Category Archives: Nick Tandy (GB)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – Profile of the champion Nick Tandy
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
SOURCE: Porsche AG Media Press Database
Nick Tandy claims championship title, Sean Edwards wins finale-Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, rd 9 Hockenheim
Nick Tandy claims championship title, Sean Edwards wins finale
René Rast (D), Sean Edwards (GB), Nick Tandy (GB) – Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 09 Hockenheimring 2011
Stuttgart. It was a thriller for the championship title that couldn’t have been more gripping. In the end, third place was enough for Nick Tandy to win the prestigious trophy in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland.
Nick Tandy (GB) – Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 09 Hockenheimring 2011
This marks the greatest motorsport success in the career of the 26-year-old Konrad Motorsport pilot from Britain.
“I couldn’t be happier,” said the clearly emotional new champion. “This is for sure the best thing that has happened in my life to now.”
His toughest rival in the title bid, compatriot Sean Edwards, crowned his second season in Germany’s fastest one-make cup with a victory at the final round.
Sean Edwards (GB) – Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 09 Hockenheimring 2011
With this, he secured vice championship honours and helped his Deutsche Post by tolimit team to win the team championship.
Sean Edwards (GB) – Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 09 Hockenheimring 2011
The inaugural special classification for guest starters went to Raffi Bader (MRS Team PZ Aschaffenburg) from Switzerland.
Bill Barazetti (D), Raffi Bader (CH), Heinz-Bert Wolters (D) – Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 09 Hockenheimring 2011
Taking up the race from pole position, the initially cautious Nick Tandy let his rival Edwards and Förch Racing pilot René Rast (Germany) pass in the first race laps – after all, he had a twelve-point advantage in the standings over his closest pursuer Edwards.
Sean Edwards (GB) – Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 09 Hockenheimring 2011
While Edwards could pull away after several laps, Tandy stuck to the bumper of Rast’s 911 with his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. In the tenth lap, the Briton overtook the German and set out to chase the leading Edwards – which obviously made his team boss Franz Konrad nervous.
The shock for the Konrad Motorsport squad hit home about four laps before the flag: Tandy’s pace slowed, Rast held tight to second. What was happening to Tandy? Sensing their chance to snatch a podium spot, three Carrera Cup specialists closed in from behind.
Nick Tandy (GB) – Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland – 09 Hockenheimring 2011
Finally, despite a problem with the front left wheel, Tandy was able to bring home third place – and the championship title for the three-time race winner. Claiming second place at the final, René Rast moved one position up the points’ table to conclude the season in fifth place overall.
The old champion of 2010, Nicolas Armindo, saw the flag in fourth. Driving for Hermes Attempto Racing, the Frenchman concluded an extremely difficult season without any podium spots with a conciliatory result.
Fifth position for Zandvoort winner Jeroen Bleekemolen was reason to celebrate for the Dutchman, who turned 30 today.
As the second pilot of the Deutsche Post by tolimit team he secured third place overall in the German makes cup, which was characterised by an incredibly high level of competition this year. This position is all the more impressive by the fact that the double Supercup champion Bleekemolen had missed two Carrera Cup races due to his commitments in the American Le Mans Series.
For Christian Engelhart (Germany) the main priority as a guest starter for Konrad Motorsport was to assist the team in collecting points. And this worked. Engelhart came sixth, and Franz Konrad was rewarded with second place in the team classification.
Lausitzring winner Nicki Thiim (Denmark, Hermes Attempto Racing) was somewhat disappointed about his seventh place at the final round. At the penultimate round in Oschersleben, the son of the former DTM champion Kurt Thiim was still ranking third overall, but was shunted into fourth by Bleekemolen.
Eighth place out of the 30 competitors went to Austria’s Martin Ragginger.
Having taken up the 18-lap race from fourth, the Schnabl-Engineering pilot lost many places in the first lap. He winds up the season as seventh overall in the standings.
