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Stuttgart. At the famous 24 hour race in Daytona/USA in a field stronger than ever before, pilots from the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup impressed with outstanding performances.
At his first attempt, René Rast (Germany), the Supercup champion of 2010 and 2011, won the long distance classic in Florida with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup together with Porsche works driver Richard Lietz (Austria) and Americans Andy Lally and John Potter.
Jeroen Bleekemolen from the Netherlands, title winner of the world’s fastest international one-make race series in 2008 and 2009, scored second place with Porsche factory pilot Wolf Henzler (Germany) as well as Marc Goossens (Belgium), Spencer Pumpelly and Steven Bertheau (both USA).
“A dream has come true with this victory,” said René Rast, winner of five Supercup rounds last year, including the Porsche Carrera World Cup on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. In recognition of his outstanding achievements last season, Porsche gave Rast the opportunity of competing in Daytona.
Jeroen Bleekemolen stated:
“That was undoubtedly the most intensely competitive 24 hour race I’ve ever driven. To finish second here is a fantastic effort from the entire team.”
Jonas Krauss, Manager of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, was also very pleased with his drivers’ performances on the Daytona International Speedway.
“Our pilots have done an excellent job in this world-class field,” he said.
“The fact that René could win at his Daytona debut and Jeroen also climbed the podium in second clearly shows that some of the best GT pilots in the world are contesting the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and they can hold their own anywhere.”
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Other Supercup pilots in Daytona were Britain’s Sean Edwards and Nick Tandy, who finished in 18th place.
Position 24 was occupied by Frenchman Kévin Estre, the 2011 “Rookie of the Year” in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. Porsche also gave him the chance to start in Daytona in recognition of his strong performance as the most successful Supercup newcomer by far.
The three Porsche works drivers Wolf Henzler, Richard Lietz and Marc Lieb, who shared the GT podium in Daytona with René Rast and Jeroen Bleekemolen, also first proved themselves in the Porsche makes cup series. Wolf Henzler was the Supercup champion of 2004, and Marc Lieb clinched the title in the 2002 Porsche Carrera Cup.
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup strongly represented at Daytona
Five Supercup pilots contest the 24 hour classic
Stuttgart. The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is strongly represented at the 24 hour race in Daytona. Five drivers from the world’s fastest international one-make race series tackle the spring classic in Florida/USA with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
In recognition of their outstanding performances last season, Porsche AG has given the double Supercup champion René Rast (Germany) and Frenchman Kévin Estre as “Rookie of the Year” the chance to participate in the 50th anniversary running of the legendary sports car race on the Daytona International Speedway.
“René and Kévin displayed extraordinary prowess during the 2011 season,” says Jonas Krauss, Head of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.
“So with support from Porsche, they have earned the chance to prove themselves in the fiercely-contested GT class of this long distance classic against very strong competition.”
Other pilots from the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in Daytona are Britain’s Sean Edwards and Nick Tandy as well as Jeroen Bleekemolen from the Netherlands.
Sean Edwards (GB) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011
Nick Tandy (GB) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Spanien 2011
Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Italien 2011
On the way to his second title after 2010, René Rast celebrated five victories last year, including races on the storied Grand Prix circuits of Spa and Silverstone.
René Rast (D) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Türkei 2011
Moreover, the German won the Porsche Carrera World Cup on the famed Nürburgring-Nordschleife.
“For me, Daytona is a real highlight to kick off the new season,” says Rast about his Daytona campaign with Magnus Racing.
“It’s not every day a race driver gets the chance to contest such a prestigious 24 hour race with Porsche backup. This is really something very special.”
Kévin Estre was not only the most successful Supercup newcomer by far in 2011 – he also secured his first victory in this intensely competitive one-make series in the Royal Park of Monza. The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup has run as support to the Formula 1 World Championship since 1993.
Estre is excited about his debut in Daytona with TRG Racing.
“I thank Porsche for this unique chance,” he says. “I’ll do my best to justify their trust and to represent the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup well.”
Kevin Estre (F) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Italien 2011
Podium Renenn 2: Kevin Estre (F), René Rast (D), Christian Engelhart (D) Porsche Mobil1 Supercup
Stuttgart. On the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, René Rast crowned his championship season in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup with his fifth win.
Podium Renenn 2: Kevin Estre (F), René Rast (D), Christian Engelhart (D) Porsche Mobil1 Supercup
Driving the VELTINS Lechner Racing run Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, based on the lightweight 911 GT3 RS street sports car, the German won the final race on the ultra-modern Formula 1 circuit in the capital of the United Arab Emirates on Sunday.
René Rast (D) Porsche Mobil1 Supercup GP Abu Dhabi 2011
On Saturday, second place was enough for him to successfully defend his title in the world’s fastest international one-make race series.
René Rast (D) Porsche Mobil1 Supercup GP Abu Dhabi 2011
In high summer temperatures, Rast took up the race from pole position to score an emphatic lights-to-flag victory. This season he clinched wins in Monaco, on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife at the Porsche Carrera World Cup, in Silverstone and at the 200th Supercup race on the Grand Prix track of the Nürburgring.
And again in Abu Dhabi he was in a class of his own: Rast saw the flag 5.342 seconds ahead of Frenchman Kévin Estre (Hermes Attempto Racing), the winner at Monza and recipient of the rookie classification title as best Supercup newcomer. Third place went to Germany’s Christian Engelhart, who won the season-opener in Istanbul for his Konrad Motorsport squad.
After René Rast secured the title, five drivers battled for vice championship honours.
One of those was Nick Tandy. But after scoring his first Supercup win on Saturday, bad luck hampered the Briton in race two. After the start he moved briefly into the lead but braked far too late and hit the rear of Rast’s Porsche. With a damaged radiator he was forced into retirement.
One small consolation: As the driver with the greatest number of fastest race laps he received the Tudor Fastest Lap Award and took home a valuable Tudor wristwatch.
Start, Nick Tandy (GB) in front Porsche Mobil1 Supercup GP Abu Dhabi 2011
Tandy’s retirement opened the way for Norbert Siedler. Driving for VELTINS Lechner Racing, the Austrian didn’t have much luck in the race finishing seventh, but it was enough to secure the vice championship behind his teammate René Rast.
Norbert Siedler (A) Porsche Mobil1 Supercup GP Abu Dhabi 2011
Third went to Poland’s Kuba Giermaziak (VERVA Racing Team), the winner of the Budapest and Spa-Francorchamps races, who didn’t find his stride at the double-header events in Abu Dhabi and was unable to use his – albeit theoretical – chance to claim the title.
Kuba Giermaziak (PL) Porsche Mobil1 Supercup GP Abu Dhabi 2011
Mathias Lauda experienced a special conclusion to the season. Driving for the Konrad Motorsport Austria team, the son of racing legend Niki Lauda finished in the top ten for the first time in tenth at his maiden Supercup season.
René Rast (winner):
“That was a finale that you can only dream of as a champion. My car ran perfectly from the first to last lap. I messed up the start a little so that Nick drew level with me, but I immediately put on the pressure. He then made a mistake in braking and when he pulled back onto the track he hit the right rear of my Porsche. Afterwards I had a free run and used my advantage well. I won the most important races this season, the Porsche Carrera World Cup on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, Monaco, Silverstone and the 200th Supercup race on the Grand-Prix circuit of the Nürburgring – the season couldn’t have gone better for me and my team.”
René Rast (D) Porsche Mobil1 Supercup GP Abu Dhabi 2011
Kévin Estre (second):
“The second podium result of the weekend – I’m very pleased with that. It was a fitting conclusion to my very successful season. I was the best rookie in all the races I contested. Winning the rookie of the year award was my main goal this year. This makes me as happy as I was after my first Supercup win in Monza. Now I want to build on these successes next year.”
Kevin Estre (F) Porsche Mobil1 Supercup GP Abu Dhabi 2011
Christian Engelhart (third):
“That worked out well. I kicked off the season with a podium result in Istanbul and now concluded it on the podium in Abu Dhabi. The race was relatively trouble free. I didn’t have a chance to get past Kévin but there was such a gap behind me that I had nothing to worry about.”
Christian Engelhart (D) Porsche Mobil1 Supercup GP Abu Dhabi 2011
Race result
1. René Rast (D), VELTINS Lechner Racing, 31:16.212 minutes
2. Kévin Estre (F), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 5.342 seconds
3. Christian Engelhart (D), Konrad Motorsport, + 9.291
4. Sean Edwards (GB), Team Abu Dhabi by tolimits, + 13.559
5. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, + 13.686
6. Kuba Giermaziak (PL), VERVA Racing Team, + 23.472
Final standings after 11 races Driver
1. René Rast (D), 181 points
2. Norbert Siedler (A), 145
3. Kuba Giermaziak (PL), 140
4. Sean Edwards (GB), 140
5. Nick Tandy (GB), 129
6. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), 129
René Rast (D), Nick Tandy (GB), Kevin Estre (F) Porsche Mobil1 Supercup GP Abu Dhabi 2011
Stuttgart. René Rast has already achieved his goal before the final race of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup: Clinching second place at the wheel of his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, the German from VELTINS Lechner Racing secured the championship title at the first of two final races in Abu Dhabi.
René Rast (D) Porsche Mobil1 Supercup GP Abu Dhabi 2011
Britain’s Nick Tandy (Konrad Motorsport) celebrated his first win of the season on the Yas Marina Circuit in the world’s fastest international one-make race series.
Nick Tandy (GB) Porsche Mobil1 Supercup GP Abu Dhabi 2011
On the ultra-modern Formula 1 circuit in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Kévin Estre pulled to the head of the field from pole position.
René Rast (D), Nick Tandy (GB), Kevin Estre (F) Porsche Mobil1 Supercup GP Abu Dhabi 2011
Behind the Hermes Attempto Racing pilot from France, who has already secured the title of the BBS rookie classification in Monza, René Rast initially followed in second place. Nicky Tandy in third then put the title defender under immense pressure, and with Rast’s sights firmly set on claiming the title he finally let the Briton overtake.
