MY FIRST CAR
Joe Warhurst
LIKE many teenagers, Joe Warhurst has a safe and sensible first car: it’s a Volkswagen Polo.
But unlike most of his contemporaries, he has a rather different car for work: a £120,000plus Porsche Cayman which he drives at 140mph.
Joe, 18, from Barnsley, is a racing driver with the Porsche Sprint team and he competes in events across the country against other Cayman drivers.
“I like the Polo,” he said. “I have a black box fitted so the insurers can keep an eye on me and make sure I’m driving sensibly.
“But I am a very different driver on the road compared to on the track. I can’t imagine what my insurers would think if they saw me in the Porsche.”
Joe started racing as a 12-year-old in karts, inspired by his father who also raced in competitions.
“It seems like a very young age to start,” he said. “But actually some of the others had started at eight and it seemed like I was always playing catch-up.
“So I moved at 14 to cars – which was earlier than the other kart racers – and that meant I had a head start on the others.”
Joe raced with a team from Ginetta, the Leeds-based sports car manufacturer, before moving to Porsche.
“I just love motorsport and I have been very fortunate to do what I do. I devote a lot of time to it, which is essential.
“We race and then we analyse the race in great detail. We have computers which give us read-outs covering when we brake, for example, and that really helps to fine-tune your driving.”
The Porsche Sprint Challenge is made up of identical Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport cars.