Positions nine and ten are occupied by Uwe Alzen (Germany, PZ Aschaffenburg Uwe Alzen Automotive) and his compatriot Jan Seyffarth (SMS Seyffarth Motorsport).
Sean Edwards (winner):
“I’m very pleased with my second Carrera Cup win and the vice-championship. Of course I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t win the title; my bad luck at the Nürburgring was the reason. But this weekend we showed that we have a winning car. I’m very happy with the result, and I’m particularly pleased that my Deutsche Post crew has won the team championship, they are over the moon. And congratulations to Nick – after all a Briton has won the title.”
René Rast (second):
“I’m really very happy to conclude the season with second place. Sean was too fast at the front, I didn’t have a chance. It’s also wonderful that we earned fourth place in the team classification for our Förch Racing team.”
Nick Tandy (third):
“We’ve been working for this for the last two years and now we’ve done it. I couldn’t be happier. This is the best time of my life. I’m so unbelievably thankful to all those in my team who contributed to this success. The race was obviously incredible. I didn’t have to win to claim the title, but my car was so good by midway through the race that I could have done it. After all, that’s what we are here for – to win races! Several laps before the end there was something wrong with my right front wheel, I don’t know what it was. But my heart fell into my boots. I’m so relieved and happy that it was enough to bring home the trophy.”
On 28 October, TV station Sport1 televises the race review, interviews and reports of the finale from 17.30 to 18.00 hours in the “Carrera Cup Magazin” and broadcasts a one hour programme of season highlights of the Carrera Cup Deutschland on 29 October from 13.45 hrs.
Race result Hockenheim
1. Sean Edwards (GB), Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, 31:04.035 minutes (159.007 km/h)
2. René Rast (D), Förch Racing, + 1.426 seconds
3. Nick Tandy (GB), Konrad Motorsport, + 3.769
4. Nicolas Armindo (F), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 4.674
5. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, + 5.094
6. Christian Engelhart (D), Konrad Motorsport, + 5.567
7. Nicki Thiim (DK), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 9.042
8. Martin Ragginger (A), Schnabl Engineering, + 9.241
9. Uwe Alzen (D), PZ Aschaffenburg Uwe Alzen Automotive, + 10.102
10. Jan Seyffarth (D), SMS Seyffarth Motorsport, + 10.618
Drivers’ classification after 9 of 9 races
1. Nick Tandy (GB), 138 points
2. Sean Edwards (GB), 130
3. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), 96
4. Nicki Thiim (DK), 94
5. René Rast (D), 93
6. Jaap van Lagen (NL), 86
7. Martin Ragginger (A), 75
Team classification after 9 of 9 races
1. Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, 209 points
2. Konrad Motorsport, 173
3. Hermes Attempto Racing, 135
4. Förch Racing, 116
SOURCE: Porsche AG Media Press Database
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, rd 9 in Hockenheim-Title aspirants Tandy / Edwards share the 1st grid row
Nick Tandy (GB), Konrad Motorsport
Stuttgart. It promises to be an unparalleled duel: Both remaining contenders for the title of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland take up the finale sharing the first row of the grid.
Nick Tandy (GB), Konrad Motorsport
In a gripping qualifying, points’ leader Nick Tandy claimed the pole position in the very last minute at the wheel of Konrad Motorsport’s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
Sean Edwards (GB), Team Deutsche Post by tolimit
The Briton lapped the 4.574 kilometre Hockenheimring in 1:41.506 minutes – and was a mere 33-thousandths of a second faster than his greatest adversary for the title, compatriot Sean Edwards (Deutsche Post by tolimit).
Sean Edwards (GB), Team Deutsche Post by tolimit
After three wins this season, Tandy leads the overall classification by twelve points over Edwards. At the final round in Hockenheim, eighth place would be enough for him to clinch the coveted title. Last year he took off into the final as the pursuer, but had to retire after an accident and concluded the season as vice champion behind Nicolas Armindo.