René Rast (D) Porsche Mobil1 Supercup GP Abu Dhabi 2011
While Rast observed the fight at the front from a safe distance, Nick Tandy wasn’t at all ready to settle for second. Last year’s vice-champion had finished in second place four times this season but had yet to pocket a win which he was now determined to do. Tandy attacked the leader whenever he saw the chance and pushed the young Frenchman into making errors. He then used one of these opportunities to manoeuvre into the lead which he held to the flag. Aside from his first win of the season, he also claimed the honour of the Tudor Fastest Lap Award for the driver with the highest number of fastest laps, and was awarded a valuable Tudor wrist watch.
Nick Tandy (GB)
Porsche Mobil1 Supercup
GP Abu Dhabi 2011
With his 450 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, based on the lightweight 911 GT3 RS street sports car, René Rast also profited from a minor error of Kévin Estre near the end of the race and secured second place.
Fourth position went to his Austrian teammate Norbert Siedler, who moved into second overall in the championship. VELTINS Lechner Racing clinched the team classification title.
Video by: Formula One Management (FOM)]
Although the fight for the title has been decided, suspense is guaranteed at the final race of season on Sunday: Trailing Rast as the new champion are five other drivers keen to take home runner-up honours.
Nick Tandy (winner):
“My first victory at last. I’ve waited for this for the entire year. It’s great that I have now finally achieved this. It was a very interesting race. Kévin was setting a blistering pace, René and I took our time watching him and hoped that he’d maybe make a mistake, which he did. Congratulations to René on his title win. After my victory today I’m heading into the race on Sunday feeling very confident. ”
Nick Tandy (GB) Porsche Mobil1 Supercup GP Abu Dhabi 2011
René Rast (second):
“I’m simply thrilled and relieved. It’s difficult to describe what it means to have won this championship two times in a row. This year was even tougher than last season because there were more drivers competing who were good to take the title. We experienced a poor start to the season, but we fought our way out of this minor setback and found our old form again. This makes our success today even sweeter. In the race I tried to keep out of any trouble. Nick was quicker than me, so I let him pass. After that I just concentrated on reaching the flag safely. But then Kévin made a mistake so I used the chance. Thanks to my team for all they have done to make this victory possible.”
René Rast (D), Team Lechner Racing Porsche Mobil1 Supercup GP Abu Dhabi 2011
Kévin Estre (third):
“That was a tough race. To sit in the lead with René and Nick behind you is not exactly easy. I was determined to finish on the podium and I achieved this despite making a few small mistakes. So from this point of view, I’m pleased and I now look forward to tomorrow’s race.”
Start, Kevin Estre (F), René Rast (D) vorne Porsche Mobil1 Supercup GP Abu Dhabi 2011
Race result
1. Nick Tandy (GB), Konrad Motorsport, 31:15.317 minutes
2. René Rast (D), VELTINS Lechner Racing, + 1.549 seconds
3. Kévin Estre (F), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 6.232
4. Norbert Siedler (A), VELTINS Lechner Racing, + 6.658
5. Christian Engelhart (D), Konrad Motorsport, + 10.235
6. Sean Edwards (GB), Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, + 10.382
Points’ standings after 10 of 11 races Drivers
1. René Rast (D), 161 points
2. Norbert Siedler (A), 136
3. Kuba Giermaziak (PL),130
4. Nick Tandy (GB), 129
5. Sean Edwards (GB), 126
6. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), 117
Teams
1. VELTINS Lechner Racing, 291 points
2. Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, 240
3. Konrad Motorsport, 218
Nick Tandy (GB) – Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 09 Hockenheimring 2011
“Contesting the Porsche Makes Cup was the best decision I ever made”
Nick Tandy (GB), Helmut Greiner – Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 09 Hockenheimring 2011
Stuttgart. Nick Tandy is the new champion of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland. In an exciting finale, third place was enough for the Konrad Motorsport driver from Great Britain to beat his toughest rival of the season, Sean Edwards (Deutsche Post by tolimit), to the trophy.
Nick Tandy (GB) – Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 01 Hockenheimring 2011
Winning the title of Germany’s fastest one-make series is all the more impressive considering the extraordinary level of competition amongst the contenders.
“A huge dream has come true for me,” said the new champion. “To contest the Porsche brand trophy series is the best decision I ever made. I was never this successful before in racing.”
In the 22-year history of the championship, this marks only the second time that a non-German has won – and the first for a British citizen.
Nick Tandy (GB) – Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 01 Hockenheimring 2011
For 26-year-old Tandy, his title win in Hockenheim is quietly satisfying. It was here last year at the finale in the Motodrom that an accident in the first race lap shunted him out of contention for the championship.
Despite a brilliant debut season with five victories from nine rounds, the shooting star of 2010 had to settle for vice-championship honours, whilst Nicolas Armindo (France, Hermes Attempto Racing) took home the title. And in the international Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup as well, René Rast came out on top with Tandy again finishing as runner-up.
Tandy took off into the new season as the favourite – and promptly fulfilled all expectations with victory at round one.
“I drove away from the race in Hockenheim and knew that I would become champion this year,” he admits. “This might sound arrogant, but I was simply sure that I was strong enough.”
What he faced, however, was a roller-coaster ride. At round two in Zandvoort everything was turned upside down. Tandy rolled his 911 in free practice and also received a penalty for driving too fast under yellow. The high-flyer from the previous year had to take up the race from the back of the field – to drive, as he says himself,
“the race of my life”.
On a circuit that is not known for its overtaking opportunities, the Briton passed one rival after another. After the flag, an ecstatic Tandy climbed the podium in third.
“My car ran perfectly and I drove a faultless race,” he said. “It was crazy overtaking virtually all the competitors. In this case, third place felt much better than some of my victories.”
The British specialist car magazine Autosport wrote as a headline:
“Is this the new DTM star?”
Jaap van Lagen won the Spielberg race in torrential rain, with Tandy extending his lead with second place. He finished fourth on the Lausitzring, but remained at the top of the points’ table.
“The championship has become much tougher compared to last year,” he declared.
“The reason for this is that the level of performance has greatly increased. Moreover, in 2010 I learned that five wins in a season don’t automatically make you champion.”
Then comes the low point. As points’ leader, Tandy travels to the season highlight in the Eifel, where the Carrera World Cup is contested on a combination of the Grand Prix circuit and the Nordschleife.
Over motivated, Tandy crashes after ten minutes, retires and slides down the ranks to sit third overall. Sean Edwards moves to the top of the table.
Nick Tandy (GB) – Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 06 Norisring 2011
With a poorly set-up 911, he finds it almost impossible to stay on the track on the rained-out Norisring and wades his way to fifth.
Is Tandy’s star fading?
Edwards, in the meantime, celebrates his first Carrera Cup win as the ‘rainman’.
At the second race in the Eifel, this time on the Grand Prix course, the table turns. While in the lead, Edwards’s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup suffers a puncture in the final lap.
Nick Tandy (GB) – Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
Tandy, trailing him like a shadow, inherits victory and takes his place back at the top of the points.
“I’ve had my share of bad luck this season,” he says almost defiantly. “Now lady luck has returned.”
With an immaculate drive to victory at the penultimate race in Oschersleben, the Briton further extends his lead. In heavy rain, his rival Edwards finishes fifth. Nick Tandy arrives at the finale with a twelve-point advantage, he posts the quickest time in both free practices – throwing down the gauntlet to his fellow compatriot. He clinches pole position and with third place secures the long-awaited championship title.
Nick Tandy (GB) – Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 07 Nürburgring 2011
Fundamentally, the 2011 season is a mirror image of the new champion’s career, which didn’t take the usual route and is strongly influenced by British racing.
“I’m not your normal kart kid,” he says.
Nick Tandy (GB)
With his twin brother Joe, he honed his reflexes in the so-called ministocks – a Mini Cooper fitted with a type of bullbar – on small ovals.
“It was just huge fun,” reminisces Tandy. “But after four years we were asked to leave the series, we were getting a little too wild.”
Tandy then wins the competition for a single-seater class and enters the British Formula Ford Championship, which enjoys a cult status in the UK.
In 2007, Tandy wins the world final of the series, gets a cockpit in the national Formula 3 and achieves a raft of successes – until a blow of fate hits him hard.
In May 2009, his brother, who also competes in the Formula 3 team, dies in a traffic accident. Tandy’s career seems to stall.
Joe Tandy, 1983-2009
Perhaps the exceptional talent would have sunk into oblivion if it weren’t for Franz Konrad. The long-standing team boss of the successful Porsche racing squad is known as a talent scout.
In September 2009, he opens the way for the Briton to contest a Carrera Cup race. Tandy comes to Dijon with experience as a guest starter in the British Cup, qualifies in second in the rain and finishes second behind Jeroen Bleekemolen who was driving for the Konrad team in the Supercup.
“I could have won then,” says Tandy. “But obviously I didn’t want to go for Jeroen.”
Nick Tandy (GB) – Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland 2011
His gratitude to Franz Konrad is as real as the man himself.
“Without Franz I would be off the radar today and I would be earning my money in my profession in automotive glass and with some second job in motorsport. I’m extremely thankful to him.”
Tandy only stopped work as an automotive glass specialist in 2011. Last year when he wasn’t racing he still worked in his profession. And because he knows how, he helps his team when a windscreen needs changing.
Nick Tandy on…
… the competitiveness in the Carrera Cup Deutschland:
“Alongside the Supercup, the Carrera Cup is definitely the best and most popular national Porsche Cup. This year the competition was incredibly tough. Perhaps we were too good last year as a team. Compared to that, we seemed somehow clueless this year when things didn’t always run perfectly. But there were six different winners from the first six races in the Carrera Cup this season and that says volumes about the level of competition.”
… the accident at the Porsche World Cup on the Nürburgring:
“The low point of my year. My first thought when I stood beside my stranded car in the forest was ‘what a stupid idea to come to the Nürburgring’. Then I berated myself: What an idiot! The accident cost me the points’ lead in the Carrera Cup and the Supercup. That meant a lot of prize money went down the drain, and we really needed it because our budget for the season was really tight. Financially, we just made it from weekend to weekend.”
