Jaminet took off into the 14-lap race from pole position. Cairoli made a better start, pulled to the left and passed him under braking for the first corner. Müller, who had planted his Porsche on sixth in qualifying, made up three positions and slotted in behind Cairoli and Jaminet. The spearheading trio drove nose to tail over the first laps. Again and again, Jaminet and Müller attempted to overtake but no real opportunity arose. Instead, the camera crew focussed on the gripping but fair three-way fight at the front. While Jaminet was busy fending off repeated attacks from Müller, Cairoli pulled clear of his pursuers and after seven laps had built up a gap of 2.5 seconds. Then the unimaginable happened: The mechanics of his Fach Auto Tech team threw up their hands in shock as the Italian became slower and slower, and his car – which had undergone swift repairs after an off in qualifying – ground to a halt on the sideline. “I can’t believe it. Now I’m just unbelievably disappointed. There is still a theoretical chance to claim the championship but to be honest I think Sven is not going to relinquish the title,” said a despondent Cairoli after the race.

After the retirement of his junior colleague, Jaminet inherited the lead and his second Supercup win. “I have mixed feelings because I feel for Matteo. On the other hand, I’m pleased to have won here,” said Jaminet. “You can see just how suddenly fortunes can change,” said Porsche junior Müller. “I’m sorry that Matteo had to retire through no fault of his own. After my poor qualifying which yielded a sixth and fourth place I was disappointed. But then everyone said to me: never give up. Now I’m leading by 20 points.”

On the 5.516-kilometre circuit, Robert Lukas secured third and climbed the podium for the second time after Budapest. “I had a great fight with Michael Ammermüller and he tried to force me into making a mistake. But he didn’t succeed. I started from fourth on the grid and, of course, from there you’re keen to finish on the podium,” said Lukas. Ammermüller (D/Lechner MSG Racing Team) finished his race on fourth place and together with Müller earned enough points for their Lechner MSG Racing squad to be rewarded with an early team championship title. Fifth place at race nine went to Christian Engelhart (D/MRS GT-Racing) ahead of Jeffrey Schmidt (CH/Lechner Racing Middle East).

After nine of ten rounds, Müller now leads the overall classification with 153 points ahead of Cairoli (133 points) and Jaminet (126 points). In the rookie classification, Jaminet has held an unassailable lead since round eight in Monza. The final race will be held on Sunday at 11.30 hours (local time) on the Circuit of the Americas in Austin. The new champion of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup will be either Müller or Cairoli.

Heading into the weekend, the team held the lead in the Driver, Team, and Manufacturer championship, optimistic in their championship hopes. The McLarens proved to be competitive in qualifying, with Austin Cindric leading the team charge in fifth points leader Alvaro Parente in sixth, and Colin Thompson in seventh. Parente’s main championship threat, Patrick Long qualified second, adding to the tension for the race ahead.

On the morning of race day, the team was thrown a curve ball. A last minute review of the points revealed Parente had been awarded the Lime Rock pole points belonging to Andrew Palmer, who was unable to start race two due to an accident in the morning warm up. Just hours before the race, K-PAX Racing was informed they held just two points over Patrick Long. In order to win, Parente had to finish ahead of Long.

Motivated by the championship title Parente had a strong start, jumping from sixth to third as the team entered turn one. Pole sitter Johnny O’Connell led Long and Parente for the majority of the race, with several cautions never allowing the leaders to fully pull away. The field waited to go back to green with one lap remaining, giving Parente a final shot to pass Long. The green flag waved, and Long tried to make a move on O’Connell for the lead. The two had contact, sending Long off, allowing Parente to take the position to finish second. The result earned the driver, team, and manufacturer top honors after a highly successful season.

The successful afternoon adds to K-PAX Racing’s strong history, now earning their fourth driver championship (2007, 2008, 2010 and 2016), and third manufacturer title (2008, 2010, 2016). Plans for the 2017 season will be announced at the later date.

Darren Law // Program Manager
I am just so proud of our organization. This is an extremely tough Championship with so many good teams and drivers. To have it come down to the final race and the final lap shows just how hard we all fought. It has been an amazing season with the usual highs and lows of any race series. There are so many great people we work with from team members to our manufacturer McLaren GT and everyone in-between and to bring home not only the Driver Championship but the Team and Manufacturer Championships as well is icing on the cake. I am looking forward to enjoying the evening and then I am sure we will back to work shortly sorting our next season.

