Your Licence
STARTING WITH KARTING Like many aspiring racers, Henri Gosney and Will Hillyard both started off in a kart at around the age of eight. Although they competed in different eras, their experiences were broadly the same: that first buzz of adventure, followed by the spark of a dream.
For Henri, that started on a visit to the Haynes Motor Museum, and he recalls:“ I saw the kart track and thought I’ d have a go. I started doing outdoor rental karting then my stepdad Jim bought me a two-stroke go-kart, and I moved into a twinengine pro kart a year after.”
Will, meanwhile, came to motorsport through his father Derek, who had competed himself but gave it up to put his son through karting.“ I remember getting my first licence,” Will recalls.“ My ARKS test was a big deal; it’ s probably the biggest thing in your life when you’ re eight!
Henri Gosney and his Hill Climbing MINI
“ We raced for about seven or eight years and were relatively successful, but then, in 2009, we just ran out of budget. I had just turned 16 and at that point, I just didn’ t renew my licence because, where do you find the money to go racing at that age?”
Henri was able to make the move from karting to cars at the age of 14, thanks to his stepfather Jim’ s prior involvement in Hill Climbing. Instead of going junior racing, which can be costly and requires completion of the Novice Driving Training Course, the move to Speed disciplines proved the perfect solution.
“ I was bought a Suzuki Swift and that got me started,” he recalls.“ I did my first Hill Climb and fell in love with it. It was a big jump, but it gives you a knack for car control, seeing how you can push, and it also gives you a sense of trepidation, being so close to the trees!”
Jim Grant, Henri Gosney and Prue Gosney at the Wiscombe Park Awards Evening where Henri was presented with the Ron Wilson Memorial Trophy – as the Tillicoultry Quarries Wiscombe Park Young Driver of The Year 2025
Revolution Magazine 11