…his rival from last year Nicolas Armindo:
“I was mostly affected by how much bad luck Nicolas experienced as reigning champion this season. I tried to imagine how I would feel if it had happened to me – a horrible thought!”
… his dreams:
“I’m convinced that the bosses in the series above the Carrera Cup and Supercup of the Porsche one-make series are watching and I’m sure that they know I’ve done a great job here. Perhaps someone will notice me. My big dream would be to drive NASCAR. Even as a small boy I watched TV and dreamed of oval racing in the USA.”
… his long-time partner Brittany McKenzie:
“I’d be nothing without Brittany. We’ve known each other since I was seven and we’ve been together for almost six years. Without her I’d probably not make it to the circuits, I’d not catch my planes and I’d be sleeping in a truck rather than a hotel. Brittany organises almost all my motorsport life.”
… his basic principle in competition:
“I love a challenge and that also crosses over into my hobbies. I love to play darts or golf and I play both particularly well when it’s a competition and I have to beat an opponent. Hobbies or sports without any real competition is not for me. I’m ambitious. I’d be happy to manage a round of golf in 82.”
Nick Tandy (GB) – Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 09 Hockenheimring 2011
Stuttgart. In a turbulent rain race, Kuba Giermaziak celebrated his maiden victory in the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup on the Hungaroring near Budapest.
Kuba Giermaziak (PL) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP Ungarn 2011
With his win, the Pole goes down in the successful history of the world’s fastest international one-make race series as the 50th winner out of 201 races contested so far.
Kuba Giermaziak (PL) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP Ungarn 2011
Kuba Giermaziak (PL) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP Ungarn 2011
At the wheel of his 450 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, which is based on the lightweight 911 GT3 RS street sports car, the VERVA Racing pilot put in a brilliant drive to outpace Dutchman Jeroen Bleekemolen (Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit) by 18.783 seconds.
Kuba Giermaziak (PL) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP Ungarn 2011
Third place was enough for Bleekemolen’s British teammate Sean Edwards to snatch the championship lead.
Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), Kuba Giermaziak (PL), Sean Edwards (GB) Porsche Mobil1 Supercup
Kuba Giermaziak claimed the maiden win for a Polish and East European driver by a huge margin, very rarely seen in this fiercely-contested championship. Many young pilots have used the one-make series run as support to the Formula 1 as a launching platform for extremely successful careers in international GT racing and attracted attention with performances similar to that of the youngest driver in the field at 21 years. Taking up the sprint from fifth on the grid, Giermaziak immediately shot past the first rivals and already after one lap had moved into third place. In lap four he had snatched the lead.
During the first laps on the wet Grand Prix circuit, positions changed almost by the second. Kévin Estre, the French Supercup newcomer driving for Hermes Attempto Racing, made the most of his pole position and initially defended his lead.
Kevin Estre (F) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP Ungarn 2011
When he visited the gravel in the lap one, René Rast (Germany) took his place at the front. But under such difficult conditions the points’ leader from VELTINS Lechner Racing made several mistakes and fell back in the field. Over the course of the race, the title defender had to let more opponents past. With four laps to the flag, technical problems forced the German into retirement, which robbed him of his overall points’ lead.
Nick Tandy also came away from the seventh round with a disappointing result. Driving for Konrad Motorsport, the Briton spun in the second lap and lost touch with the front-runners. Crossing the finish line in ninth, last year’s vice-champion very likely has to bury his title aspirations completely.
Meanwhile at the front, Kuba Giermaziak continued to pull away from his pursuers. With his VERVA Racing team, he had previously tested in the rain on the Hungaroring. Team boss Timo Rumpfkeil could implement the insight gained from this almost 1:1 in the race.
Behind the leader, Sean Edwards and Kévin Estre managed to fend off any attacks for quite some time before the Frenchman made some errors and lost contact to the front-runners to finish in fifth. For the Briton, this didn’t bring much relief.
Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), Sean Edwards (GB) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP Ungarn 2011
His teammate Jeroen Bleekemolen put him under immense pressure from behind to finally pass him shortly before the finish in the final lap to snatch second. For the two-time Supercup winner, this marked his first podium result so far this season.
Behind the Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit duo, Norbert Siedler’s stunning chase through the field was rewarded with fourth place.
Taking up the race from tenth place after a poor qualifying, VELTINS Lechner Racing sent the Austrian as well as René Rast into the race on brand new rain tyres. With sixth, Robert Lukas yielded his best result this season behind his teammate Kévin Estre.
Kuba Giermaziak (PL) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP Ungarn 2011
Kuba Giermaziak (winner):
Kuba Giermaziak (PL) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP Ungarn 2011
“I’m absolutely delighted with my first victory in the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, and my biggest thanks go to my team. It’s incredible how hard the boys work to put a perfect car on the track for us at every race. We tested here in Budapest, luckily in rain, and that paid off. We knew we’d do very well on the wet circuit, but we hadn’t anticipated that we’d do it with such a huge advantage. Despite the awful weather conditions I didn’t make any mistakes. I’m particularly pleased for the many Polish fans who came so far this weekend to support us. Thank you all very much.”
Jeroen Bleekemolen (second):
“What a great race. I started from seventh, struggled with grip at the start and lost two places. But I crawled my way up lap by lap with a couple of good overtaking manoeuvres – huge fun! I tried to be cautious with my tyres over the whole distance, even during the formation lap, and it proved very helpful at the end when the track dried up, particularly for overtaking Sean.”
Sean Edwards (third):
“Now that was one crazy race. I had a lot of fun. The grip wasn’t really great over the distance and I had to fight hard to defend my position. But there was nothing I could do about Jeroen. Still, I’m totally happy. Both cars from Abu Dhabi by tolimit on the podium, the first time this season – that’s a great result. I’m hoping we can continue like this at the next race in Spa. The championship is really exciting now.”
Race result
1. Kuba Giermaziak (PL) VERVA Racing Team, 30:12.507 minutes
2. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, + 18.783 seconds
3. Sean Edwards (GB), Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, + 19.449
4. Norbert Siedler (A), VELTINS Lechner Racing, + 21.931
5. Kévin Estre (F), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 23.112
6. Robert Lukas (PL), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 24.539
Drivers’ classification after 7 of 11 races
1. Sean Edwards (GB), 106 points
2. René Rast (D), 105
3. Norbert Siedler (A), 97
4. Kuba Giermaziak (PL), 90
5. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), 86
6. Nick Tandy (GB), 79
Round 8 of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup takes place on 28 August as support to the Formula 1 race in Spa-Francorchamps/Belgium.
René Rast (D) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011
René Rast wins 200th Supercup race
Kuba Giermaziak (PL), René Rast (D), Sean Edwards (GB) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011
Stuttgart. The hero of the day in the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup is René Rast.
René Rast (D) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011
At the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup fielded by VELTINS Lechner Racing, the title defender from Frankfurt in Germany won the 200th race of the world’s fastest international one-make series on the Nuerburgring.
René Rast (D) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011
René Rast (D) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011
This marks his fourth win so far this season.
Kuba Giermaziak (PL) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011
In a gripping race under typical Eifel weather conditions, he relegated Poland’s Kuba Giermaziak (VERVA Racing Team) to second place and further extended his championship lead.
Start zum 200. Rennen – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011
The anniversary race of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, which has run as support to the Formula 1 worldwide since 1993, started with a worried glance at the low-hanging clouds.
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011
When the rain stopped shortly before the start, the majority of drivers opted for slicks – with Sebastiaan Bleekemolen (Team Bleekemolen) in position 12 on the grid selecting rain tyres.
Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011
On the partly wet track, the Dutchman fought his way through half the field in the first lap to promptly move into first place. But his blaze of glory was short-lived: The slowly drying circuit foiled any further plans.
Sharing this fate were Britain’s Nick Tandy and Frenchman Kévin Estre. The title aspirant from Konrad Motorsport and the Supercup newcomer driving for Hermes Attempto Racing had such a lively encounter in the second corner that they were thrown remorselessly to the back of the field and went home without any championship points.
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011
This was particularly bitter for Nick Tandy, who as reigning vice-champion has yet to notch up a victory this season and for whom this setback is possibly decisive in his bid for the title.
René Rast (D) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011
At the head of the pack René Rast and the first-time pole-sitter Kuba Giermaziak delivered a tough fight for victory right to the flag. Still, the Pole drove a cautious race to clinch his best Supercup result so far.
Sean Edwards (GB) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011
Britain’s Sean Edwards, who eventually brought home third in his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup run by Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, posed no threat from behind.
Norbert Siedler (A) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011
Trailing the Barcelona winner, Austria’s Norbert Siedler (VELTINS Lechner Racing) secured fourth, but not before fending off a strong attack from Stefan Rosina.
Stefan Rosina (SK) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011
Driving for VERVA Racing, the Slovakian secured his best result to date with fifth ahead of Jeroen Bleekemolen (Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit), two-time Supercup champion from the Netherlands.
Kuba Giermaziak (PL), René Rast (D), Sean Edwards (GB) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011
Putting in their personal best Porsche Mobil1 Supercup performance to now at the anniversary race in the Eifel were William Langhorne and Mathias Lauda. The American, who races for SANITEC Aquiles MRS Racing, finished tenth with the Konrad Motorsport pilot from Austria and son of racing legend Niki Lauda in eleventh.
René Rast (winner):
“That was a perfect race. The conditions were unbelievably tough. First it was totally wet, then dry again. When you’re at the front it’s very difficult to predict what’s going to happen. You never know what to expect in the next second. It’s a lot easier for the guys behind me. They can just wait to see what I do. Towards the end I slowed the pace a little to bring my victory home safely. With an eye on the championship, this was a great weekend for us.”
René Rast (D) - Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011
Kuba Giermaziak (second):
“Congratulations to René. He drove a strong race under the most difficult conditions. As the track dried up I was quicker, in fact I could have won today. At least we had the speed. But René is not one to make silly mistakes when he’s under pressure. And I wasn’t prepared to risk anything. So now we just have to keep waiting for our first win, but I’m quite sure it’ll happen this season.”
