Will Ovenden
Young People in Motorsport
CASE STUDY
Will Ovenden
THE OVENDEN FAMILY are well known in Rallycross circles, with multiple champion dad Tristan and his two sons Tom and Will having been involved in various categories for many years. Last season youngest son Will decided to try out CrossCar, and he is now a lead contender in the Motorsport UK Championship.
“ After a really successful season in the Suzuki Swift Rallycross Championship, I thought that CrossCar looked like the perfect step into something faster,” he recalls.“ I did one test and, once I got used to it, there was nothing that I wasn’ t confident driving on. We took the car home that day and I’ ve raced in the championship ever since.
“ Getting into CrossCar wasn’ t difficult because I had been racing in the same paddock already, so we knew everyone in the paddock would be super friendly and eager to help. Already having a license also made it very easy and it was as simple as getting hold of a car and filling in the entry form.
“ The most enjoyable thing is the closeness of the racing and the speed of it all. It’ s absolutely the closest thing to driving a top-class Rallycross Supercar, but what makes it even more fun is that as it is a heavily regulated series, all the cars are a similar pace so it’ s less about the machinery and all about set-up and driver skill.”
The highlight of Ovenden’ s first full season of CrossCar was the final round at his home track of Lydden Hill, where he scored a double podium finish. Having put a lot of work in throughout the year, ending it with such a high was very special – and he is now back on track for his second season.
His presence in the paddock continues the Ovenden family’ s motorsport bond, with dad Tristan competing on the same bill in the Supercar category, and he concludes:“ This is something we have all done together for a long time and I think it’ s helped us stay close, as we all have passion for the sport and are a family-run team.
“ CrossCar has also given us the opportunity to compete in lots of other events like rallying, rally sprints and autocross – and with the car being generally low cost to run compared to many others in the world of motorsport, we have had the opportunity to race more often this year than any other.”
The Ovenden family enjoys a range of motorsport activities
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