Perth’s Aidan Read is set to embark on an exciting journey, as he has been signed to contest a full season in the ultra-competitive Formula Masters China Series (FMCS) with the leading Eurasia Motorsport team in 2015.
At the tender age of 15, the Australian showed encouraging signs when he made his international racing debut in the pivotal final round of the 2014 FMCS season at China’s state-of-the-art Shanghai International Circuit in October.
The talented teenager hails from Perth and built solid foundations in the WA Sporting Car Club Formula Vee Championship in his native Australia, although he ultimately aspires to compete as a professional racing driver at an international level.
Having refined his driving skills since first laying his hands on a Kart at the age of ten, Read was buoyed by his positive and enlightening Formula Masters China debut in Shanghai and has been undertaking preparations for a full-time assault on the burgeoning single-seater series since signing to race for the leading Eurasia Motorsport team in 2015.
Fresh from being nominated as runner-up for the 2014 season at the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) Awards presentation, Read said: “Going into the 2015 season, I feel well prepared thanks to the large amount of preparation in the last 12 months. The drive in 2015 is something I have been working towards for years now, and I feel extremely motivated. I’m ready for the challenge. Testing begins in January but I plan to get plenty of seat time. I learnt a huge amount in Shanghai in every aspect of the sport and I’ve mainly been working on my fitness since then. My first season will be a steep learning curve, for sure, as I am new to the extreme level of competition in the FMCS. However, the weekend in Shanghai was a valuable experience that will take the edge off of my first race weekend next year.
“The expertise and brilliant track record of the Eurasia Motorsport team gives me a great deal of confidence, as I know I am part of a professional outfit, capable of winning. It’s up to me to perform and provide the results the team deserves. I don’t really want to state any aims for my first season, but all that is necessary to know is that every time I’m racing, I’ll be giving 100 per cent for myself, and for the team.”
Eurasia is a bi-continental amalgamation of world class driver development, international engineering excellence and the highest standards of preparation, and it will mount a potent four-car attack on the FMCS, which tours many of the Asia-Pacific region’s greatest circuits in China, Indonesia, Japan and Malaysia.
Eurasia Motorsport Chairman and Team Principal, Mark Goddard, said: “Eurasia is renowned for developing the Champions of tomorrow and we are excited to have signed a future star already. Having Aidan (Read) aboard this early will allow us to undertake a good pre-season testing campaign, which will result in him being fully prepared for the 2015 Formula Masters China season. Knowing we have a potential race winner in the team is a great motivation and the guys are looking forward to working with Aidan at the Sepang test days in January.”
The 2015 Formula Masters China Series (FMCS) gets underway at the Sepang International Circuit – the home of the Formula 1 Malaysian Grand Prix – on 1-2 May.