Jim Haughey // K-PAX Racing Team Owner
IT was a great end to a very hard fought season. We had a lot of ups and downs, and a lot of setbacks, but Alvaro and the team persevered and hung in there until the last lap of the last race and got it by a close margin. We knew it would be tight, especially given the points change at the beginning of the day. The guys did what they had to do, and in the end, all the hard work paid off.

Andrew Kirkaldy // McLaren GT Managing Director
Incredible. A stellar campaign all season by the whole K-PAX crew and factory driver Alvaro Parente, well deserving champions. It’s been a tough fight for them all year and their hard work paid off today. For McLaren GT to secure the Manufacturer’s title is the icing on the cake in what is an incredibly tough-contested championship. Well done to all.

Alvaro Parente // Started P6 // Finished P2 // 2016 Driver Champion
What a crazy day, and it started off with the points controversy. There was a lot of pressure this weekend, but I tried to keep it cool. I really had a good start, which was fundamental. It was one of my best starts of the year. Then I didn’t have the ultimate pace. I tried once or twice to move on Pat Long, but his pace was good too. Then I took advantage of the last lap, which was a bit crazy there. He and Johnny fought, I took advantage and passed him. It’s crazy how we did it in the last moment. We deserved it, and we should have gotten it earlier than this. We got it. Thanks to K-PAX Racing, Flying Lizard Motorsport, and McLaren GT. It’s been a pleasure to race in the Pirelli World Challenge this year.

Austin Cindric // Started P5 // Finished P20
Unfortunately, we didn’t get off to a good start, and I got shuffled back a few spots. I tried to fight back from where I was. I worked my way back up to the pack. I had an incident on the last lap and fell back to 20th. We didn’t end the season on a high note like I thought we could have. The biggest plus from the weekend was the team, winning the team championship, the manufacturer championship, and the driver championship for Alvaro. Those were all three giant boxes to be checked, and it was really cool to be a part of that this year. They really stuck with it and worked hard all year to get where we were. About halfway through the season, our car really became a threat. Hopefully this leads to bigger things. I can’t thank the K-PAX Racing and Flying Lizard guys enough for all their hard work.

Colin Thompson // Started P7 // Finished P21
Heading into the last race of the year, I had an awesome start. I gained a couple positions right off the bat going into turn one, and was able to get into the position to assist Alvaro with just one car between us. It paced out for a while into a train, with no one passing. A couple yellows happened, and the balance of the car started to change. It became more a challenge through the end of the race. I had a bit of a mistake that sent me four wheels off into turn six. I dropped a couple positions for a shootout in the last lap for everybody. It’s unfortunate we didn’t finish the race, but thanks to everybody at K-PAX Racing for all their hard work this year. The guys really hustled all year to give 110%, and I’m proud to be a part of it.

The MICHELIN Cup N2 tyres were designed specifically for Porsche and they have been used
successfully at the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Porsche Carrera Cup and GT3 Cup Challenge race series around the world.

When designing the MICHELIN Cup N2, Michelin test drivers and engineers worked very closely with Porsche to meet the following criteria:

- High levels of durability with good traction and braking performance throughout the whole race
- Neutral front/rear balance for a better drivability
- Strong lateral grip for driver confidence and higher corner speed
- A wide operating window to suit all tracks and all race conditions

Based on the latest tyre technology developed in the FIA World Endurance Championship the MICHELIN Cup N2 uses Michelin Dualtech TechnologyTM which comprises a hybrid Kevlar summit area and a specific casing design with optimised rigidity levels to ensure high speed, safety and consistent handling characteristics which are tuned to the car.

For wet conditions the new MICHELIN Pilot Sport GT P2L rain tyre, which was launched earlier in 2016, is available to competitors. Both the tread pattern and casing were developed to provide the best levels of grip and durability, from damp to full wet conditions, and across a wide operating range of temperatures.

Due to the use of innovative technology developed in the WEC – a new tread combined with a latest-generation casing – the Pilot Sport GT P2L greatly improves performance on drying tracks compared to its predecessor, the P2G, while retaining high performance levels in very wet conditions.

Michelin has a longstanding relationship with Porsche and the Company’s road tyres are fitted to many models including the Panamera, Cayman, 911 GT3 RS and the 918 Spyder. These road tyres share the same DNA as the MICHELIN Cup N2 and Pilot Sport GT P2L race tyres and highlight Michelin’s philosophy of developing its tyres in the toughest testing laboratory; the race track.
The tyre sizes fitted to the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup are 27/65-18 front and 31/71-18 rear.

