False alarm leads to Barcelona heartbreak for Will Aspin in Porsche finale
Will Aspin rounded out the inaugural season of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe with heartbreak in Spain at the weekend (Feb 24/25), as a sensor error robbed the teenager of victory in the opening race.
ualifying fifth and fourth in Pro-Am for the 30-minute contests at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, home of the Spanish Grand Prix, Will moved forward in the first race in his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, running seventh overall and gaining sixth – while leading in class – before noticing an alarm on his dashboard.
Trusting the warning, the 18-year-old dove into the pitlane where his Team Parker Racing crew eventually diagnosed a faulty sensor rather than rising oil temperatures, meaning his hard work was for naught.
In the second race Will was locked in battle with teammates Ryan Ratcliffe and Jake Giddings, but in a processional outing, was unable to make similar strides forwards as he did earlier that afternoon, crossing the line where he started, fourth in Pro-Am.
Despite the setback, the three-round winter series, featuring FIA Grade 1 venues, proved to be popular and useful for Will and his colleagues, enjoying ample track time with five hours of testing and practice, two qualifying sessions, and a combined one hour of racing – providing the Italian / British teenager with plenty of opportunities to refine setups, try new things with the car, and begin the year on the front foot.
Will is currently finalising his Porsche Carrera Cup plans, with news on his exciting programme for the remainder of the 2023 season to be announced in due course.
Will Aspin
“There are lots of positives to take away from the weekend. I learned quite a lot, Barcelona is a very tricky track to get perfect, and I loved racing there. We had an okay Friday practice day where the first session was wet, we were quick, and I enjoyed it, as it was nice to get back in the car in the wet weather again. On Saturday we were confident as we had a good final practice session, so going into qualifying I knew I could extract the pace out of the car to be able to fight, but in the end, it wasn't really the case.
“Race one was an absolute heartbreaker. I was leading my class, gaining on fifth overall, but on the dash an oil pressure alarm came up saying the car was running at 150 degrees, so I couldn't keep going. I came into the pit lane and told the guys and in the end, it was just a sensor problem. If I didn't stop and it was a fault, it would have cost a heck of a lot of money and it would have finished the engine, so I did the right thing. We know we were going to win that race and we know the potential we had, but it was one of those 'what if it didn't happen?' races.
“Race two was okay. It wasn't anything special, a race where after the first couple of laps you can't overtake, and you're just stuck there. I enjoyed driving the car around the circuit and I enjoy making moves on people so that's what I wanted to do, rather than just sitting in line. In this championship, while it doesn't show in the results, we can see that I am implementing the driving style that is needed for the car a lot more than I did last year, which is something I've learned over the winter.
“This championship works well for anyone who's looking for a winter series in their Carrera Cup and not looking to spend a ridiculous amount. We've had three rounds at three amazing tracks and had plenty of seat time. Everyone that I know that was there thinks the same as me, so I would definitely do it again if I have the opportunity.”