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Will Power living it up at home in Toowoomba

The 2014 IndyCar champ has been spending a bit of time in his home country of Australia during the long IndyCar offseason.

Will Power, Penske Racing Chevrolet

Will Power, Penske Racing Chevrolet

Chris Owens

Will Power, Penske Racing Chevrolet
Roger Penske and Will Power
Will Power (Team Australia)
Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda and Will Power, Penske Racing Chevrolet
Will Power, Penske Racing Chevrolet
Will Power (Team Australia)
Race winner Will Power gets a face full of cream puff and champagne bath from second place Juan Pablo Montoya and third place Tony Kanaan

Will Power has been enjoying some well deserved down time in his home town of Toowoomba, Australia after claiming the 2014 IndyCar Championship last month.

(Karting) is the lowest form of motorsport, but it’s great competition.

Will Power

Power, who headed to Europe at a young age told ABC Southern Queensland that it was his grassroots racing that formed the driver he is today, between some time on dirt and in karts.

“There had a great dirt track series racing around Darling Downs,” Power said.

“(Karting) is the lowest form of motorsport, but it’s great competition. I still race karts now to keep in form.”

Getting to the top

Power talked a little bit about the route to the top of racing, and how difficult it is to find yourself in a money earning, not spending, situation.

“So many guys get spat out on the way up. It is difficult to end up as a professional race car driver,” Power said.

“There’s limited seats in all these series. In Formula One there’s 22 cars, in IndyCar there’s 22 cars. If you want to stay in Australia and race V8 Supercars it’s a similar deal. It is not like any other sport. You’ve got to pay. You need to find backing to run. That’s tough. Until you get to the very top you’re not getting paid. It’s a bloody tough road.”

His road brought him to IndyCar (then Champ Car) in 2006 when a good offer came in.

“I had to take it. I was going to be paid,” he said.

While spending time in Australia, Power had the opportunity to be the grand marshal of the 2014 Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers Parade, as well as race a V8 Supercar against a Cessna jet at the new Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport.

“I didn’t really know what to expect beforehand however it was a heap of fun,” he told IndyCar.com.

“It was definitely not something you get to do every day and I think the crowd enjoyed the spectacle.”

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