We had some time to consider various options and weigh all pros and contras during the off-season. Now our plans took their final shape.

First of all, let me talk about our plans for the season. The main goal is to remain on the leading position in PCCI in the team classification and put a winning period in the individual classification. I hope the marshals will not throw sand in our wheels, as (there is nothing to keep from you) it was the previous year. We want to win, and it is not just a wish: we have a certain responsibility already. We will not repose on our laurels because we became the No. 1 team in Italy; otherwise, we have to work even harder to… not to confirm, there is no confirmation needed, but to continue on the course. You know, it happens that a team works on cine curve: ups and downs go in turn. What I want to say that we will have no downs.

So, we want to preserve our leadership in Porsche Carrera Cup Italia, and Oleksandr Gaidai will fight for the Champion’s title in the Division B of the French series. These are our tasks and plans for the season.

 Let’s proceed with the new Porsche GT3. Immediately after the end of the previous season we planned to take this car, made tests with Oleksandr Gaidai, and began to discuss the possibility of participation in endurance races.

We expected that we would take the car as soon as possible and go to Dubai with it, but Porsche had some delay with the delivery of consumer vehicles. Than we started to discuss with Porsche the possibility to take the vehicle for this season, go to GT Italy and long races, but the main thing we needed was the Porsche technical support: a factory engineer and a truck with spare parts for each race. It is obvious that wear parts like drive gears and pads are required anyway. But homologation is not simple: sometimes even the slightest touch on the track may cause the need of a small detail, and if it can’t be replaced instantly, a driver won’t be able to continue the race. Unfortunately, Porsche company could not guarantee that it would provide a truck with spare parts for each race in the calendar of this season.

So the decision was made to take the GT3 vehicle in the end of the season of 2016 and make a test session for the drivers and mechanics then. The point is that the Cup vehicle and the GT are two different cars. It is more simple for the drivers: the car is pleasant to drive, but it is slightly more difficult for the mechanics to work with. And it is not our style to leap into action of the new series and to learn from our own mistakes. That is why we will take the car this autumn, perform the tests, teach the staff to work with it, and then we’ll go to the competition and pretend to the high ranking positions at once. This is a new project of Porsche, a rather ambitious one, and we want to comply with it and with our reputation.

The “Mugello 12 Hours” race will open the season for us. We will be able to make conclusions in the result of the race on how good we are at the long races, whether each team member is located properly. We have our first start in endurance races with such a team squad, with these mechanics, managers and drivers, and it will be very telling for me. Many decisions for the season of 2017 will be made taking this experience into account.

- Do you ever watch such a long-term perspective?

Not always. I have already told that I often take spontaneous decisions, and I am often emotional. But even in the moment of impulse the part of my brain responsible for the logic is active. I listen to my heart, but the brain makes its calculations on the options.

Of course, I try to see the perspective, but it is difficult for me as I am a non-systemic person. I just know that it is our way. I am a co-driver, you know. The explanations on the reasons for the direction will come later.

- How the strategic decisions are made in the team? Do you make them by yourself or listen to the drivers’ opinions first?

Certainly, the drivers’ considerations are taken into account. They must be interested, they must have motivation. However, if tomorrow our drivers decide that they want to participate in the Championship of the Moon, I will consider it a cool opportunity but we won’t go to the Moon. It is because the team consists not only of the director and the drivers. When the driver finished the race, he goes home, and minds his affairs or just sits on the sofa. But mechanics continue to work. Our schedule may require to assemble, for example, Gaidai’s car which Fulgenzi hit the last Sunday, in three days. Then the managers are rushing to find all the necessary spare parts to bring to the workshop, and mechanics assemble it all. We have to understand and to respect their lives: they have families and the right to spend some weekends with them. Sometimes they have to leave work at 6 p.m. and drink wine during the family dinner, and not to work until 2 a.m.

I can want whatever I want, but it is not me to twist screws or to drive of about fifteen hundred competition kilometers a week. That is why I first of all listen to what the people around talk, and not just spray with ideas. That is the way the decisions are made: the interest of each team member are taken into account. Because if something is wrong, everything will collapse. My task is to build a strategy from the rational point of view and not to ruffle everybody in process.

