Photo: Valkyrie Velocity
Will Owen said he’s “in the depths” of learning the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport alongside Valkyrie Velocity as the former Hardpoint team is coming to grips with racing in Pirelli GT4 America.
Owen, a veteran of global LMP2 and top-level prototype racing in recent years, has made the switch to SRO America competition as part of a tie-in with his day job at the Austin-based AI solutions company.
The Gold-rated driver is sharing driving duties of the Pro-Am class Porsche with team owner Rob Ferriol.
“I’m so grateful and fortunate for the whole network that’s come together,” Owen told Sportscar365.
“I paused racing in 2021 to work at Valkyrie, which is an AI services company that’s become fairly well known in the paddock for our work with United [Autosports] and being on different cars.
“I’m still working full-time with them and I did the WEC season and working last year, which was crazy.
“I wasn’t sure what was going to happen this year but Valkyrie partnered with Rob [Ferriol] and Hardpoint to make Valkyrie Velocity, the team.
“The way it worked out is kind of crazy. I didn’t think I would get a way into driving with a team through work. It feels like the opposite of what you’d expect.
“I’m just super, super grateful for all of that.
“We’re at the early days but I think we’re building a really awesome team and business platform in racing that’s going to take a lot of different trajectories.”
Owen said the transition from LMP2 to GT4 machinery has been a “fun” experience, although he feels there’s still more to come as he and the three-car operation continue to learn the Porsche.
“It’s always hard with limited practice,” he said. “I had to miss the first race for my sister’s wedding, so I haven’t had a lot of testing and I’ve only had [time] at the race weekend.
“Every time you go to a new car or [series], it adds a new challenge to think about driving and how to maximize it and figure the car out.
“I feel like like I’m in the depths of that right now. ‘How do I get the braking perfect with this car?’ And I’m just trying things and figuring it out.
“Every car is different and difficult in its own way. I have certainly not figured a lot out but I feel like I have a lot of good direction of what I need to do to really get the most out of it.
“This car is also new to the team, so I’m learning it but the team is also learning it.
“It’s a very common thing. ‘What can I do better and is there anything we can do better with the car?’ It’s hard to separate that at times.”
Owen downplayed the challenges of adapting to GT cars after a career almost exclusively in open-wheel and prototypes.
“It’s just a race car that you’re trying to maximize and get the very, very best out of,” he said.
“That feeling is always the same. The straightaways feel a little different because in a prototype you’re planted and you’re going a little bit faster.
“But honestly, the biggest thing is [learning] the ABS. That’s what I’m really trying to figure out.
“Racing is hard, no matter what. You have to think about all of the aspects. Moving into a car that’s slower, it doesn’t mean that it’s easier.
“You still have to figure out all the different elements of strategy in the race.
He added: “It’s also really interesting to not have somebody like Filipe Albuquerque or a Platinum guy that knows the car super, super well, knows the tracks, knows the series, knows everything.
“We have a lot of experience in total but it’s not like that specific to all these tracks with this particular car. We’re still building that.
“It’s way more challenging in that way too but very much so more rewarding down the line when we figure out the right approach and figure out the specifics of this car as well.
“I like that as a place for growth.”
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