Will Aspin starts 2023 with race-winning performance in Spain
Will Aspin opened his 2023 with some excellent performances in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe, claiming a win and second place at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain.
After an impressive debut season in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB last year, where he secured one win and six further podiums in Pro-Am, the teenager is adding a further string to his bow by taking part in the newly launched series.
Heading out with Team Parker Racing, with whom he raced in 2022, and in the familiar confines of his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, the British/Italian racer quickly familiarised himself with the 4.005 km (2.489 mi) circuit, consistently lapping in the top ten through the opening day’s test sessions.
When it came to the crunch with two qualifying periods on day two, Will was straight to the top of the times in Pro-Am and in the second session he finished a remarkable third overall, ahead of more experienced rivals.
Will had two strong races later that afternoon, leading the opening contest from lights to flag in class, crossing the line some nine seconds clear of the rest of the pack. He drove even better in race two, mixing it with Pro class competitors throughout.
Sadly, on the final lap a rival from the Pro class attempted a late move, making contact with Will and spinning him around. Such was his advantage in Pro-Am, only one driver, team-mate Ryan Ratcliffe, managed to get by, with the youngster crossing the line second, disappointed to lose another win, but leading the Pro-Am standings.
The next round of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe takes place at Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, near Portimão in Portugal, over February 11-12, with the final races at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya two weeks later.
“Valencia is a great circuit. Most of the corners are cambered so it is technical, and it took a bit to learn, but by the end of the first session we were familiar with it. I really enjoyed it and would love to race there again. You’ve got so much track time on day one, which is a great thing about this championship. You learn so much, probably as much in two days as you would in three or four days of testing.
“Q1 wasn’t the greatest as I was held up with other drivers around me and didn’t put in the lap I should have, but in Q2 it was almost perfect. To qualify P3 overall is a really good achievement and a big boost to my confidence.
“Race one was okay, even though we won, and race two was really good. In the Pro-Am class you can choose whether to run ABS or not and neither Ryan [Ratcliffe] or I had it, so we were at a disadvantage because in the braking zone the drivers using it can come from miles back and lunge at you.
“We were leading up to the last lap, before a questionable move by another driver spun me at the hairpin and let Ryan through. I’m really happy for him to get the win, but disappointed as I had led every lap and not made any mistakes to that point. I was running comfortably with the Pro drivers and gaining on them at some points, so it was a shame not to finish where we deserved.
“My aim is to win these races in Pro-Am but also aim for an overall podium. I don’t see why I shouldn’t and there’s no reason why that can’t be the case for the next two rounds.”