The other driver in the 2010 accident was none other than Sean Edwards. The arch rival from Britain, who celebrated his first Carrera Cup victory this year on the Norisring, must finish at least fourth tomorrow in order to have a chance at the title.
In the inaugural special category for guest starters, Raffi Bader from Switzerland (MRS Team PZ Aschaffenburg) is in the lead.
Raffi Bader from Switzerland MRS Team PZ Aschaffenburg
With a total of 30 vehicles competing, Germany’s fastest one-make race series is well-supported at the season final. And the qualifying for all participants again underlined the enormous competitiveness in this championship: 20 drivers qualified within one second.
Heading into the 18-lap sprint, which starts at 10.25 Sunday morning, is the champion of the international Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup René Rast (Germany, Förch Racing), and the former Porsche Junior Martin Ragginger.
René Rast (D), Förch Racing
Rast still has a chance to defend his title at the Supercup finale in Abu Dhabi. In the German Carrera Cup he will concentrate on bringing home a decent final result after a somewhat mixed season, in which the highlight for Rast was his win at the Carrera World Cup on the Nürburgring. However, third overall is still within reach for the German. Schnabl Engineering pilot Ragginger is also setting his hopes on a conciliatory close to the season. The Austrian takes up the finale ranking seventh overall in the standings.
Martin Ragginger (A), Schnabl Engineering
Sharing the third grid row are two other experienced Carrera Cup pilots. Robert Renauer (Germany, Herberth Motorsport) kicked off the season in May in Hockenheim with the pole position, but only contested selected rounds and is therefore out of contention for the title.
Robert Renauer (Germany, Herberth Motorsport)
The winner of last year’s Carrera Cup finale, Christian Engelhart (Germany), also missed some of the races this year due to his commitments in the Supercup where he has pocketed one victory.
Christian Engelhart (Germany)
Franz Konrad signed Engelhart on for the last two races of the German Cup to provide support for his title aspirant Tandy if needed – and to yield points towards the team classification.
Taking up the sprint from the seventh grid spot is the reigning champion Nicolas Armindo (France, Hermes Attempto Racing), which is a reflection of his difficult season. The Frenchman currently sits twelfth in the standings.
Nicolas Armindo (France, Hermes Attempto Racing)
Lining up alongside him is Robert Lukas (Förch Racing).
Robert Lukas (Förch Racing)
This season the Pole finished amongst the top ten four times. Surprisingly, a Carrera Cup newcomer finds himself on position nine: Philipp Eng (Austria, MRS Team PZ Aschaffenburg) hails from single-seater racing
Philipp Eng (Austria, MRS Team PZ Aschaffenburg)
and is supported by ex-Formula 1 driver Christian Danner. Tenth on the grid is occupied by Clemens Schmid (Austria, Herberth Motorsport).
Nick Tandy (pole-sitter):
“That was the first part of the weekend, the second and most important part is the race and the championship title. Sean has managed to set himself up in a good position for the race which should provide some excitement tomorrow. But I will be doing all I can to get a clean start which is something I’ve managed a lot this season. My goal then is to get away from Sean as quickly as possible.”
Sean Edwards (second in qualifying):
“I’m very happy with my second position in qualifying. Nick has more to lose than me so my plan for tomorrow is to attack. My car is well set-up and aside from my title ambitions I’ll be going all out to win the team classification.”
René Rast (third in qualifying):
“After not making any progress yesterday in the free practice I’m feeling very relieved today. When you look at how incredibly close the times are, third is not so bad. Starting behind Nick and Sean gives me a first row seat. Because the two are fighting for the championship, I even have a good chance to win the last race.”
The race is broadcast live tomorrow on the offical website of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland from 11.20 hours (www.porsche.de/carreracup).
On 28 October, TV station Sport1 televises the race review, interviews and reports of the finale from 17.30 to 18.00 hours in the Carrera Cup Magazin and broadcasts a one-hour highlight programme of the Carrera Cup Deutchland on 29 October from 13.45 hrs.