- What is taken into consideration except the team members’ interests when the plans for the season are made?

Everything is very logic and simple. Firstly, we assign a task to strengthen our leadership and win in the season. But you can win nothing without any effort. It is possible, maybe, in Zambezi Championship. Bit if we talk about haute motorsports, every victory has its way. Let’s have a look: we have a Cup vehicle, so, we can choose one of the Cup series. We are located in San-Marino, and it would be a sacrilege not to participate in the Italian series, given that it became so interesting. France is not very far from us, and the French Championship is interesting itself, and it will have even more competitors this year. England is distant already, that means significant transportation expenditures. We can see that, having a certain car, our geographical choice of series in which we can participate is rather limited.

The next year, when we have GT3, new decisions will be made on our further development. We will discuss it with the team management, mechanics, Porsche, to adjust the calendars, resolve financial issues and certainly take into account that the human capacity and working efficiency are limited.

 - You have said that the Italian Cup will become very interesting. Do you like the changes expected for this year?

I am delighted by the format I have seen in the regulations. Being the rally soul, I got used to the non-stop action. I already said that the most difficult thing in circuit races for me is the period of waiting between the qualification and the race… And in this season the Italians filled the three racing days with intense action. It gives everybody a lot of pleasure. We get a long race and two sprints, drivers get more driving hours, mechanics get the possibility to practice actions that will be needed in the endurance races. On paper, I like everything, the Italians are great, they managed to enliven the series, put new steam into it. It creates an intrigue in the Championship, a beautiful picture. I am waiting impatiently for the start of the season to see how it will be implemented.

The French organizers also forge ahead. They will have only two weekends on the territory of France and decided to open up new tracks. This means new emotions, it is a challenge for the engineers who make the vehicle settings. Maybe, it will be a more expensive version, but it will definitely give the teams a possibility to develop and become better. It is very important for us that the French organization agreed to consider only five races of six in the Division B classification this year. It is very important for us because one PCCF round coincides with the Italian one, and now we have the right not to participate in this race.

- What do you feel before the beginning of the season as a head of the best team in Italy?

I am eagerly waiting for the beginning of the season. The process is tiring, of course, there are a lot of worries. But if your blood has high octane rating, you can’t remain without motorsports for a long time. When thirty cars are lined up on the starting grid ready to jump into action, everything is forgotten at the moment. So I can say that I am looking forward to the first start.

As for the Champion’s title… We won the Ukrainian Championship since I had founded the team, then I became the Overall Champion of Russia, in 2009 we won the team classification of the Ukrainian Championship both in rally and in circuit races… So, our next step is always more difficult that a previous one. My foretaste of the new season as a champion team can be presented in one phrase: We are not going to stop! Never look back!

For the coming season, Olsen will receive a grant and comprehensive support in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland. Jaminet, Cairoli and Müller receive backing in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. “We are pleased to be able to further expand our young driver scheme and to support four talented international youngsters next year. The Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland and the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup have proved to be excellent training grounds for tomorrow’s sports car professionals. A prime example of this is Earl Bamber’s career. We selected him as a junior in 2014 and already this year he scored overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” says Head of Porsche Motorsport Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser.

Olsen came out on top in a demanding multi-level selection process against more than 100 young pilots and displayed top form at the shoot-out on the Lausitzring in October. Amongst the drivers who have no experience as yet in GT racing, the Norwegian from the town of Valer i Ostfold put in a convincing performance in both dry and wet track conditions. At a test run in the 460 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, each of the talented youngsters had the same number of tyres at their disposal and worked together with Porsche engineers on setting up the vehicle. Olsen, who contested the Formula Renault 2.0 in the 2015 season, will receive funding of 150,000 Euro towards his Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland campaign. Like all Porsche Juniors, he will also receive training in media matters, fitness and mental preparation. Former Porsche works driver Sascha Maassen accompanies all Porsche Juniors as a permanent coach.

A second shoot-out was organised for pilots who have already gained some GT experience in Porsche’s one-make series worldwide. Among the nominated candidates from individual countries and regions was 21-year-old Jaminet. The young Frenchman from Woippy near Metz, who was put forward by Porsche Carrera Cup France, impressed the jury with his performance both on and off the racetrack. With a scholarship of 200,000 Euro, he gets the chance to compete in the 2016 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. Jaminet will tackle Porsche’s flagship championship alongside the two other Porsche-supported pilots Cairoli and Müller, who also contest the series run as support to all European Formula 1 rounds.

