Aidan Read has been confirmed for Craft-Bamboo Racing’s 2018 Blancpain GT Series Asia championship challenge. The 18-year-old Australian will pilot the Porsche 911 GT3 R and hopes to build on his 2017 best result of second place in Zhejiang last year. He aims to make a championship bid in 2018 as well as scoring his first GT victory with Craft-Bamboo Racing and Porsche.
After successful stints in both Formula and Prototype racers, which included 2nd overall in the Formula Masters China Series and wins in both the Asian Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series Sprint Cup, Read made the move to GT machinery in 2017. Taking 8th overall in the Blancpain GT Series Asia drivers’ championship in only his first GT season was a huge success as he battled vastly more experienced drivers from around the world. At only 18 years of age, Read has already accomplished a great deal and with six top-ten finishes in his debut season, the Aussie hopes to further build on these results with Craft-Bamboo Racing in 2018.
Read recently undertook a very positive test of the Porsche 911 GT3 R in Sepang, showing excellent pace and consistency in both his qualifying and race simulations. The team strongly believes in the young driver’s ability and strives to provide a structured environment enabling him to continue his growth over the course of the year. Now in its third season of competition, the Porsche 911 GT3 R has gone from strength to strength thanks to Craft-Bamboo’s continued development, and the team have high expectations for the car’s performance with the 2018 Evo kit from Porsche Motorsport added for the coming season. After taking its first pole position and victory in 2017, Craft-Bamboo Racing is eager to add more wins to their collection and believes Read is the perfect man for the job.
The 2018 season kicks off in Sepang, Malaysia, on the 14th-15th of April for a six round, 12 race championship. Craft-Bamboo Racing will be entering two Porsche 911 GT3 R’s and one Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR in a bid to claim both titles. Further driver announcements will be made in the coming weeks once line-ups have been confirmed.
Quotes
Darryl O’Young, Team Director of Craft-Bamboo Racing
“We were very excited at the prospect of signing Aidan over the winter, and after the test in Sepang, he showed how quickly he could adapt to the Porsche and how much serious potential he has. He’s fast, technical, humble, and mature, all the qualities we look for in our drivers. We can’t wait to get to work with Aidan and get the season underway in April. We have seen the speed of the Porsche and expect a competitive season ahead with a driver of Aidan’s caliber.”
Aidan Read, Porsche 911 GT3 R
“I cannot wait to get started, Craft-Bamboo are an exceptionally professional outfit with a history and reputation for winning across a multitude of racing categories and were formidable competitors in the Blancpain GT Series Asia last year. I have already had the opportunity to sample the Porsche 911 GT3 R in testing at Sepang and have to say I was very impressed and felt immediately at home in the car, which bodes well for a successful season.”
