Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2010/January 2011 | Page 106

motoring

Island Life - December 2010

Photo: Will Nicholls with Nick Broom in Belgium 2008

Now it's time to slow down
Will Nicholls the well known Island Rally Driver now thinks the time has come
to hang up his crash helmet and find another less dangerous sport that will
fufil the competitive streak in him. Peter White talks to Will about his difficult
decision to semi-retire from the sport!
There was a wry smile on the face of
Will Nicholls as he explained how he

was to re-build it into a rally car.
That put the wheels in motion for

became a rally driver purely by accident

an exhilarating career. But now, in an

– literally!

ironic twist, Will is seriously considering

Will, who lives in Godshill, has been

occasionally drive to Sandown High
School before passing his test. Then he
graduated to his Escort,
He recalls: “I think I got into rallying

giving up the sport after suffering

because of that crash. I got away with a

one of the country’s leading rally drivers

a back injury in a high-speed rally

few cuts and bruises and rebuilt the car

for the past decade, and even before

accident earlier this year.

into a rally shell, so that is where the

that had immense success both here

The 50-year-old feels it is time

passion for rallying started. I managed

to step back and take stock of his

to buy this body shell, and about 16 of

Yet it might have been a different

achievements, and maybe go back to

my friends helped carry it from Victoria

story if he had not had an accident

basics by taking part in a few historic

Avenue in Shanklin to Luccombe where

in his prized Ford Escort Mark I

rallies. But even that is something he

I rented a garage and built the car into

1,300cc GT road car when he was still

has put on hold.

a rally car.

and in Europe.

a teenager. He was lucky to escape

Born in Hertfordshire, Will moved

“My first job, working for a plastics

virtually unscathed. But his car was

to the Island when he was eight. His

firm in Ventnor and earning just £17

damaged so badly that the only option

first car was a Mini, which he did

a week meant it was a case of ‘beg,

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