Qualifying result:
1. Nick Tandy (GB), Konrad Motorsport, 1:41.506 minutes
2. Sean Edwards (GB), Team Deutsche Post by tolimit, + 0.033 seconds
3. René Rast (D), Förch Racing, + 0.076
4. Martin Ragginger (A), Schnabl Engineering, + 0.202
5. Robert Renauer (D), Herberth Motorsport, + 0.224
6. Christian Engelhart (D), Konrad Motorsport, + 0.282
7. Nicolas Armindo (F), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 0.590
8. Robert Lukas (PL), Förch Racing, + 0.835
9. Philipp Eng (A), MRS Team PZ Aschaffenburg, + 0.837
10. Clemens Schmid (A), Herberth Motorsport, + 1.326
SOURCE: Porsche AG Press Media Database
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, rd 7- F1 race in Budapest/Hungary-Kuba Giermaziak 50th Supercup winner
Kuba Giermaziak 50th Supercup winner
Start – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP Ungarn 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.
Norbert Siedler (A) – Porsche Mobil1 Supercup – GP Ungarn 2011
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.
SOURCE: Porsche AG Media Database
Public Relations and Media
Motor and Sports Press
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, rd 6 at the F1 race-Nürburgring/Germany-René Rast wins 200th Supercup race
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.
SOURCE: Porsche AG Media Database
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Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, rd 6 at the F1 race on the Nürburgring/Germany-200th anniversary race
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
SOURCE: Porsche AG Media Database
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Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, rd 5-F1 race in Silverstone/Great Britain-René Rast celebrated his 3rd win in a row
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.
SOURCE: Porsche AG Media Database
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Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, round 6 at Nuremberg-Edwards celebrated his first victory
Sixth new winner at sixth race
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.
SOURCE: Porsche AG Media Database
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Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, round 6 in Nuremberg-Nick Tandy secures pole position at qualifying thriller
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
SOURCE: Porsche AG Media Database
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Porsche Carrera World Cup at the Nürburgring – René Rast triumphs at greatest Porsche race in history
René Rast (D)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
René Rast triumphs at greatest Porsche race in history
René Rast (D)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
Stuttgart. It is the greatest success of his career: On the legendary Nürburgring-Nordschleife at the wheel of his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, René Rast won the Porsche Carrera World Cup – the greatest Porsche race in history with 100 competitors from 25 countries.
René Rast (D)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
In a gripping duel for victory on the wet time-honoured track, the German put in a strong drive for his VELTINS Lechner Racing squad, relegating his Austrian team mate Norbert Siedler to second place with a gap of 1.9 seconds. Third place went to Germany’s Lance David Arnold driving for the Motopark Oschersleben team.
Norbert Siedler (A), René Rast (D), Lance David Arnold (D)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
Norbert Siedler (A), René Rast (D), Lance David Arnold (D)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
Norbert Siedler (A), René Rast (D), Lance David Arnold (D)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
The inaugural Porsche Carrera World Cup was a huge success. Drivers raved about the challenge of one of the world’s most beautiful race tracks, as well as the excellent organization of this record-breaking event and fans experienced one-make racing at its best.
“I’m absolutely thrilled,” said Matthias Müller, Chairman of the Board at Porsche AG, who visited the Eifel race with other board members. “I’ve only heard positive things from the race drivers, and we’re already fielding the first questions about doing it again. As far as I’m concerned I don’t see why not, but we should order better weather.”
Wolfgang Hatz, Board Member for Research and Development, added: “I was particularly fascinated to see 100 of these wonderful Cup-911s competing and the incredibly exciting fight at the front. And all this under extremely difficult conditions. It was unparalleled. The images that we’ve sent around the world are certainly unique.”
