The Inside Track - Interview with Justina Williams, Team Owner of Excelr8 Motorsport
20th Jun 2023
THE INSIDE TRACK
Interview with Justina Williams, Team Owner of Excelr8 Motorsport
Draper Tools is a proud sponsor of EXCELR8 Motorsport, and we are excited to see whether the reigning champions can make it a double! We caught up with Justina Williams, MD of EXCELR8 Motorsport, to find out what it is like running a BTCC racing team and their plans for this season.
As team owner at EXCELR8, what does your role include? What areas are you responsible for?
“My role as Managing Director means I’m responsible for the whole of business and I take on many responsibilities at various times including Finance Director, Marketing Director, Sales Director, Problem Solver, Team Mum, STEM Ambassador for the British Army, and Ambassador for the FIA Girls on Track UK.
My background was in the world of business rather than racing, and that experience influences how I approach my role as team owner.
My focus is very much on making sure that the team is performing at the highest level possible in all areas, always, which means lots of hard work and long hours. However, I’ve always been a firm believer that if you put in the effort then you can reap the rewards and I feel that the results we have secured since we founded EXCELR8 over a decade ago reflect that.
Putting the right people in place for key roles has been hugely important, so I know that when it comes to things like engineering and running the cars, the team will operate smoothly and efficiently.
Doing that allows me to focus on developing and maintaining relationships with our team partners, that play a vital role in us being able to go racing. My business background means I appreciate more than most the different needs and requirements of people who are looking to invest in our racing programmes.”
What's the best part of the job?
“I think a lot of people who work in motorsport would say, it’s a passion, a love, not a job and one that I enjoy being involved in daily.
When all the hard work by the team leads to a race win or you get to the end of a season and win a championship title then obviously that is the highlight, as it makes all the hard work and effort worthwhile.
Motorsport by its nature can have its lows, but the highs more than make up for it.”
How did you get to where you are, tell us about your career to date?
“I’m a qualified industrial electrician; I have been an estate agent; I’m a qualified financial planner; I have run my own headhunting business in London recruiting chartered and certified financial planners; I have owed and sold a financial planning business and in between, I set up EXCELR8.
Setting up EXCELR8 was an opportunity that was given to me by the owners of the MINI CHALLENGE, who said: ‘I think you could run a good team’. So, I sold the Porsche that was sat on the driveway and bought a race truck and got someone to build me a JCW MINI and we won the championship in year one!”
What made you want to go into motorsport?
“When I was younger, I would work on cars with my father, although initially it was martial arts rather than motorsport that was my passion. I won multiple medals and represented my country doing judo before starting my working career.
It was when I got into karting with my husband Antony that my passion for cars and motorsport really reignited. And before I knew it, I was out on track racing in the MINI CHALLENGE and we founded EXCELR8.
The rest, as they say, is history!”
What advice would you give to anyone who wants to get into a career in motorsport?
“If you want to get to the top in motorsport, then you must be prepared to work hard and grasp any opportunity that comes your way. Gaining as much knowledge and experience as you can is key to making sure you are always able to do the best job possible, whatever your role may be.”
Finally, what are you excited about for the 2023 BTCC season?
“For a start, it’s hugely exciting to know that an EXCELR8 car will be taking to the track in the BTCC this season carrying the #1, particularly when you consider that we have only been in the series for a relatively short amount of time compared to a number of our rivals.
Each season, since we debuted in touring cars back in 2019, we’ve evolved and improved, and I’m looking forward to seeing us maintain that record during the year ahead.
Having taken our first BTCC title in 2022, we want to try and add to it this year and I’m confident that the driver line-up we have in place will give us a great opportunity to do that.”
