Josh webster at The Leasing Foundation Third Annual Conference, September 11 2015.

1. Sustaining a career as a
racing driver in the new age
of motorsport
Josh Webster

2. Content
• A bit about me
• The past
• The new age
• Skills needed to sustain a career in motorsport

3. A bit about me
o21 years old
oStarted racing in karts at 12
oBecame Junior European Champion at 15
oMoved from karts to cars at 16
o2014 & 2015 Porsche Carrera CupGB Scholarship winner
oYoungest ever Porsche CarreraCup GB Champion

4. The Past…
Looks like I was born 40
years too late!

6. A new age in motorsport
 Motorsport is a huge worldwide business
 Worth an estimated £9bn UK alone
 Corporate sponsor partnerships are essential
 Technology is developing very quickly
 Huge amounts of money are involved

7. For example…
• PDVSA (Venezuelan state-owned oil company) pays $50m a year for Pastor
Maldonado to race in F1

8. … that’s without damage bills!

9. So, what attributes do I need to survive and be
successful?

10. Business Skills
• Be able to sell myself to teams, sponsors and investors
• Add value to partnerships
• Business to business introductions and events
• Product placement
• Social media

11. People Skills
• Team bosses
• Engineer
• Team members
• Sponsors and guests
• Clerk of the course/Stewards
• Media relations
• Fans

12. Engineering
• Onboard data analysis
• What is underneath me when I’m driving
• Analyse set up changes
• In depth preparation before race weekends – 95% off-track, 5% on-track

13. Simulators

14. 1970/1971 Le Mans winning Porsche 917K
Keeping up with new
sustainable technologies

15. 2015 Porsche LMP1 car

16. • 2 litre turbochargedV4 combustion engine – 500bhp
• KERS system on the front axle with battery reserve and
exhaust turbine regeneration - 500bhp
• RWD on entry, 4WD on exit
• 1,000bhp behind your right foot!
• Kinetic Energy Recovery System develops enough power in
395 laps of Le Mans to run your fridge freezer at home for 5
years straight

17. Fitness
I have to deal with…
• Controlling my weight
• Temperatures in the cockpit
• Nutrition and hydration
• Both muscular strength and endurance
• Cardiovascular endurance
• Mental fitness

18. But the most important part?

19. The racing!

20. The ultimate example of sustaining a career
in motorsport…
Alex Zanardi - 2001

21. “I want to do something with
this life of mine. I want to
take my life as a great
opportunity that I can’t
waste.”
Alex Zanardi, multiple gold medallist in the
2012 London Paralympics and current WEC
GT3 driver

22. Thank you for listening!