Billy Asaro Castle Combe race report

Asaro still smiling after forgettable outing

June 23, 2003 (Toronto, Canada): Billy Asaro remains positive and optimistic today following one of his worst ever race weekends. In a pair of British Formula Three Championship races at Castle Comb Race Circuit near Bristol, England, Asaro finished twelfth in one race and failed to finish the other.

The 21-year-old Canadian from Unionville, Ontario, said his troubles began in a practice session on Saturday morning when he spun off the circuit and bent a suspension component. Unfortunately, the damage was so minute it went unnoticed, but was enough to slightly hinder the car's performance. In qualifying sessions held Saturday afternoon, Asaro was fourteenth and thirteenth gridding well back for the start of Sunday's races.

In the first of the races, Asaro managed to gain two positions and finished twelfth, but he retired from the second race after completing just two laps. Last year, Asaro performed well at Castle Combe, finishing second in a Formula 3 Scholarship race, but he did not show any disappointment in this year's results.

"It was just a bad weekend," he said. "That's all there is to it. The team worked hard, I worked hard, but we just couldn't get that last little bit of speed this weekend.

"We're not far off though. The competition is very close here and a few small gains would put us in the top five."

Asaro and his P1 Racing team will work on those small gains with some test sessions in the three-week break before the next race at Oulton Park.

Two races are scheduled for July 12-13 at the track near Cheshire where Asaro finished second last year.

-mj-