Kuba Giermaziak (PL), René Rast (D), Sean Edwards (GB) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011
Sean Edwards (third):
“A great race. I started from seventh on the grid and finished in third – that’s not bad under such tough conditions. In the dry we simply didn’t have the speed to attack.”
Kuba Giermaziak (PL), René Rast (D), Sean Edwards (GB) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011
Race result
1. René Rast (D), VELTINS Lechner Racing, 30:00.552 minutes
2. Kuba Giermaziak (PL) VERVA Racing Team, + 1.001 seconds
3. Sean Edwards (GB), Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, + 5.288
4. Norbert Siedler (A), VELTINS Lechner Racing, + 8.042
5. Stefan Rosina (SK), VERVA Racing Team, + 8.628
6. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, + 9.964
Drivers’ standings after 6 of 9 races*
1. René Rast (D), 105 points
2. Sean Edwards (GB), 90
3. Norbert Siedler A), 83
4. Nick Tandy (GB), 72
5. Kuba Giermaziak (PL), 70
6. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), 68
* It has yet to be decided if and when there will be a replacement for the cancelled Formula 1 race in Bahrain with two rounds of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup.
Round 7 of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup takes place on 31 July as support to the Formula 1 race in Budapest/Hungary.
First pole position for Kuba Giermaziak at 200th anniversary race
Stuttgart. At the 200th race in the successful history of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, Kuba Giermaziak from Poland starts from pole position on the Nürburgring on Sunday.
Kuba Giermaziak (PL) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Spanien 2011
Kuba Giermaziak (pole-sitter):
“It couldn’t have been better. I’m so thrilled with my first pole position. But we already noticed in free practice that we had the speed. The entire team prepared everything brilliantly. The Nürburgring is my absolute favourite, in fact I’m always fast here. Achieving pole position is of course a fantastic effort. Now we will try everything to turn it into a fantastic race result.”
At the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup fielded by the VERVA Racing team, he turned the fastest qualifying lap for the first time. At 21, Giermaziak is the youngest driver in the series and currently sits seventh overall in the championship.
Stefan Rosina (SK) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Türkei 2011
Stefan Rosina (2nd in qualifying):
“A huge compliment to my team. With two of us on the first two grid spots, it shows just how well we prepared. The race will certainly not be easy, after all we have a couple of hot-shots breathing hard down our necks. But first we’re going to enjoy this wonderful result and tomorrow we’ll be ready to fight for a top place.”
His teammate from Slovakia, Stefan Rosina, secured the second grid spot with a gap of 0.295 seconds for the anniversary race of the world’s fastest international one-make series and rounded off a strong team performance.
René Rast (D) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011
René Rast (3rd in qualifying):
“I’m satisfied with third place. More important is that Nick and Sean are behind me. If I manage to beat them in the race then I can extend my points’ lead. But it looks like rain tomorrow, so in that case anything can happen.”
Behind the VERVA Racing team pilots, title defender René Rast from Germany had to settle with the third quickest time.
Nick Tandy (GB) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011
Driving for VELTINS Lechner Racing, the current points’ leader and winner of three race this season tackles the anniversary event on the circuit in Germany’s Eifel region alongside his British opponent and title rival Nick Tandy (Konrad Motorsport).
Norbert Siedler (A) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Spanien 2011
Notching up the fifth fastest time, Austria’s Norbert Siedler (VELTINS Lechner Racing) secured a good starting position for Sunday, just like Patrick Huisman (Team Bleekemolen), the Supercup record winner from the Netherlands with sixth.
Patrick Huisman (NL) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Türkei 2011
Sean Edwards from Great Britain had to settle for the seventh grid position. Driving for Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, the current number two in the championship faces a tough task in his bid to make a dent in the points’ difference between him and front-runner René Rast.
Sean Edwards (GB) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011
This also applies to his teammate Jeroen Bleekemolen.
Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL) – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Deutschland 2011
The double Supercup champion from the Netherlands occupies the eighth spot ahead of Supercup newcomer Kévin Estre (France) and Robert Lukas (Poland), the Hermes Attempto Racing duo.
Qualifying result
1. Kuba Giermaziak (PL), VERVA Racing Team, 2:01.791 minutes
2. Stefan Rosina (SK), VERVA Racing Team, + 0.295 seconds
3. René Rast (D), VELTINS Lechner Racing, + 0.376
4. Nick Tandy (GB), Konrad Motorsport, + 0.433
5. Norbert Siedler (A), VELTINS Lechner Racing, + 0.568
6. Patrick Huisman (NL), Team Bleekemolen, + 0.801
René Rast (D) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP England 2011
Stuttgart. After a successful guest appearance at the Porsche Carrera World Cup, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup now returns for the second time this season to the Nürburgring on 24th July.
It’s the 200th race in it’s successful history and rather than on the Nordschleife it takes place on the Grand Prix circuit.
But the change of track doesn’t at all faze René Rast.
“We’re doing well at the moment,” grins the points’ leader driving for the VELTINS Lechner Racing squad. “I don’t really mind where I win.”
The title defender from Germany, who celebrated the greatest success of his career with the World Cup victory, is the man to beat in the world’s fastest international one-make race series.
Start, René Rast (D) vorne – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP England 2011
His start to the season was somewhat bumpy until he turned the corner with his victory in Monaco. Recently on the storied Silverstone circuit, the home track of his arch rival Nick Tandy (Konrad Motorsport), he celebrated his third straight win.
This success saw his old self-confidence return:
“Earlier on we had a couple of hiccups, but now we’re back in force.”
Despite Rast’s winning streak, the fight for the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup title is still wide open before the anniversary race on the Nürburgring.
René Rast (D) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP England 2011
Competing for the Abu Dhabi by tolimit team, Britain’s Sean Edwards secured his place amongst the hot favorites with his win in Barcelona. Although he lost the points’ lead at Silverstone, he hasn’t lost his faith in claiming the title.
“Despite this little misfiring we’re still looking good,” he says. “Now we just have to stick at it.”
Germany’s Christian Engelhart (Konrad Motorsport), winner of the season-opener in Istanbul, also has new hopes. After a lengthy lean spell he finally yielded a good result with fifth in Silverstone.
Christian Engelhart (D) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP England 2011
Fighting to keep up with the front-runners are two drivers that started into the season as keen title aspirants: Nick Tandy and Jeroen Bleekemolen. The Briton fell from the top of the points’ table after retiring from the Porsche Carrera World Cup. He finished four of the five rounds contested by now in second place, but is still waiting for his first win.
Ranking third overall, he needs every point to maintain his bid for the title, as does Jeroen Bleekemolen of Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, who lies behind Austria’s Norbert Siedler (VELTINS Lechner Racing) in fifth. Bleekemolen, the two-time Supercup winner from the Netherlands, experienced a slow start to the season.
With fourth place in Monaco as his best result to now he knows only too well that he has to pull out all stops if he doesn’t want to miss the championship boat.
“On the Nürburgring,” he says, “only a podium result can help. Obviously a win would be the best. But with the competition at the top so close it’s going to be tough.”
In light of the strong competition, the performance of Supercup newcomer Kévin Estre is even more remarkable. The French Hermes Attempto Racing pilot raised eyebrows in Silverstone with third in qualifying, which he turned into his best race result of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup season with fourth place.
His next goal?
“The podium,” he says confidently, “preferably on the Nürburgring.”
Team classification
1. VELTINS Lechner Racing, 148 points
2. Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, 130
3. Konrad Motorsport, 124
* It has yet to be decided if and when there will be a replacement for the cancelled Formula 1 race in Bahrain with two rounds of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup.
Start, René Rast (D) vorne – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP England 2011
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, round 5 at the Formula 1 race in Silverstone/Great Britain
René Rast takes the points’ lead with third straight win
René Rast (D) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP England 2011
Nick Tandy (GB), René Rast (D), Norbert Siedler (A) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP England 2011
Stuttgart. A change at the top of the points’ table in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup:
René Rast (D) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP England 2011
In Silverstone, Germany’s René Rast celebrated his third win in a row with his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup fielded by VELTINS Lechner Racing to snatch the points’ lead in the world’s fastest international one-make race series.
Nick Tandy (GB) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP England 2011
Behind the title defender on the time-honoured circuit, local hero Nick Tandy (Konrad Motorsport) secured second place, with Austria’s Norbert Siedler (VELTINS Lechner Racing) in third.
Norbert Siedler (A) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP England 2011
In Silverstone of all places, René Rast made the most of the moment. After winning in Monaco and on the Nürburgring, he not only fended off his arch rival Nick Tandy, who last year secured his first victory in the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup on his home track.
On the demanding Grand Prix circuit, he also profited from Briton Sean Edwards’ unlucky weekend. Driving for the Abu Dhabi by tolimit squad, the Barcelona winner and former points’ leader didn’t quite find his usual speed neither in the partly wet qualifying nor in the race in dry conditions and had to settle for tenth. In the overall classification he ranks second two points ahead of Nick Tandy, who has finished four of the five races to now in second place.
While René Rast again demonstrated his skill with a lights-to-flag win, despite flat-spotting two tyres in the first lap, Kévin Estre narrowly missed out on a big surprise.
Kevin Estre (F) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP England 2011
The Supercup rookie from France took up the race from the second row for Hermes Attempto Racing, and salvaged his fourth place behind the leading trio with a mammoth effort after facing strong opposition from Christian Engelhart (Konrad Motorsport)
Christian Engelhart (D) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP England 2011
and Jeroen Bleekemolen (Abu Dhabi by tolimit).
Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP England 2011
This marks his best result in the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup so far.
Christian Engelhart (D) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP England 2011
Engelhart, the Istanbul winner from Germany, came fifth, with the double Supercup champion from the Netherlands yielding sixth place.
Stefan Rosina (SK) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP England 2011
Kuba Giermaziak (PL) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP England 2011
Finishing behind them were Slovakia’s Stefan Rosina and Poland’s Kuba Giermaziak of the VERVA Racing Team in seventh and eighth respectively, with the Supercup record-winner Patrick Huisman (Team Bleekemolen) from the Netherlands finishing in ninth.