The greatest Porsche race of all time was also a logistical challenge: Tyre partner Michelin supplied 550 slicks and 550 wet tyres to the Eifel, where the world’s best Porsche Cup pilots delivered an unprecedented power play. Not only the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, but also the well-supported Porsche Carrera Cups of Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy and Scandinavia counted this race of records as championship rounds of their respective series and sent their stars to compete.
Start:
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
Not surprisingly, right from the start, the competition was fierce on the 25.380 kilometre Nordschleife with the field of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup all racing with engine oil from Mobil 1. With torrential rain adding to the pilots’ difficulties which only stopped after the first half of the race, pole-sitter Norbert Siedler got away well after the flying start to take the lead. But in the first lap René Rast slipped past his team mate and never looked back.
However, for the reigning champion of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, his bid for the most prestigious win of the year was not a walk in the park. On the contrary: Not only did Norbert Siedler make fierce attacks on the front-runner over the course of the race, with Siedler just 0.3 seconds shy of the leader after four of six laps.
Britain’s Nick Tandy (Konrad Motorsport) also wanted to make his mark early on – but risked too much: In an attempt to snatch second place from Norbert Siedler in the Aremberg passage he braked too late, took a journey into the grass with two wheels and slid into the barriers.
A similar fate befell seasoned Porsche Cup campaigner Uwe Alzen (Germany): As one of the great favourites, he lost contact to the lead in the first lap and ultimately had to give up all hopes when he came in to the pits after losing a wheel in a major off.
Pilots contesting the Category 2 with Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars from 2007 to 2009 also delivered breathtaking duels. Prevailing in the end was Timo Rumpfkeil (Motopark Oschersleben), a driver who normally stands behind the pit wall as team boss of the VERVA Racing Team in the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup.
Like René Rast as winner of Category 1, Rumpfkeil receives 11,000 Euro in prize money and a valuable watch from premium manufacturer Tudor.
The fight for victory continued to provide thrilling racing. Now it was Lance David Arnold who ensured that the leading duo didn’t feel too secure. The German used his wealth of Nordschleife experience to negotiate the most spectacular overtaking manoeuvre of the entire race, inching past Britain’s Sean Edwards to clinch third and celebrate his greatest success of the season so far.
At the flag, only 3.6 seconds separated him from victory. That Norbert Siedler experienced a moment fright in the closing phase of the race was of his own doing. While hunting the leader, the Austrian suddenly found himself with two wheels off the track in the Brünnchen passage but managed to quickly stave off trouble with his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Others weren’t so lucky – only 86 competitors saw the flag.
Amongst those who retired were two princes:
For Carl Philip Bernadotte, son of Sweden’s King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia, the wet Nordschleife proved to be slippery turf, as it was for Abdulaziz Al Faisal, a member of the Saudi Arabian royal family.
New Zealander Craig Baird, the world’s most successful Porsche makes cup driver with 109 victories, occupied 38th place in the VIP-911 of Porsche AG.
With the VIP-car fielded by Porsche Cars North America, Melanie Snow (USA), the ‘world’s fastest mum”, did not see the flag at her first race on the Nordschleife.
René Rast (winner):
“It’s an indescribable feeling to have won the greatest Porsche race of all time. After the start I managed to overtake Norbert in the first lap and then tried to control the race. The key to success today was that I made not one mistake. Conditions were tough out there in the rain, particularly because I’ve never driven the Porsche on the Nordschleife in the wet. It was difficult to evaluate the grip level hence I was a little cautious at the start.”
René Rast (D)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
Norbert Siedler (second):
“It’s fantastic to be second at this incredible race. René was a tad quicker than me at the start and promptly overtook me. Later I was the faster one but it simply wasn’t prudent to try to get past him. So I decided to bring home a safe second rather than risk coming home empty-handed.”