Cairoli comes from Como in Italy and this year won the rookie classification of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. Müller, from Bingen close to the German city of Mainz, secured the vice-championship.

Talent scout initiatives enjoy a long tradition at Porsche Motorsport. Using this path, many scholarship pilots have managed to climb the career ladder into international GT and prototype racing. Recently, Michael Christensen and Earl Bamber were promoted from juniors to Porsche works drivers. Bamber crowned his career last June with the historic LMP1 victory at the Le Mans 24 hour race.

A prime example of a successful talent promotion within the Porsche motorsport pyramid is Earl Bamber. The New Zealander launched his career as a Porsche privateer in the GT3 Cup Challenge New Zealand and then switched to the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, where he secured the title in 2013 and was nominated for the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup talent scout initiative. As a Porsche Junior, Bamber won the Supercup in 2014, defended the title in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia that same year and earned himself a contract as a Porsche works driver. In June 2015, he won the world’s most famous long distance race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, at the wheel of the 919 Hybrid.

Now, the hopeful young aspirants at the shootout are eager to follow in his footsteps. “Bamber is a perfect role model. Every race driver dreams of such a career,” was the unanimous sentiment of all participants. These young hotshots know that the Porsche scholarship might open the door to becoming a works driver. The aspirants in the running for the scholarship are Mathieu Jaminet (20) from Woippy near Metz representing the Porsche Carrera Cup France. Twenty-one-year-old Riccardo Agostini from Padova was nominated for the selection process by Porsche Carrera Cup Italia. Josh Webster (21) from Stowmarket, England, represents Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain. Mikkel Overgaard Pedersen (18) from the Danish town of Struer was sent as a delegate of Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia. Yuya Motojima (24) from Nagoya, who has just concluded his season in the Porsche Carrera Cup Japan, travelled as the Japanese champion to the Lausitz. Germany’s Nico Menzel (17), who lives in Kelberg in der Eifel, contested this year’s Porsche Carrera Cup Asia and was selected to represent this one-make cup series. Elliott Skeer (21) from Carlsbad in America received an invitation to the shootout after his excellent performances as champion of the GT3 Cup Challenge USA. Nick Foster (23) and Richard Muscat (23) have been elected to represent the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia.

“With nine strong drivers it’ll be a tough decision for us. Fast lap times are equally as important as how they conduct themselves away from the race track. The talented youngsters are nominated by countries and regions in which a Porsche one-make cup is contested and who have the potential to be successful at an international level. We will analyse all parameters in order to select the best candidate,” said Andrea Hagenbach, Manager of the Porsche Motorsport Junior Programme.

Talent scout initiatives have a long tradition at Porsche Motorsport. Using this path, many scholarship pilots have managed to climb the career ladder into international GT and prototype racing. The Porsche Motorsport Junior Programme gives drivers from the worldwide Porsche one-make cups the chance to earn themselves a season in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. The Supercup serves as a launching platform into a professional racing career.

Let’s take a look at the race of Saturday. Of course, we’ll consider the one of Sunday too, but a little bit later. Let it stay in result tables. So, it’s Saturday, August 29, 2015, Magny-Cours, 2:02 p.m. The starting signal light is switched off and 15 vehicles begin their first lap of the 25-minute race.

Front projection

Three leaders started as follows: Jousse – De Narda – Gounon. That was the way they finished in 25 minutes. Tsunami RT driver Oleksandr Gaidai started the race from the 11th starting position and finished it on the 14th position.

Probably, this projection doesn’t look very fascinating. What if we look at it from another point of view?

Horizontal projection

From the very beginning of the race Maxime Jousse and Joffrey De Narda drove far forward but kept fighting for the higher position on the podium: De Narda was attacking decisively, and Jousse was defending respectively. Also Jules Gounon was given no peace: Vincent Beltoise was actively seeking the former’s position, second words with deeds.

Romain Monti was breaking forward from the end of the peloton with a vengeance of a tank until he came to Nicolas Marroc and pushed him out of the track.

