Will Aspin enjoys Porsche podium double at high-speed Thruxton
Will Aspin bounced back in style with a pair of Porsche Carrera Cup GB podiums at the weekend (June 7-9), as he tackled the high-speed Thruxton circuit in Hampshire.
Showing good speed in pre-event testing and carrying that into practice, Will took that into qualifying, where he performed well. At the flag, he finished second quickest of the Pro-Am runners and a very good ninth fastest of anyone, leaving him in a great position for the opening race on Sunday morning.
The field had to contend with a long pause on the grid before race one, but when it finally began, Will started well, quickly on the rear of the Pro-Am leader and mixing with Pro class rivals. Coming into the chicane in the early stages, he had contact from a Pro driver, losing momentum and fell to third in class after more contact at the Complex. He kept working hard however, and the persistence paid off as he took second in Pro-Am on the penultimate lap, crossing the line for his first podium of the season.
The British/Italian teenager started race two well, remaining second in Pro-Am but with a Pro driver between himself and the class leader. He then had to contend with a move by Eden Race Drive teammate Oli White, getting sideways, but held his spot as it became a four-car battle in Pro-Am. With six of the planned 22 laps remaining, Will closed in on the Pro car ahead, and made it past with three to go, but with too big a gap to challenge for the lead in class, settled in for a second podium of the day.
There is now a seven-week break in action in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB, with rounds seven and eight taking place at Croft in Yorkshire, over the weekend of July 27-29.
Will Aspin
G1 – 2, R1 – 2
G2 – 2, R2 – 2
Pro-Am Championship: 7 (16 points)
“We were building on the pace from testing, so in FP1 we kept working on things and kept learning from what we found in the data. We put that together in qualifying and missed pole position by two tenths, so I was a bit annoyed but we’d made good improvements so I couldn’t be too upset.
“In race one I think we missed an opportunity to get the lead, but it’s okay because we finished second, and in race two second place was probably the best we could have done. Overall, it was a really good weekend, and we’ll have a break and aim to go even better at Croft.”