Nick Tandy (GB), René Rast (D), Norbert Siedler (A) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP England 2011
René Rast (winner):
“That was a tough race. I got away well at the start and was able to pull away a little, but then Nick got faster and faster. In the first lap I flat-spotted both front tyres, and I had to really fight with the car. Luckily I could hold on to my first place to the flag. It was a fantastic weekend for our team.”
René Rast (D) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP England 2011
Nick Tandy (second):
“Obviously it would have been great to win my home race. But second place isn’t bad. I caught up to René quicker than I thought after the start which just goes to show how great our car set-up was. But I was never in a position to really attack. In the last lap I tried again but went sideways a little off the circuit. And that was that. Now we’ll try our luck on the Nürburgring.”
Nick Tandy (GB) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP England 2011
Norbert Siedler (third):
“My start was miserable otherwise I could have perhaps put René under pressure. But I think I can be very happy with third place in Silverstone.”
Norbert Siedler (A) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP England 2011
Race result
1. René Rast (D), VELTINS Lechner Racing, 25:38.805 minutes
2. Nick Tandy (GB), Konrad Motorsport, + 0.691 seconds
3. Norbert Siedler (A), VELTINS Lechner Racing, + 2.415
4. Kévin Estre (F), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 10.928
5. Christian Engelhart (D), Konrad Motorsport, + 11.607
6. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, + 12.054
Drivers’ classification after 5 of 9 races*
1. René Rast (D), 85 points
2. Sean Edwards (GB), 74
3. Nick Tandy (GB), 72
4. Norbert Siedler A), 69
5. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), 58
6. Christian Engelhart (D), 53
* It has yet to be decided if and when there will be a replacement for the cancelled Formula 1 race in Bahrain with two rounds of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup.
Round 6 of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup takes place on 24th July as support to the Formula 1 race on the Nürburgring.
Nicki Thiim (DK), Sean Edwards (GB), René Rast (D) Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 06 Norisring 2011
Stuttgart. First Nick Tandy, then Jeroen Bleekemolen, Jaap van Lagen, Nicki Thiim, René Rast and now Sean Edwards.
Sean Edwards (GB)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 06 Norisring 2011
At round six on the Norisring, the Carrera Cup Deutschland celebrated its sixth winner.
Right now, the competition in Germany’s fastest one-make race series is unrivaled. Under the most difficult track conditions, Edwards celebrated his first victory in the German championship on the Nuremberg street circuit with his 450 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
Sean Edwards (GB)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 06 Norisring 2011
By winning the rain race, the Briton driving for the Team Deutsche Post by tolimit squad further extended his points’ lead.
Nicki Thiim (DK), Sean Edwards (GB)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 06 Norisring 2011
Second at the thrilling racepacked with overtaking manoeuvres on a wet and extremely slippery track went to Lausitzring winner Nicki Thiim (Denmark, Hermes Attempto Racing).
Nicki Thiim (DK)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 06 Norisring 2011
After a rocket start, second qualifier Martin Ragginger (Austria, Schnabl Engineering) led the field into the Grundigkehre.
Ploughing through from sixth on the grid came Nicki Thiim, with Edwards in third.
In contrast, pole-sitter Nick Tandy (Great Britain, Konrad Motorsport) didn’t get away as well and by the first corner found himself lying fourth.
In the fifth lap, Sean Edwards in his yellow Post-911, got around the Grundigkehre-hairpin better than Ragginger to snatch the front position. The Briton, who had taken up the sprint from fifth on the grid, held tight to lead and never looked back.
René Rast (D)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 06 Norisring 2011
In the following laps, the Austrian fell victim to another opponent. This time it was René Rast (Germany, Förch Racing) to overtake Ragginger in the same spot. The winner of the Porsche Carrera World Cup initially thought he was in a secure second place, but towards the end of the race Nicki Thiim moved closer with consistent and slightly faster lap times. In the 31st lap of the race, the Dane finally nabbed the German and clinched his second best result of the season.
Jan Seyffarth (D)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 06 Norisring 2011
Jan Seyffarth (Germany, SMS Seyffarth Motorsport) also experienced an eventful race that yielded fourth and his best result of the season. Taking up the sprint from third on the grid, the Carrera Cup vice-champion of 2008 at times fell back as far as eighth place, but worked his way up the field as the track dried. Far behind Seyffarth came Nick Tandy in fifth. The Briton, who secured five phenomenal victories in his debut 2010 season, had to fight to keep his 911 on the track.
With fifth place in Nuremberg, Tandy, who had led the points for the first four rounds this season, now sits 16 points shy of his compatriot Edwards.
Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 06 Norisring 2011
And two points off Zandvoort winner Jeroen Bleekemolen (Netherlands, Team Deutsche Post by tolimit) who saw the flag in Nuremberg in sixth place. Seventh, despite a damaged radiator, went to the Spielberg winner Jaap van Lagen. Shortly before the flag, the Land Motorsport pilot touched the rear of Norbert Siedler’s 911.
Driving for Aust Motorsport, the Austrian secured eighth ahead of his compatriot Martin Ragginger.
At his first race in the German one-make series, Supercup pilot Kévin Estre (France, Hermes Attempto Racing) crossed the finish line in tenth.
TV station Sport1 broadcasts race highlights, interviews and reports on 8 July from 23.30 hours until midnight in the Carrera Cup Magazin.
A one-hour report on the Porsche Carrera World Cup, the greatest Porsche race in history on the Nürburgring, is televised by Sport1 this coming Monday, 4th July, at 17.30 hours.
Sean Edwards (winner):
“I got too much wheelspin at the start so I didn’t get away well. But my teammate from last year, Sascha Maassen, shared a couple of tricks with me for the first corner and I profited from them. Martin Ragginger experienced traction problems, so it wasn’t hard getting past him. For a while I feared that Réne was closing in. But he became caught up in a duel with Nicki Thiim and that gave me room to breath. With three races left on the calendar we’re on top of the driver and team classifications – it doesn’t get better than that.”
Nicki Thiim (second):
“The race was great fun, what a highlight. I fought with many drivers, that’s the sort of racing I love. It proved difficult to get past René, but I did it in the end. If the race were only a couple of laps longer I might have overtaken Sean, too, but I didn’t want to take that risk. Second place is tremendous.”
René Rast (third):
“My start was average and I lost a couple of positions, but I made them up again. Sean took off at the front and managed to distance himself a bit. Towards the end of the race, Nicki Thiim came shooting up from behind. We fought each other for some time but then I had to let him pass, he was simply too fast. Third place was the maximum I could manage today, so I’m okay with that.”
Race result
1. Sean Edwards (GB), Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, 33:49.075 minutes (142.824 km/h)
2. Nicki Thiim (DK), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 1.507 seconds
3. René Rast (D), Förch Racing, + 3.370
4. Jan Seyffarth (D), SMS Seyffarth Motorsport, + 7.837
5. Nick Tandy (GB), Konrad Motorsport, + 13.255
6. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, + 14.876
7. Norbert Siedler (A), Aust Motorsport, + 18.132
8. Jaap van Lagen (NL), Land Motorsport, + 20.327
Driver classification after 6 of 9 races
1. Sean Edwards (GB), 98 points
2. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), 84
3. Nick Tandy (GB), 82
4. Nicki Thiim (DK), 59
5. Martin Ragginger (A), 59
5. Jaap van Lagen (NL), 56
7. René Rast (D), 54
Team classification after 6 of 9 races
1. Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, 154 points
2. Konrad Motorsport, 104
3. Hermes Attempto Racing, 64
Round 7 of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland takes place on 7 August on the Grand Prix circuit of the Nürburgring.
Stuttgart. It doesn´t get much closer than this: With a mere 0.003-second advantage, Nick Tandy snatched his first pole position this season by a hair´s breadth.
Nick Tandy (GB)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 01 Hockenheimring 2011
The Briton driving for Konrad Motorsport lapped the 2.3 kilometre Norisring in 51.682 seconds and with this set a new record on the street circuit in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Tandy is the sixth different pole-sitter at the sixth race of the 2011 Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland.
Nick Tandy (GB)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 06 Norisring 2011
During the ten-minute final qualifying session to determine the top ten, the fastest times changed by the second on the shortest circuit on the race calendar. At the end, the six quickest drivers were separated by an incredible 0.021 seconds.
The second grid spot at the qualifying thriller is occupied by Martin Ragginger.
Martin Ragginger (A)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 02 Zandvoort 2011
For the Austrian competing for the Schnabl Engineering team, this marks his best qualifying result so far this season.
Martin Ragginger (A)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 06 Norisring 2011
Jan Seyffarth also sees a light at the end of the tunnel with the third grid position.
Jan Seyffarth (D)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 06 Norisring 2011
Driving for SMS Seyffarth Motorsport, the German was only 0.008 seconds adrift of the pole-setting time. After a rather mixed start to the season, the 2008 vice-champion only ranks eighth overall at the half-way point in the series.
Jan Seyffarth (D)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 06 Norisring 2011
René Rast (Germany) takes up tomorrow´s 35-lap sprint (start 15.10 hours) around the stone grandstands and along the Dutzendteich from the fourth grid spot.
René Rast (D)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 06 Norisring 2011
At one point the outstanding winner of the Porsche Carrera Cup on the Nürburgring also managed to clock the fastest time in his Förch Racing 911, but was unable to defend it.
René Rast (D)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 06 Norisring 2011
The same for Sean Edwards.
Sean Edwards (GB)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 06 Norisring 2011
Driving for the Deutsche Post by tolimit squad, the Briton tackles the Norisring race from fifth place.
Sean Edwards (GB)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 06 Norisring 2011
Recently Edwards shunted the former leader Nick Tandy from the top of the points´ table with his fourth place at the World Cup and now also leads the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup. Whilst he has already secured one pole position and a race win in the Supercup this year, he has not yet managed this in Germany´s fastest one-make series.
