Ashley Crossey is a fascinating third finalist for the 2016/2017 Porsche Carrera Cup GB scholarship contest. His background is in single-seaters, often running in series whilst only possessing a shoe-string budget.
Speaking in relative terms he is a newbie to circuit racing, although not quite to the extent of Hannah Pym. He only made the switch from karts in 2013. “I think you can move up too soon,” he begins concurring with Pym’s thoughts on youngsters making an early transition. “I think you are better off doing a couple of years in a senior karting category, you learn a lot more, quicker.”
“In some cases it can be cheaper to move in to cars,” Crossey adds. “I went into Formula Ford with a good team in Kevin Mills Racing,” he continues. Success was to come in the category, most notably at the Castle Combe Formula Ford Carnival.
Ashley describes that as his “breakthrough moment” in Formula Ford, winning as a relatively inexperienced (in car racing terms) rookie against a notably competitive field. From there came the jump to the now sadly defunct Formula Renault BARC championship.
Crossey enjoyed Castle Combe success in FFord. (Credit: Ashley Crossey Racing)
From the outside looking in motor racing can seem relatively simple but there are always stories to be told. “I sold all of my karting kit to pay for that one round in something more commercially exposed,” he tells us. That round was a TOCA support at Silverstone and Crossey still had barely any budget and barely any testing beforehand.
A ninth in the first race for Core Motorsport was followed up with a seventh place in the second race. In recent years Crossey has dabbled in the MSV F3 Cup but his racing has always been limited by budget as opposed to talent.
“You have to take a step back,” Crossey follows on, “You can sell a sportscar championship and a series on the TOCA package much more easily because it is more viable for a sponsor to back.”
Crossey goes on to say that he has been looking at the Carrera Cup GB for around a year and enthuses that, “The package Porsche put together is so attractive.” Perhaps the most illuminating comment is this. “They don’t treat their competitors as customers they treat them as a family that goes racing together competitively.”
F3 racing was the end of single-seater pathway. (Credit: Ashley Crossey Racing)
All four finalists want to be racing in the Carrera Cup GB in 2016, no matter what the outcome of the Scholarship and Crossey is no exception. Where from there though? Again all the scholars seem to be in agreement, “Right now it is the Supercup and then LMP1.”
“To win the scholarship would be special because I would be racing a Porsche for a team and for Porsche themselves.” He highlights the slight change in perspective if you have the backing from a manufacturer, to carry on through the ranks.
Crossey is a man you feel deserves a break. He would make a worthy scholar but then again so would the other three contenders. However, he certainly deserves a space on the grid in 2016 and some luck to go with it.
Hopefully Crossey can join the grid in 2016. (Credit: Malcolm Griffiths)
