Will joined Erebus Motorsport for four years. 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 almost got a podium at Bathurst in 2014. Due to money problems at 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. He returned to racing a Holden car, which he had not done since 2010. This move brought him quick success. He won the second race of the year, the Tasmania SuperSprint. After a quiet period, Will did very well in the Enduro Cup. He finished third at Sandown with Jonathon Webb. At the Bathurst 1000, Will and Jonathon won the race! They took advantage of problems with other leading cars late in the race. They won even though they did not lead any laps during the race.

Time with 23Red Racing

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

Davison at a Supercars Ride Day in August 2019

Return 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 alongside Anton de Pasquale.

GT Racing Career

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

Family Life

Will comes from a family of famous racing drivers. 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. Will's 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 is married to Riana Crehan. She is a pit reporter for Supercars Media. They got married in early 2020.

Career Results Summary

Bathurst 1000 Results

Will Davison has raced in the famous Bathurst 1000 many times. Here are his 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

See also

In Spanish: Will Davison para niños