Behind the Briton on the grid are three winners this season.
Sixth in qualifying went to Nicki Thiim (Denmark, Hermes Attempto Racing), the winner on the Lausitzring.
Nicki Thiim (DK)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 06 Norisring 2011
Seventh was snatched by the Spielberg victor Jaap van Lagen (Netherlands, Land Motorsport),
Jaap van Lagen (NL)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 06 Norisring 2011
with eighth going to van Lagen´s compatriot Jeroen Bleekemolen (Team Deutsche Post by tolimit).
Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 06 Norisring 2011
Austria´s Norbert Siedler (Aust Motorsport) and Florian Scholze (Germany, Förch Racing) round of the top ten qualifiers.
TV station Sport1 broadcasts the Norisring race from 15.10 hours live and televises race highlights, interviews and reports in the Carrera Cup Magazin on the 8th July from 23.30 hours until midnight. Moreover, the street race is broadcast on the official website of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland on www.porsche.de/carreracup. A one-hour report on the Porsche Carrera World Cup, the greatest Porsche race in history on the Nürburgring, is televised by Sport1 this coming Monday, 4th July, at 17.30 hours.
Nick Tandy (pole-sitter):
“The lap times are so close this year that it´s just crazy. At last I managed my first pole position of 2011 at the sixth race weekend. I can´t say how happy I am about this, especially after the huge disappointment of my retirement at the World Cup.”
Martin Ragginger (second in qualifying):
“We knew from last year that our car is well set-up for the Norisring, because we are very good under braking. And you need that here where you have to decelerate drastically for the hairpins twice per lap. For sure lady luck was with us today. The times are so tight that you can´t talk about skill alone, you have to have luck on your side as well.”
Jan Seyffarth (third in qualifying):
“That was my best qualifying result this season. For this reason I´m pleased with third on the grid, but at the same time I´m a little disappointed. Towards the end of the qualifying I was the quickest in the first sector, then I drove my personal best in the second sector but I messed up the third. If you look at the gaps I can only say we´ve never seen it so close. The people can look forward to an incredibly exciting race tomorrow.”
Qualifying result:
1. Nick Tandy (GB), Konrad Motorsport, 51.682 seconds
2. Martin Ragginger (A), Schnabl Engineering, + 0.003
3. Jan Seyffarth (D), SMS Seyffarth Motorsport, + 0.008
4. René Rast (D), Förch Racing, + 0.016
5. Sean Edwards (GB), Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, + 0.018
6. Nicki Thiim (DK), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 0.021
7. Jaap van Lagen (NL), Land Motorsport, + 0.129
8. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, + 0.156
9. Norbert Siedler (A), Aust Motorsport, + 0.866
10. Florian Scholze (D), Förch Racing, + 1.047
Kevin Estre (F)
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Spanien 2011
Title defender René Rast aims for third straight win
Stuttgart. The name alone is pure fascination: Silverstone.
Nick Tandy (GB)
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Spanien 2011
Nick Tandy’s eyes light up when he talks about the storied circuit.
“For a race driver this track is something very special, like Wimbledon is for a tennis player,” he says. “As a child I dreamed of driving in Silverstone at some stage in my life – and to win.”
And this dream has come true. With the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup fielded by Konrad Motorsport, he celebrated his first ever win in the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup of all places in Silverstone.
And of course he is determined to follow this up with another one on 10 July – especially after slipping from the points’ table at the Porsche Carrera World Cup recently on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. While in hot pursuit of the leader he skidded from the track in torrential rain, hit the crash barriers and retired.
Profiting the most from his misfortune, however, was his compatriot Sean Edwards.
Sean Edwards (GB)
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Spanien 2011
The Abu Dhabi by tolimit team pilot and Barcelona winner moved to the top of the points and now aims to defend this position at his home race.
Sean Edwards (GB)
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Spanien 2011
René Rast, however, is keen to foil this plan.
René Rast (D)
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Spanien 2011
It took the reigning champion two races to get into the swing of the season – but his wins in Monaco and at the Porsche Carrera World Cup has restored his old self-confidence.
“I won two races in a row in Monaco and on the Nordschleife. To win on such a traditional circuit like Silverstone would fit perfectly into this pattern,” says the German.
With his brilliant performance at the Nürburgring, the VELTINS Lechner Racing pilot finally rejoined the fight for the title and now ranks in second place just five points shy of the leader. The slow start to his season is history. “We had a couple of hiccups at the beginning of the year, but now we’re back in force.”
The most successful Supercup driver in Silverstone is Patrick Huisman.
Competing for Team Bleekemolen, the Dutchman has finished first here four times. Ranking third overall, it’s no wonder that he is very much looking forward to traveling to the British Isles to race.
“Silverstone is a fantastic race track with a great tradition. You sense this everywhere,” he says.
Stefan Rosina is another who shares the enthusiasm of the seasoned campaigner.
Stefan Rosina (SK)
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Spanien 2011
The Slovakian, who competes for VERVA Racing, has a very special relationship with Silverstone after studying at nearby Oxford.
“For me it’s a home race,” he says, raving about the famous corners of Copse, Stowe and Brooklands.
Even though the circuit has undergone modifications over the last years, the Silverstone magic has not diminished.
In the bid for the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup title, no driver has managed to build up a clear advantage during the first half of the season.
This gives Jeroen Bleekemolen from the Netherlands hopes to secure his third championship title:
“We’re a strong team,” says the teammate of points’ leader Sean Edwards at Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit. “This makes us drivers stronger. I’m not about to give up that easily.”
The race in Silverstone on 10th July will be broadcasted live on TV stations Eurosport 2 (11.45 hrs) and Sky (11.40 hrs). Moreover, Eurosport televises highlights of the race at 20.45 hours in its “Motorsport Weekend Magazin” programme.
Points’ standings after 4 of 9 races*
Drivers’ classification
1. Sean Edwards (GB), 68 points
2. René Rast (D), 63
3. Nick Tandy (GB), 54
4. Norbert Siedler (A), 53
5. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), 48
6. Kuba Giermaziak (PL), 42
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, round 6 in Nuremberg
Martin Ragginger (A)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011
Next season highlight on the street circuit in Franconia
Stuttgart. Just a few days after the greatest Porsche race in history, the next season highlight on the calendar awaits pilots of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland.
The 2.3 kilometre circuit around the famous stone grandstand is loved by drivers and fans for its special flair that is reminiscent of the Monaco Grand Prix.
Sean Edwards travels to the region of Franconia in Bavaria as the new points’ leader of Germany’s fastest one-make race series.
Sean Edwards (GB)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 03 Spielberg 2011
Driving for the Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, the Briton snatched the lead with fourth place at the Porsche Carrera World Cup on the Nürburgring.
Sean Edwards (GB)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 03 Spielberg 2011
He also profited from the fact that the previous points’ leader, Nick Tandy, went home empty-handed after an accident.
For Edwards, the trip to the circuit in the Eifel paid off double: With his fourth place he also moved to the top of the points’ table in the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup.
Claiming seventh on the Nürburgring, Jeroen Bleekemolen from the Netherlands defended his second place in the Carrera Cup Deutschland.
Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 03 Spielberg 2011
With this, the two tolimit pilots head to the unique street race with a one-two in the drivers’ classification.
Nick Tandy’s accident on the Nordschleife relegated the Konrad Motorsport pilot from Great Britain back to third in the points behind Bleekemolen.
“The guy in front of me suddenly slowed down when he saw the yellow flag. I had no chance to brake. I didn’t want to hit him so I veered to the inside, hit the curbs and lost grip,” said Tandy explaining the situation. “Obviously I was very disappointed, but now I’m looking forward to the Norisring. I aim to take back the lead.”
Nick Tandy (GB)
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Spanien 2011
Martin Ragginger is another driver keen to maintain contact with the front-runners in Nuremberg.
Martin Ragginger (A)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 03 Spielberg 2011
Competing for Schnabl Engineering, the Austrian, who finished eights at the Porsche Carrera World Cup, sits 18 points shy of Tandy in fourth overall. He shouldn’t, however, take his eye off the rear vision mirror.
Two strong contenders, Jaap van Lagen (Land Motorsport) in fifth
Jaap van Lagen
and Nicki Thiim (Hermes Attempto Racing) in sixth,
Nicki Thiim (DK)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011
are breathing hard down his neck.
The Dutchman saw the flag at the rain race in Spielberg in first. The Dane won convincingly at round four on the Lausitzring.
Thanks to the 20 points awarded for his historic win at the greatest Porsche race of all time, René Rast (Germany, Förch Racing) has moved up the points table to rank seventh.
Last year’s winner and title defender Nicolas Armindo (France, Hermes Attempto Racing) will not be competing. Instead, he contests the Le Mans Series in Imola which runs on the same weekend.
TV station Sport1 broadcasts the race live and televises race highlights, interviews and reports in the ‘Carrera Cup Magazin’ on 8 July from 23.30 hours to midnight. Moreover, the official website of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland shows the race live on www.porsche.de/carreracup.
Drivers’ classification after 5 of 9 races
1. Sean Edwards (GB), 78 points
2. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), 74
3. Nick Tandy (GB), 70
4. Martin Ragginger (A), 52
5. Jaap van Lagen (NL), 48
6. Nicki Thiim (DK), 41
Team classification after 5 of 9 races
1. Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, 124 points
2. Konrad Motorsport, 90
3. PZ Aschaffenburg Uwe Alzen Automotive, 47
Norbert Siedler (A)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
Stuttgart.Norbert Siedler takes up the eagerly anticipated premiere of the Porsche Carrera World Cup on Saturday on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife from pole position.
Norbert Siedler (A)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
At the fiercely contested qualifying session that delivered suspense from start to finish and determines the grid for the greatest Porsche race in history with competitors from 25 countries, the Austrian planted his VELTINS Lechner Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup on pole.
René Rast (D)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
Just 0.403 seconds shy of the fastest qualifier came his team mate René Rast (Germany) on the second grid spot.
René Rast (D)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
Third went to VERVA Racing team’s pilot Kuba Giermaziak from Poland with a gap of 0.63 seconds.