Norbert Siedler (A)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
Lance David Arnold (third):
“That was the most awesome race I’ve ever contested. It was incredible fun driving the Cup-Porsche on the Nordschleife – in the rain. That’s racing at its best! Overtaking Sean Edwards was not without risk. I almost took a trip onto the grass. But I couldn’t resist giving it a go and my chance came on the Döttinger Höhe where it dips down. From eighth at the grid to third at the flag – I’m over the moon.”
Lance David Arnold (D)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup: Sean Edwards new points’ leader
Sean Edwards (GB)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
The title defender is on the upswing:
René Rast celebrated his second win of the season after Monaco with VELTINS Lechner Racing’s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
In the overall ranking, he now sits second after a slow start to the season behind Sean Edwards (Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit). The Britain nudged his compatriot Nick Tandy (Konrad Motorsport) off the top of the points’ table. In a courageous overtaking attempt in the wet, Tandy left the track, slid into the crash barriers and went home empty-handed.
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland: First win of the season for Nicolas Armindo
Nicolas Armindo (F)
Porsche Carrera World Cup – Nürburgring 2011
He has waited long for this success: After winning the title last year, bad luck plagued Nicolas Armindo in his first races of the year. With his first Carrera Cup victory scored at the Porsche Carrera World Cup, the Frenchman has made an impressive comeback for his Hermes Attempto Racing squad. The title fight in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland remains tense. Each of the five rounds to date has yielded a different winner. The new points’ leader is again Sean Edwards of Team Deutsche Post by tolimit.
Overall result Porsche Carrera World Cup
1. René Rast (D), VELTINS Lechner Racing, 1:00:48.621 hours
2. Norbert Siedler (A), VELTINS Lechner Racing, + 1.9 seconds
3. Lance David Arnold (D), Motopark Oschersleben, + 3.6
4. Sean Edwards (GB), Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, + 18.0
5. Nicolas Armindo (F), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 29.8
6. Kévin Estre (F), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 33.4
7. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, + 37.0
8. Martin Ragginger (A), Schnabl Engineering, + 39.6
9. Patrick Huisman (NL), Team Bleekemolen, + 42.1
10. Stefan Rosina (SK), VERVA Racing Team, + 1:10.8 minutes
Result Category 1
(Porsche 911 GT3 Cup from 2010 and 2011)
1. René Rast (D), VELTINS Lechner Racing, 1:00:48.621 hours
2. Norbert Siedler (A), VELTINS Lechner Racing, + 1.9 seconds
3. Lance David Arnold (D), Motopark Oschersleben, + 3.6
Result Category 2
(Porsche 911 GT3 Cup from 2007 to 2009)
1. Timo Rumpfkeil (D), Motopark Oschersleben, + 1:02:4 minutes
2. Sveinung Tinnes Mork (N), Team Sveinung Tinnes Mork, + 1:04.1
3. Chris Harris (GB), Team Parker Racing, + 1:05.5
Class winners
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup
René Rast (D), VELTINS Lechner Racing (overall classification 1st place)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland
Nicolas Armindo (F), Hermes Attempto Racing (overall classification 5th place)
Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain
Tim Harvey (GB), Nationwide/Motorbase (overall classification 13th place)
Porsche Carrera Cup France
Kévin Estre (F), Hermes Attempto Racing (overall classification 6th place)
Porsche Carrera Cup Italia
Alessandro Balzan (I), Ebimotors (overall classification 12th place)
Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia
Johan Kristoffersson (S), Kristoffersson Motorsport (overall classification 25th place)
Source: Porsche AG Media database
Public Relations and Media
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Porsche Carrera World Cup at the Nürburgring – Historic pole position for Norbert Siedler
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
Source: Porsche AG Media database
Public Relations and Media
Motor and Sports Press
Porsche Carrera World Cup on the Nürburgring 24 hour – The race of records
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.
Source: Porsche Press Media Database
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Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland race report: Nicki Thiim narrowly wins turbulent race!
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.
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).
Source: Porsche Press Media Database
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Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, Rd 4 on the Lausitzring, qualifying: Nicki Thiim on pole position
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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