ASHLEY Walsh has continued his learning curve in the West European Championship for Formula Renault at Valencia, Spain, this weekend.
Walsh, from Ipswich, Queensland, Australia, showed encouraging pace in the early stages of the second race, picking up numerous spots until delayed by an incident that included a car rolling over.
The AMSF International Rising Star finished both races in 20th position, but was penalised in Race 2 and demoted further down the field.
After rueing lowly qualifying positions, Walsh remained optimistic about his future results in the competitive series with the Hitech Junior team.
The next round of the series will be held shortly at Estoril in Portugal next month.
Ash on his weekend;“In Race 2, I’d made it up to 15th at the start and watched a roll over happen right in front of me.“I really had no where to go. I avoided the accident, but someone smashed into the back of me and ripped the floor off my car. I fell down to 30th so for the rest of the race, I was in recovery mode.“This is a track that I’ve done two-days testing at beforehand, so it was one that I’ve got a few laps in the past, compared to other circuts. “I didn’t get a lot of track time this weekend, though, when I had differential problems in practice and then had an off on my second lap. It was very frustrating.“But we’re still getting better and better. It has been a really hard weekend, but it’s okay. I’ve definitely learnt a few things.“The team aren’t too worried about it. They are still trying to fine tune a few things and I’m sure we can both get a result together shortly.
Ash on the future;“The competition in the championship is at a very high level.“I don’t think that the results are as bad as they seem. If I can finish around the top 10 by the end of the year, I won’t see this year as unsuccessful as it might seem. “Every race and every round, we are learning more, we are showing that we are capable of running up the front. “Hitech Junior team doesn’t have the resources of the other teams, but slowly, we are getting better and better.”
ASH WALSH DETAILS:
Name : Ashley WalshDate of Birth : 11 January 1988Born: Ipswich (Queensland), Australia
Walsh is driving in his first season in the West European Championship. This is a new championship, borne out of the old French Formula Renault Championship. Over 40 cars are entered in each round, with drivers coming from all corners of the globe to compete.Walsh drives for Hitech Junior – its first year in Formula Renault competition. Walsh has four team-mates – one each from Wales, England, Spain and Columbia.Walsh is a graduate of the CAMS Rising Star program, and is competing as an inaugural CAMS International Rising Star this year. He races with the support of the Australian Motor Sports Foundation and its associate backers.
2008 RESULTS:
Round 1, Nogaro, FranceQ1: 17thQ2: 19thR1: 12thR2: 17th
Round 2, Dijon, FranceQ1: 21stQ2: 20th R1: 18th R2: 15th
Round 3, Valencia, Spain Q1: 25thQ2: 20th R1: 20th R2: 20th
2007: Second in the Australian Formula Ford Championship2006: Third in the Australian Formula Ford Championship2005: Formula Ford debut2004: Australian CIK Inter Continental A Karting Champion2003: Australian Junior Clubman and Piston Port Karting Champion