Kuba Giermaziak (PL)
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Spanien 2011
Kuba Giermaziak (PL)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
Changes at the top came thick and fast in the final 15 minutes of the qualifying on the legendary Eifel circuit. Renè Rast, the reigning champion of the Supercup, seemed to have the top time under his belt. His arch rival from Britain Nick Tandy (Konrad Motorsport) lay in second place.
Nick Tandy (GB)
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Spanien 2011
Nick Tandy (GB)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
But then Norbert Siedler put in a perfect lap shortly before the end of the session, with Kuba Giermaziak following suit, effectively relegating Nick Tandy, the current points’ leader of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, to fourth place on the grid.
The third row is occupied by Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland pilot Nicki Thiim from Denmark (Hermes Attempto Racing)
Nicki Thiim (DK)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
and Christian Engelhart from Germany,
Christian Engelhart (D)
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Türkei 2011
who has already yielded a victory for his Konrad Motorsport squad at the season-opening round of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup in Istanbul.
Sean Edwards from Great Britain (Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit) qualified seventh,
Sean Edwards (GB)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
with Germany’s Lance David Arnold (Motopark Oschersleben) in eighth.
Lance David Arnold (D)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
The seasoned campaigner of Porsche makes cup, Uwe Alzen from Germany (PZ Aschaffenburg Uwe Alzen Automotive), and Frenchman Nicolas Armindo (Hermes Attempto Racing), the reigning champion of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, rounded off the top ten. The fierceness of the competition for the top grid positions was shown in the fact that less than ten seconds separated the first 17 positions on the 25.358 kilometre Nürburgring-Nordschleife.
In the VIP-car of Porsche AG, New Zealander Craig Baird, the most successful Porsche Cup pilot worldwide with 109 wins in Porsche brand trophy series, claimed the 31st spot.
Craig Baird (NZ)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
Craig Baird (NZ)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
America’s Melanie Snow, the only female in the field, moved up the field in the VIP-car fielded by Porsche Cars North America to rank 84th.
Melanie Snow (USA)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
Melanie Snow (USA)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
The inaugural Porsche Carrera World Cup is also the official championship round for the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup as well as the Porsche Carrera Cups of Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy and Scandinavia.
Below are the pole-setters of their respective series.
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup: Norbert Siedler (1st place)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland: Nicki Thiim (5th place)
Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain: James Sutton (17th place)
Porsche Carrera Cup France: Lonni Martins (51st place)
Porsche Carrera Cup Italy: Marco Mapelli (19th place)
Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia: Robin Rudholm (18th place)
Result Qualifying
1. Norbert Siedler (A), VELTINS Lechner Racing, 8:35.809 minutes
2. René Rast (D), VELTINS Lechner Racing, + 0.403 seconds
3. Kuba Giermaziak (PL), VERVA Racing Team, + 0.663
4. Nick Tandy (GB), Konrad Motorsport, + 3.002
5. Nicki Thiim (DK), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 3.834
6. Christian Engelhart (D), Konrad Motorsport, + 4.756
7. Sean Edwards (GB), Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, + 5.366
8. Lance David Arnold (D), Motopark Oschersleben, + 5.945
9. Uwe Alzen (D), PZ Aschaffenburg Uwe Alzen Automotive, + 6.397
10. Nicolas Armindo (F), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 6.893
Stuttgart. Motorsport fans around the world wait in eager anticipation for the 25th of June, 2011.
On this day, Porsche adds yet another superlative to the history of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife: At the Porsche Carrera World Cup, more than 100 participants from 25 countries contest the greatest Porsche race of all time on the legendary race track that is also dubbed the‘green hell’.
Nürburgring circuit map, taken at German Grand Prix 1964; the legend advises…
“No driving in the Eifel (mountains) without a lap on the Nürburgring”
The race on the legendary circuit in Germany’s Eifel region with a total of 88 corners (northern loop plus the Grand Prix circuit) runs over six laps (152.268 kilometres), and is not just a case for the ‘Guinness Book of Records’.
It also poses the greatest sporting challenge imaginable for Porsche Cup pilots.
“The Nordschleife is a very tricky track,” says Uwe Brettel, General Manager Motorsport Sales at Porsche.
He sums up the fascination of this race aptly:
“The Carrera World Cup is the link between two very successful motorsport platforms: Porsche’s one-make race series and the Nürburgring-Nordschleife.”
The Porsche Carrera World Cup, which takes off just prior to the 24 hour race, is not only unique because of its giant grid, but also because of the sporting significance. Quantity and quality – that was the whole idea. And it worked: The Porsche Mobil1 Supercup as the world’s fastest international one-make race series, and the well-supported Carrera Cups in Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy and Scandinavia count this event as one of their regular championship rounds. Drivers will be classified for their respective series as well as for the Porsche Carrera World Cup. Also joining the action are guest drivers from other Carrera Cups and GT3 Cup Challenges around the world.
One of the most prominent competitors is Craig Baird.
Over the course of his outstanding career, the New Zealander has notched up 109 victories in Porsche one-make race series, making him the most successful Porsche Cup pilot in the world. Porsche AG invited him back to the Nordschleife, which he knows from two 24 hour races there, to drive the VIP-car with the starting number 200.
Craig Baird (NZ)
His Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is also a feast for the eyes. Its design is an artistic interpretation of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife as the ‘green hell’ with licking flames as well as a stylized world map representing the 25 nations from which the international grid comes to contest the greatest Porsche race on earth.
At the wheel of the second VIP-911 fielded by Porsche Cars North America, Melanie Snow celebrates her race debut on the Eifel circuit.
Melanie Snow (USA)
The mother of four is one of the most well-known racers in the USA and for many years has contested the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge where she won the Gold Cup class in 2009. At the Porsche Carrera World Cup the ‘world’s fastest mum’ is the only female in the field.
The field is divided into two classes: The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup with 3.6-litre engines from the 2007 to 2009 model years (400 to 420 hp) as well as the 3.8-litre version from the 2010 and 2011 model years (450 hp) are classified separately. Two sets of slicks and one set of wet tyres are permitted for each vehicle for the entire race weekend.
The starting groups, consisting of a maximum of 70 vehicles per group, take off on their journey into the “Green Hell” with a flying start (Indianapolis start). About two minutes separate each group.
So that the spectators can better recognize the vehicles, all start numbers have three-digits. The first numeral stands for the respective series from which the cars come. 0 stands for the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, the number 1 for the Carrera Cup France, the number 2 for the Carrera Cup Deutschland, number 3 for the Carrera Cup and the GT3 Cup Challenge Great Britain, 4 for the Carrera Cup Italia and 5 for the Carrera Cup Scandinavia. The second and third numerals are the original starting numbers with which the individual cars contest their respective series.
Prize money for the overall winner is 11,000 Euro. Second place receives 8,000 Euro, third 6,000 Euro.
“Since its market launch in 1998 we’ve built more than 2,200 units of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup which are fielded in 20 one-make race series worldwide,” says Hartmut Kristen, Head of Porsche Motorsport. “With the Porsche Carrera World Cup on the Nordschleife, we want to offer our brand trophy series customers worldwide another highlight.”
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup: Nick Tandy hopes for first win of the season
Nick Tandy tackles the Porsche Carrera World Cup as the leader of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup. Driving for Konrad Motorsport, the Briton has notched up three second places this season, but is now hoping to bring home his first victory from the demanding Nordschleife.
Nick Tandy (GB)
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Spanien 2011
Last year’s vice-champion has prepared himself well for the race, however the three winners of this season are experienced Nordschleife pilots: For his teammate Christian Engelhart, winner of the season-opener in Istanbul, the Eifel circuit is no less familiar turf as it is for Barcelona winner Sean Edwards of Abu Dhabi by tolimit
Sean Edwards (GB)
and the VELTINS Lechner Racing pilot and reigning Supercup champion René Rast, who dominated at the Monaco round.
René Rast (D)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011
Jeroen Bleekemolen from the Netherlands is also very much looking forward to the Porsche Carrera World Cup.
“This race is a great idea,” says the two-time Supercup winner driving for the Abu Dhabi by tolimit squad. Bleekemolen has yet to secure a victory this season. “If you want to be seriously fast on the Nordschleife you need to be gutsy. But that’s exactly what race drivers love. For me, this race marks the greatest challenge of the year.”
Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 01 Hockenheimring 2011
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland: Ideal start to the season
Unlike in the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, Nick Tandy has already notched up one win from the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland this year – the points’ leader kicked off the new season perfectly with victory at the season-opener in Hockenheim. Jeroen Bleekemolen has also enjoyed a promising start: Competing for the Deutsche Post by tolimit team, the Dutchman won his home race in Zandvoort.
His compatriot Jaap van Lagen (Land Motorsport), winner at Spielberg,
Jaap van Lagen (NL)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 02 Zandvoort 2011
and Denmark’s Nicki Thiim (Hermes Attempto Racing), who last weekend celebrated his first Carrera Cup victory on the Lausitzring, are all determined to earn more championship points at the Porsche Carrera World Cup.
Nicki Thiim (DK)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011
Despite not having notched up any wins yet, Germany’s seasoned campaigner Uwe Alzen (PZ Aschaffenburg Uwe Alzen Automotive) belongs to the circle of favorites to win at the Porsche Carrera World Cup, thanks to his extensive Nordschleife experience.
Uwe Alzen (D)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 02 Zandvoort 2011
“I’ve already driven the Cup-Porsche on the Nordschleife and the handling of the car is very good,” says Uwe Alzen, an authority on Porsche one-make race series. “It’s going to be tight amongst the front-runners and facing so many good pilots at the top will be a tough nut to crack.”
Another race favorite is the Schnabl Engineering pilot from Austria, Martin Ragginger.
Martin Ragginger (A)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 02 Zandvoort 2011
Schedule Porsche Carrera World Cup
Thursday, 23 June 18.00 – 19.00 hrs Free practice
Friday, 24 June 15.25 – 16.25 hrs Qualifying
Saturday, 25 June 10.30 – 11.00 hrs Grid line-up
11.00 hrs Formation lap
11.20 – 12.35 hrs Race
TV station Eurosport broadcasts the Porsche Carrera World Cup on 25 June 2011 live from 10.45 hrs.