 In the Division B Roar Lindland used the error of Oleksandr Gaidai and overran him. Gaidai wasn’t comfortable with the situation, he intended to overrun having seen the adequate space provided for him by Lindland and managed to put a half of the car into it. The Norwegian driver realized the mistake and tried to close the gap. The result was Lindland’s turn, and Gaidai got a new pursuer – Egidio Perfetti. A new contact and Gaidai’s car made the pirouette around its axis. All the group of the gentlemen drivers left behind, including Lindland and Daniel Diaz-Varela, gaily rushed forward, and Gaidai found himself in the position of the overtaking driver. He managed to overrun Varela, but 5 seconds of gap being behind the group three laps before the finish is an almost unsolvable task. The result is the fourth place in Division B and the 14th place overall.

Porsche Carrera Cup France 2015, round 5, Magny-Cours

Race 1 (overall)

1. JOUSSE Maxime (Sébastien Loeb Racing) 15 laps
2. DE NARDA Joffrey (Sébastien Loeb Racing) +1.686
3. GOUNON Jules (Martinet by Almeras) +4.231
…14. GAIDAI Oleksandr (Tsunami RT) +38.537
…12. DIAZ-VARELA Daniel (Yvan Muller Racing) +3 laps

Race 1 (Division B)

1. LAPIERRE Christophe (Sébastien Loeb Racing) 15 laps
2. PERFETTI Egidio (Martinet Team Pro GT) +1.355
3. LINDLAND Roar (Sébastien Loeb Racing) +4.575
4. GAIDAI Oleksandr (Tsunami RT) +9.820
5. DIAZ-VARELA Daniel (Yvan Muller Racing) +3 laps

Vertical projection

You can see more from above, free practices and qualifications included, where the Tsunami RT team and its driver eagerly seek the vehicle settings, and Porsche plays pranks, resists, and Gaidai has to literally push it in every turn that without any doubt burns off a lot of calories and nerve cells, but contributes neither to pleasure nor to a good result. The second race was similar, and after it Gaidai promised to the malicious car to replace all the shock absorbers in a fit of anger. The mechanics kept the threat of Gaidai. The summer is sweepingly coming to its end. Now let’s talk about Sunday.

 Front projection

The pole position holder, Maxime Jousse, didn’t change his position again because he was absolutely satisfied with the first one. De Narda and Gounon made a photo with him on the podium again, having interchanged the places this time but still satisfied. Oleksandr Gaidai reached the bronze podium of Division B. And even the safety-car got an opportunity to drive on the track.

 Horizontal projection

Successful qualification is not a passport to success at all, as Nicolas Marroc thought on his third starting position gazing after the overrunning competitors – before mentioned Gounon and De Narda. Fumbled Matthieu Jaminet gave way to Vincent Beltoise, and Jim Pla overran Alexandre Cougnaud. So, the mise en scene finished with the solemn appearance of the safety car was prepared.

In the sharp right turn Jaminet driving on the trajectory was already in the apex. At that moment Jim Pla approached to the turn, and the smoke from under his wheels proved that Jim had remembered of the brake pedal only a short time ago, that meant a moment before. The vertex of an angle is a point of two right lines crossing. And these lines were crossed as the trajectory of Pla who had not enough time to brake and the trajectory of Jaminet who was driving towards the coming out of the turn. As a natural result, it ended with the bounce and the appearance of the safety car (fortunately, the drivers didn’t have any injure).

Meanwhile, in Division B Oleksandr Gaidai was tailgating Christophe Lapierre waiting for the mistake of the competitor. Lapierre was honestly raising hopes of the Ukrainian driver blocking the wheels and making insignificant mistakes. The safety car appeared on the track was not in Gaidai’s plans at all, but the referees rarely take into account the drivers’ considerations about it. While the humbled peloton was making sinusoids on the track, all the drivers’ conquered advantage was smoothing over, so after the restart Egidio Perfetti dashed to attack Gaidai.

But he didn’t manage to repeat the maneuver of yesterday: after the contact not the Ukrainian driver but Perfetti spinned. Gaidai lost two seconds needed to restart attacking Lapierre. Perfetti was disappointed and even went to the pit lane, but then returned to the track at least to make one more spin, solo this time.

Lapierre hadn’t enough time to overtake Lindland, and Oleksandr Gaidai didn’t manage to overtake Lapierre and took only the third position on the Division B podium.

 Vertical projection

The replacement of the shock absorbers impressed Gaidai’s car so much that Porsche stopped playing pranks and agreed to choose direction on driver’s orders and not at its heart’s dictation. Due to that Gaidai had an opportunity to prove the principle of relativity: 35-minute race with good speed seemed much shorter to him than the 25-minute one of yesterday. And the main thing was that he began to enjoy driving, that had to be the main motivation and the goal for the gentlemen drivers according to Porsche Carrera Cup rules (it bears reminding that professional drivers do it for payment, and Division B because of love to drive).

