Childhood & Early Life
Will Power was born on March 1, 1981, in Queensland, Australia, to Bob Power, a famous open-wheel racer in Australia. Will belonged to a huge family in the town known as Toowoomba.
His father helped Will develop a keen interest in racing. Will’s elder brothers, who were also interested in racing, made little Will sit on the driver’s seats of plastic cars and then dragged them through the road.
Will was a big fan of motorsport events on TV, and this led him to idolize some of the erstwhile racers. After finishing high school, he was all set to go on the racing track.
However, despite being talented, Will was not very sure about a career in the sport, as he thought that lack of financial support would be a major hurdle. However, determined to become a world-class racer, he did not let his financial situation become a difficulty and kept practicing in his old family cars to prepare for tougher races.
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Career
As soon as he was out of high school, in the late 1990s, Power began his professional career and competed in the ‘Queensland Formula Ford Championship.’ He was the national first runner up in 2001. He was still very young, and this small victory made people curious about him and also made sure they followed his journey.
He was placed at the first spot in the ‘Formula Holden Championship,’ and this win made him confident and helped him prepare for bigger battles. By then, he had almost become a national hero in the sport.
In 2002, he competed in the ‘Australian Formula 3’ series and was placed at the second spot, following a magnificent performance. This led him to compete in the highly respected ‘Bathurst 1000’ event, which took place during the ‘Virgin Australia Supercars Championship.’
This win was followed by a 3-year-long successful streak in Europe. He competed in three seasons in various championships and proved that his success in Australia was not just a coincidence.
Power then competed in the ‘Champ Car World Series’ in 2006, and the same year, he earned himself the ‘Rookie of the Year’ honor.
In 2008, Power won his first ‘IndyCar’ series race at Long Beach. Following this, he finally settled with ‘Team Penske,’ replacing Helio Castroneves, who was taken into police custody and charged with tax evasion.
The same year, he earned his team a win at Edmonton. In 2010, which turned out to be the best year of his career so far, he secured five wins, racing as a full-time competitor. This resulted in heavy media exposure and more respect for the racer.
The next year proved to be more successful for Power, as he earned eight ‘Verizon P1 Awards’ and clinched six victories, to create a lead in the series. However, some technical difficulties had him losing the top spot. He ended the series as the first runner up.
Despite the close loss, Power proved that he was not only a champ on the road and street course, but was also an overall racer with a natural flair for racing. His win at the ‘Texas Motor Speedway’ proved this furthermore.
During the next couple of seasons, Power continued with his remarkable performances and scored nine ‘Verizon’ points and six victories. *In the 2014 season, Power secured a victory at the season opener in St. Petersburg and performed according to expectations in the other races too. He also helped Roger Penske, the team owner, win two races. In the final race of the season, which took place in Montana, he finished as the winner. It turned out to be his first ‘IndyCar’ championship victory.
The 2015 season turned out to be difficult for Power initially. However, he managed to get himself together and finished third in the final championship. This performance was not any less magnificent than his earlier wins, as he performed wonderfully well, despite all the accidents and technical faults that occurred during the race.
In the 2016 season, Power continued his magnificent form and ended the series at the second spot. However, the 2017 season turned out to be slightly disappointing, as it concluded with Power at the 5th spot in the overall ranks.
Personal Life
Will Power has been known for his humorous interviews and is highly popular with his family and friends for his dry sense of humor.
Power married his long-time girlfriend, Elizabeth Cannon, in 2010. The wedding, held at a Kaanapali Beach venue, was a private affair.
Power is known as a highly emotional person; the award ceremony for his 2014 series win had him breaking down while accepting the award.