Start: Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, round 4 on the Lausitzring
Nicki Thiim (DK)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011
Nicki Thiim narrowly wins turbulent race
Nicki Thiim (DK)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011
Stuttgart. Fourth race, fourth winner – and 24 laps of high suspense: The Lausitzring race of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland was a real thriller. Cup-returnee Nicki Thiim from Denmark won his first race at Germany’s one-make series brilliantly but by a very narrow margin.
Nicki Thiim (DK)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011
Sean Edwards (GB), Nicki Thiim (DK), Nick Tandy (GB)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011
Only 0.3 seconds separated the Hermes Attempto pilot from Sean Edwards (Great Britain, Deutsche Post by tolimit) in second.
Sean Edwards (GB)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011
Third place went to Nick Tandy. Driving for Konrad Motorsport, the Briton heads to round five – which takes place at the Porsche Carrera World Cup as the season highlight – as points’ leader.
Nick Tandy (GB)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011
On 25 June at the Nürburgring, more than 100 competitors from one-make race series worldwide tackle the greatest Porsche race in history.
Fans were treated to gripping racing already at the start of round four on the 3.748 kilometre Lausitzing.
Sean Edwards (GB), Nicki Thiim (DK), Nick Tandy (GB)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011
Tandy, who started from fourth, took the outside line and in the first corner surprised pole-sitter Thiim and second in the qualifying, Supercup champion, René Rast (Germany, Förch Racing), by passing them. Behind the leading trio a turbulent scene developed. The first victim was reigning champ Nicolas Armindo. The Frenchman (Hermes Attempto Racing) became sandwiched between two opponents and landed in the gravel trap. Two laps later it was René Rast’s turn: out after a light nudge from Robert Renauer (Germany, Herberth Motorsport). Uwe Alzen (Germany, PZ Aschaffenburg Uwe Alzen Automotive) retired as a result of the collision with Armindo.
The fight at the top was extremely gripping.
At times, only six-hundredths of a second separated Tandy, Thiim and Edwards The leader was finding it increasingly difficult to fend off the two rivals. In the ninth lap came the crunch point. At the end of the back straight, Tandy ran with understeer too far to the outside, Thiim and Edwards slipped through and were able to pull away from Tandy.
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The current points’ leader then came under pressure from Zandvoort winner Jeroen Bleekemolen (Team Deutsche Post by tolimit) and Martin Ragginger (Schnabl Engineering). The Dutchman and the Austrian delivered a fair fight over much of the sprint, with Bleekemolen putting in an immaculate drive to hold the upper hand. Fourth at the flag put him in second overall, but he shares the same points’ tally as his tolimit teammate Edwards in third, followed by Ragginger in fourth.
Three Carrera Cup newcomers profited from the retirements. David Jahn from Germany finished sixth in the Lausitz, and brought home a better result than his team boss and colleague Uwe Alzen, and his second top ten result.
The 2010-rookie Stefan Wendt (Germany) planted his Attempto Racing 911 on seventh ahead of specialist Jan Seyffarth (Germany, SMS Seyffarth Motorsport). Two Cup debutants Philipp Frommenwiler (Switzerland, Attempto Racing) and Damian Sawicki (Poland, Förch Racing) celebrated their ninth and tenth place as if they were a victory.
Nicki Thiim (winner):
“The race was exciting. After Tandy snatched us both in the first corner I thought I wouldn’t regain my position. But then I noticed that he was experiencing problems so I stuck to him like glue and waited for a mistake. But at the same time I had to contend with huge pressure from Edwards. I’m so happy I’ve managed to bring home my first Carrera Cup victory!”
Sean Edwards (second):
“Great race! Even though I was obviously annoyed I missed out on my first Carrera Cup win by such a close margin. My car was perfectly set-up but it was not possible to get past Nicki unscathed.”
Nick Tandy (third):
“That was one of the most difficult races of my life. After a light nudge in the first corner with Nicki Thiim, my car no longer ran perfectly. I heard strange noises and it was very hard to control. Considering this, I’m pleased with third place and the points’ lead.”
Sean Edwards (GB), Nicki Thiim (DK), Nick Tandy (GB)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011
Race result
1. Nicki Thiim (DK), Hermes Attempto Racing, 34:50.590 minutes (143.739 km/h)
2. Sean Edwards (GB), Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, + 0.379 seconds
3. Nick Tandy (GB), Konrad Motorsport, + 4.763
4. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, + 5.450
5. Martin Ragginger (A), Schnabl Engineering, + 5.810
6. David Jahn (D), PZ Aschaffenburg Uwe Alzen Automotive, + 15.781
7. Stefan Wendt (D), Attempto Racing, + 17.995
Drivers’ classification after 4 of 9 races
1. Nick Tandy (GB), 70 points
2. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), 62
3. Sean Edwards (GB), 62
4. Martin Ragginger (A), 42
5. Jaap van Lagen (NL), 39
6. Nicki Thiim (DK), 38
Team classification after 4 of 9 races
1. Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, 124 points
2. Konrad Motorsport, 90
3. PZ Aschaffenburg Uwe Alzen Automotive, 47
Round five of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland takes place as part of the Porsche Carrera World Cup on 25 June on the Nürburgring (combination Grand Prix circuit/Nordschleife).
Nicki Thiim (DK)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland
Nicki Thiim relegates favorites down the grid
Stuttgart. The fight at the top of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland remains lively at round four. At the end of a gripping qualifying session Nicki Thiim snatched his first pole position. The 22-year-old Dane turned the quickest lap on the 3.478 kilometre Lausitzring circuit in 1:24.727 minutes.
Nicki Thiim (DK)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011
Driving for Hermes Attempto Racing, he easily outstripped points’ leader Nick Tandy and last year’s winner Nicolas Armindo.
René Rast (D)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011
Förch Racing pilot and champion of the international Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, René Rast (Germany), planted his 911 GT3 Cup on the second grid spot, 0.163 seconds shy of the pole-sitter.
Nicki Thiim, son of former DTM champion Kurt Thiim, already contested the German Carrera Cup in 2009. After claiming third as his best result and five further top ten placings, he concluded the season ranking fifth overall as the best rookie. Thiim made a promising start to the 2011 season with third qualifying place in Hockenheim. In the race, however, his team made a wrong tyre choice which prevented a top result. After a 14th and two eighth places, the Dane heads into tomorrow’s 24-lap sprint ranking only tenth overall.
Robert Renauer (D)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011
Third in the qualifying on the Lausitzring went to Robert Renauer.
Robert Renauer (D)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011
Driving for Herberth Motorsport, the German yielded a surprising first pole position from the season-opening qualifying session. However, after missing out on two rounds, his position in the championship standings plays no role. The opposite is the case for the driver starting from the second row alongside Renauer – points’ leader Nick Tandy.
Nick Tandy (GB)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011
In the final moments of the qualifying, the Briton failed to crack Thiim’s lap time. At the wheel of his Konrad Motorsport 911, last year’s second place-getter took a journey into the gravel trap.
Nick Tandy (GB)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011
The two Deutsche Post by tolimit pilots are also not particularly thrilled with their grid positions in the third row.
Sean Edwards from Great Britain already has four Supercup wins under his belt and was determined to finally achieve a top result in the German brand trophy series on the Lausitzring. Jeroen Bleekemolen had also hoped for more.
Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 04 Lausitzring 2011
Sitting second on the points’ table, the Dutchman has notched up a clear lights-to-flag victory at his home race in Zandvoort this season.
Austria’s Martin Ragginger (Schnabl Engineering) and Nicolas Armindo (Hermes Attempto Racing) share the fourth grid row in seventh and eighth respectively.
For the champion from France, the result is a bitter disappointment and a continuation of a difficult season so far. The two drivers behind are also seasoned campaigners in the Porsche one-make race series.
Jan Seyffarth (Germany, SMS Seyffarth Motorsport) was the 2008 Carrera Cup vice-champion, and Uwe Alzen is three-time champion of the Supercup and the Carrera Cup. In the closing phase of the qualifying, tyre damage prevented Alzen from Germany (PZ Aschaffenburg Uwe Alzen Automotive) from hunting for a better time.
The Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland race is shown live on the official website (www.porsche.de/carreracup). On 24 June, TV station Sport1 broadcasts a race review, interviews and reports from 16.30 to 17.00 hours in the ‘Carrera Cup Magazin’.
Nicki Thiim (pole-sitter):
“I could have cried with relief because until now it just wasn’t working. Mostly I’m pleased for my team. The breakthrough came today when I managed all sectors perfectly and with total concentration. The field is so incredibly close that you only have a chance when everything comes together one hundred percent.”
René Rast (second qualifier):
“I’m completely happy with second on the grid. In fact, this position could even be better than the pole. I took off from first on the grid here three years ago and was promptly overtaken by the second starter at the first corner.”
Robert Renauer (third qualifier):
“To be honest, I hadn’t expected to do so well after taking a break for the last two races. In Hockenheim I experienced bad luck from pole position. So a podium result tomorrow would be great, but I know I have a lot of drivers breathing down my neck wanting the same thing. It’ll be exciting.”
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Qualifying result:
1. Nicki Thiim (DK), Hermes Attempto Racing, 1:24.727 minutes
2. René Rast (D), Förch Racing, + 0.163 seconds
3. Robert Renauer (D), Herberth Motorsport, + 0.164
4. Nick Tandy (GB), Konrad Motorsport, + 0.339
5. Sean Edwards (GB), Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, + 0.363
6. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, + 0.455
7. Martin Ragginger (A), Schnabl Engineering, + 0.490
8. Nicolas Armindo (F), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 0.533
9. Jan Seyffarth (D), SMS Seyffarth Motorsport, + 0.629
10. Uwe Alzen (D), PZ Aschaffenburg Uwe Alzen Automotive, + 0.992
