Software developer and web designer David Perel is also a racing driver for Kessel Ferrari. He tells Margaret Harris that consistency and a calm temperament are a must if you want to be a racing driver.Tell me about being a professional racing-car driver.It is incredibly fun but also high pressure. Racing for brands such as Lamborghini or Ferrari comes with a lot of expectations. I've been lucky to work with two great teams during my GT racing career (which only started in 2014). It involves an unhealthy amount of travel, but takes me to the best tracks in the world (mostly Formula One tracks), and I get to race some insane cars!And a software developer?I started as a web developer when I left school but moved over to interface and web design when I realised my brother was a much better developer.These days, I oversee the interface design of our website builder, Layers, which I co-founded. It's used by more than 300000 people worldwide, which we're very proud of.They seem to be such different careers; are there any similarities?Both require patience, pragmatism and incredible attention to detail. However, that's probably where the comparisons stop. In tech, the longer you're seated behind your laptop working, the more likely you are to be successful. Whereas racing requires you to be physically active.If you had to choose one career, which one would it be?Easy! Racing driver!Obviously, you can drive very fast on the track, but what kind of driver are you on general roads?These days I no longer own a car (I rely on Uber), but when I do drive on the roads I'm quite careful. I don't really get my "fix" from driving fast. For me, it's about the competition.What distinguishes excellent racing drivers from those who are average?Actual speed is usually not the defining factor. There are many incredibly fast drivers in the world. What makes the difference is consistency and a calm temperament. The drivers who are always in contention for a win usually have something more than just the ability to drive fast.How did you get involved in racing?A family friend introduced me to karting when I was 14. He took me to the kart track at Killarney in Cape Town and a year later I took part in my first kart race in the 100cc Stock class. I raced karts until I was 23 but was forced to stop due to a lack of funding. Upon stopping, I focused on my business with my brother, Marc, and saved as much money as I could over six years to give my racing career one more shot.When I was 29, I cold-called/e-mailed GT teams in Europe. One of them said yes and gave me a shot. During that race, I met a driver manager named Alan Macdonald who then helped me get a seat with Lamborghini in the 2015 Italian GT Championship.I ended up achieving more wins, pole positions and fastest laps than anyone else. Then, in 2016, I received an offer from Kessel Ferrari to race in the Blancpain GT Series - the most competitive GT3 Championship in the world.How do you prepare for a race?There's a lot of training involved. Dieting is also important (lighter is faster). Funnily enough, I also rely on PlayStation games to learn new tracks and experiment with different driving techniques. During a race weekend, we have a full-time physiotherapist who helps us warm up our bodies and minds with different exercises - it's a huge help.What do you enjoy most about work - both racing and software?In the racing sphere, I love experiencing new tracks, I love knowing that I am competing against the very best drivers in the world. It's incredibly satisfying knowing that I can mix it up with them.In the tech world, I love launching new products. It's always exciting pressing the "live" button and seeing how users and customers react to your creations.What did you want to be when you were a child?At the age of three I was already dreaming of becoming a professional racing driver. I found pictures of my dad in a racing car (he raced for three years in his early 20s) and wanted to emulate him. Since then, I've never been shy of telling people what I want to be...