S’pore race driver Sean Hudspeth buoyed by GT World Challenge Europe podium finish

SINGAPORE – In his 14th year of competitive motor racing, Sean Hudspeth’s drive and desire for the sport still burns strong.

It has at times been a bumpy ride for the Singaporean. Just over a fortnight ago, he claimed his first podium in the final race of the GT World Challenge Europe championship. This was after a turbulent season that saw him and AF Corse teammate Nicola Marinangeli come close to a top-three finish several times.

His third-place finish in Zandvoort, the Netherlands has only whetted the 29-year-old’s appetite as he believes he still has more to accomplish.

Hudspeth said: “I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s achievable... The sky is the limit. I’m not even 30 yet, some drivers are racing till they’re 50. I’m experienced and I’ve accomplished a lot but there’s still more to achieve.

“I want to build on this podium and maybe go for a win next time. Obviously, there’s a lot that goes into racing – it’s not just the performance of the driver but everything has to come together which is why I like it so much.

“The team and I and the other driver, we push ourselves, we push each other to achieve great heights, that’s where the motivation comes from. It’s just chasing higher and higher goals.”

Heading into the final weekend of the GT World Challenge Europe season, the pressure was on for him and Marinangeli.

Throughout their 2023 campaign, the duo had a number of near misses. In the first round in Brands Hatch, England, they were running third but the car would not start after a pit stop.

In the next race in Misano, Italy, they were leading when another car from a different class hit them and they eventually finished fifth. And issues with their car scuppered their podium chances in the next few races.

But the team seized their final opportunity of the season when they finished third in the Silver Cup of the championships’ Zandvoort event, behind winners Jordan Love and Frank Bird (Haupt Racing Team) and Jesse Salmenautio and Ezequiel Perez Companc (Madpanda Motorsport).

Hudspeth said: “We knew we had the package to do it in terms of the drivers, the car, the team and the performance, but it was just so frustrating because after putting in so much effort and having that come to nothing was very frustrating, but it fuelled the fire.

“We went into each weekend putting the past behind us and just looking forward and it just shows that you can never give up, we were so determined and motivated and everyone in the team gave it everything.”

Hudspeth is in talks with Ferrari on plans for the next season and he will be busy karting and racing on the simulator to stay sharp for the new year.

He said: “This was my first year in the GT World Challenge Europe and my first time driving the new Ferrari 296 GT3. It was my teammate’s first year in GT – he came from Formula 3 – so it’s a very different ball game. It was a big learning year.

“Hopefully next year if we decide to do this championship again, same driver, same championship, we’ll be in a much better position because we’ve had all the practice in the car, getting to know each other, the circuits, the championship.”