Background

Billy Asaro of Unionville, Ontario, is climbing the motorsport ladder, dedicated to reaching the top rung. Since first racing a go-kart when he was ten, Billy has shown incredible talent. That talent, blended with unyielding determination, makes him a most exciting prospect.

Asaro, who recently turned 22, says his interest in racing sparked at an early age. A regular visitor to the Toronto Indy since he was four, he chased many a driver for an autograph. "When I was little, I even walked in on a team meeting to get Paul Tracy's autograph," he recalls with a smile.

Out of the Stands
In 1992 Asaro began racing karts. Stepping out of the stands and getting behind the wheel, he was now a race drvier. Billy was a natural and rapidly ascended the ranks to the elite Formula A class where he capped his karting years by winning the 1997 Canadian Grand National Championship.

From karts, he graduated to open-wheel race cars and travelled to France for a season at La Filiere (Elf Campus), one of the world's top racing schools. There, he honed his technique and learned many skills he would require as a professional sports figure.

Making an Impression
In 1999, Asaro entered the Canadian Formula Ford Championship and his name was soon buzzing through Canadian racing circles. Just seventeen years old, he made a huge impression by winning three of the first four races.

Ironically, it was the race Billy didn’t win that generated the most interest. Racing at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, he built a massive lead and looked certain for a dominant victory. On the last lap, however, an electrical component failed, his engine fell silent and his car coasted to a halt within sight of the finish line. Heartbroken, Asaro jumped from the car and began to push as the rest of the field finally caught up. He knew he couldn’t win, but he would not give up. Montreal's passionate Formula One crowd appreciated the effort and gave the courageous youngster a standing ovation.

The next step was US Formula Ford 2000, thanks to CART team owner Jerry Forsythe and his Forsythe Racing Development Team. It was a difficult season, but Billy always came out fighting. A funding shortfall saw Forsythe’s development program cancelled at the end of the season, but much had been learned and Asaro was eager to try again.

One of Tomorrow’s Superstars
In 2001, Key Motorsport gave Billy the opportunity to take another crack at USFF2000. Team owner, Steve Djelebian, felt he could help one of tomorrow’s superstars and he was right, it was a successful year. Asaro scored three wins and seven top-three finishes. He won the Road to Indy Oval Crown and was runner-up in the National Championship.

There were times when Asaro was simply in another league. At Watkins Glen, he posted victory on the historic track after starting fifteenth. However, even that paled to his genius at Road America where he finished third, taming a wild car that shed its rear wing early in the race.

For the past two years, Billy has been competing in the British Formula Three Championship, one of the world’s toughest development series. His first F3 campaign, in the Scholarship Class, was remarkable as he stormed in with ten top-three finishes, three wins, two poles and three fastest laps taking third place in the championship.

Moving up to the Championship Class with an upstart team in 2003 was a learning experience for everyone involved. Missing several races early in the year and lacking a testing budget made for a challenging season, but Billy was often a top-ten finisher and by season’s end was qualifying and finishing in the top five.

Asaro’s engineer for the past two seasons, Roly Vincini who has worked with World Champions Ayrton Senna and Nelson Piquet, is most impressed with his young charge. “I’ve worked with the best,” he said, “And Billy is as good as I’ve seen.”

Peter Collins, former engineer with Williams Grand Prix Engineering, is also a believer. “Billy has it all!” he remarked. “The only thing that can stop him being in CART or Formula One is sponsorship.”

Billy is quite simply an artist in a race car. He has talent, desire and determination that cannot be suppressed. The top of the ladder is surely within reach.