Calan Williams: My greatest influences

1 June 2022

We had a sit down with Calan Williams to talk about his greatest inspirations, motivators and supporters. The Trident driver reveals the stories behind the key figures in his racing career.

Mick Kouros

"I met him first in July 2017 when we were in discussions about me racing with Fortec in Euroformula in 2018.

"I came over to the UK for a couple of reasons, one: to meet him and the Fortec team and also to go to the British Grand Prix. And that was the first time I met him in person. Then I did a test with him at the end of 2017 in Barcelona in Euroformula. That went well, I had a lot to learn still. That was the first real experience with him, and I worked very closely with him for two years in 2018 and 2019 when I raced for them.

"At the very end of 2020, during F3 post-season testing, he started working with me as my manager and mentor. He’s been really good since then, he’s got a massive amount of motorsport experience – I think he said this year is his 50th year or something like that – so he’s been a massive help to me, both in motorsport and in general life experience."

Dale Alcock

"He’s been my lead investor for quite a few years now. I can’t remember exactly when I met him and started a relationship with him because, honestly, it feels like he’s been with me for ages because he’s been such a great support. Not only from the financial side, obviously, but in a lot of other aspects.

"Being a very successful businessman, he built his business from the ground up and put a lot of work and dedication into what he does now. He's the head of the ABN group in Western Australia. His main industry is home building. He has a very successful name in Australia, Alcock Homes. A lot of the homes you see with the signs out front are Alcock Homes. He’s made himself really successful and he’s also a really great guy. He’s given me a lot of advice he’s developed throughout his success.

"The main one he talks about is about finding breakthroughs, to accelerate your progression in whatever field your in. For him it’s in business, for me it’s in motorsport. He’s been a massive help to me, and he’s also helped me expand my network in terms of the people I know much faster than I would have otherwise been able to. That’s allowed me to build a great support base to allow me to continue to progress in motorsport."

Greg Williams

"My father put in a massive amount of work to get me to where I am. Massive. He does basically all of the communication stuff in terms of finding sponsors. He’s very very good at finding sponsors and investors for me, it’s incredible. Everyone who knows him says that they cannot believe he does what he does, because it’s not his job. He has a full-time job in Australia working in preventing alcohol and drug abuse in sports as part of a non-profit organisation.

"Outside of that he does all of this as well. Setting up meetings, discussing stuff with sponsors, the financial side – the amount of work he does is just crazy. The discipline he has to commit to that is just unbelievable. Honestly, it’s something I really look up to and admire. I think that has a big influence on me, the commitment that he has. Ever since I started karting, that commitment and dedication alongside full-time work commitments and having a family and everything else around him is just unbelievable.

"I think that sort of work ethic has inspired me to put in a lot of effort into motorsport and anything I do in life. I think being in that environment from a young age has put me in a good place thanks to what he does."