Q&A: Will Davison.

Probably the best starter in the current British F3 field is hot Aussie talent Will Davison. Unfortunately for Will funds are short and unless a deal is brokered in the next week he will have run his last British F3 race and be forced to head home.

Crash.net finds out more.

Crash.net:
Has money always been an issue or is this something that's come to a head just recently?

Will Davison:
We have always had to work very hard to raise the money ever since my first season in Formula Ford in 2000. Back then we formed syndicates who owned the car and helped with the running expenses and the rest was through sponsorship, but of course the dollars were much smaller. When I came to England in 2002 we formed a company and brought in investors who own a percentage of my future earnings. Our plan was to raise as much of the budget as possible in the UK due to the exchange rate between the Pound and the Aussie Dollar being so poor. ?350,000 over here is around a million dollars at home, which is a really tall order.

Unfortunately our plans to raise the budget here failed and if anything that put us behind the eight ball at home. It was always going to be a difficult task, but it has been really disappointing that we have been unable to bring in even one Australian company. You can only go back to the same group of investors so many times and we just haven't been able to hook the big fish.

Crash.net:
Have you been in many talks with potential sponsors?

WD:
I couldn't even tell you how many people we have approached. We have a commercial manager back home, along with my Dad, who are both approaching companies literally every day.

Crash.net
What do you think you offer a company wanting to get exposure?

WD:
Sponsorship is one of those marketing tools where what a company gets out of it is totally dependant on what they put in. Not just in as far as money, but in effort and support. I believe I am a very marketable person with good media and communication skills and I do enjoy a pretty strong profile in Australia. As an ambassador for any company wanting to promote their products or services here and or in Australia, I believe I can become a very valuable asset to them and an important part of their overall marketing strategy.

Crash.net
How's the racing going so far this year?

WD:
We had three podiums in the first five rounds, which was a very good start. Knockhill was a disappointment where we suffered from a few problems in qualifying one, and just did not quite hook everything up in qualifying two. This year's championship is just so cut throat that if you are napping for a minute, you will struggle to break into the top ten, but after all the frustrations, we still walked away with some points in race two. We are still right in there in the points and one strong weekend can pull us up to the front, just look at what happened with Dirani at Croft.

Crash.net
If you can get the funds to continue, how do you think the results should progress?

WD:
I am working really well with the team and I have no doubt we can win races and achieve consistent podiums throughout the season.

Crash.net
You're potentially driving an F1 car later this year, surely any company would jump at the chance to be associated with an Formula One car driver?

WD:
We have certainly used this fantastic opportunity every time we speak to companies. It seems that every one wants to know you once you have made it, but are not too keen to help along the way.

Crash.net
If you do return to Australia, are there many opportunities mid-season?

There is only one form of racing in Australia once you move out of the junior open wheel categories and that is V8 Supercars. It is probably the best touring car championship in the world and although my preference is to stay here and work my way to F1, if I have to go home then I would hope with all my overseas experience there would be some interest in me from the V8 teams.

The two long distance races, Sandown and Bathurst, require second drivers and we would look at what opportunities were available there. One way or another I will make a career from being a professional racing driver and hopefully that will be in F1. But we need a break right now and so many people have put in so much effort to get me where I am today, I think we deserve it. Besides, I owe my investors well over a million dollars, so I have no choice but to be successful or I will be repaying these debts for the rest of my life.