1. What does the team mean to you – family, work, hobby?

I.K.: All you have listed, and a part of me, my life – all together and separately. Team is something many-sided, it makes my everyday life. Sometimes I come to the team and feel that it’s my family, sometimes it’s felt like work. On one hand, I think that it’s a wonderful hobby. And on the other hand, it’s not just a hobby, it a lifestyle.

2. What is your favorite moment of the racing weekend if not to consider the success of the team on the race?

I.K.: When I come and see the whole team and say: «Bon Giorno». I like seeing these people again and understanding that we gathered to make something good.

3. Who of PCCI competitors drive in such a manner you really like to watch?

I.K.: I sincerely admire Gianluca Giraudi. It’s a driver of mature age, he is purposeful, self-disciplined. This is an example for many young racers, he is fast, smart, reliable and won’t be a cause of an incident. He gladdens me all the time appearing on the prize podium.

4. And what about the French Cup?

I.K.: As for France, I have no favorite driver here. I like the way the motor sports develops in France: I’m glad that young and promising guys are on the podium. But I have no favorite competitor here. The one I had is in our team already!

5. The representatives of 6 countries – Ukraine, France, Greece, Italy, Russia, Germany – work in the team now. What’s the principle you apply to choose the people?

I.K.: The most important is their professionalism, but it’s not enough. It’s important to me that every person can be a part of the puzzle named ‘team’. Because the team is a living organism. Certain rules of communications are elaborated to give people a possibility to intercourse. It’s necessary for a person to understand what is Tsunami RT, what is these people’s destination and why they are together.

6. Which race of the last two seasons would you like to restart from the very beginning and see what happens this time?

I.K.: I would like to restart the Le Mans race of this season. To let Gaidai win it again, but to be present there.

7. You have 15 to 20 flights per month. What are you doing during them?

I.K.: Flights give me time to resolve accrued questions. Sometimes I read sporting documents. I make plans for the team future. Sometimes we just talk, because we don’t even have time for it often.

8. What’s the difference between male and female director?

I.K.: The question is that I haven’t ever been a man! If I had been a man for 30 years and a woman for 30 years, I would have told definitely, and I can only assume.

A woman can be a very good professional, on a par with a man. But we have more developed emotional component, and it often helps to make decisions relatively quickly, without analyzing. I think that men are much more keen on analysis. And I just know that it’s the best way now, and analyze later. And I am right in 99% of cases as for the people and situations.

9. Do you see races in your dreams? If so, what are they about?

I.K.: No. I am on the races for three weeks, and it’s not a holiday schedule – 4 to 5 hours to sleep, and when I come home, I have no dreams! When I am so tired, my brain just switches off. But I live in it, in a racing dream!

10. What is your dream? Not the goal you know the way to achieve, but a dream?

I.K.: I dream about the justice in life – among people, countries, that the children won’t be ill, the old people won’t be in need, people will be just to each other, as they deserve. I want the people to be guided by good and not to cause damage to others. That’s my ideal world.

They share the laurels after having monopolized both pole positions in B-class. As for Joffrey de Narda, he completed some solid performances. Alas, a mechanical problem at the start of the first race, plus a contact caused by another contender in the second race, stopped dead all his hopes.

Quotes.

Maxime Jousse, 3rd in race 1, 4th in race 2, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup No. 17: “The car performed well all weekend and as always the team did a great job, but I didn’t manage to string all my best splits together in the qualifying. This track isn’t the one I’m most comfortable on and two races were needed for me to really start enjoying driving there. After having had to withdraw in Lédenon I now don’t have any jokers left and thus I’ve had to be clever in the way I approached the races. Therefore I made a great first start and I took advantage of others’ mistakes to place myself on the podium, showing that I was well-focused by posting the fastest lap during the race. The conditions in the second round were more delicate, but there too I secured some good points thanks to an efficient car. After the qualifying one could have thought it’d be difficult for us, but the outcome in terms of scoring is not bad at all and it’ll be my job from now on to be careful in the qualifying throughout the three next weekends, so that I can win again!”

Roar Lindland, 2nd in B-class in race 1 and winner in race 2, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup n°11: “I’m really happy with this interesting weekend. Complicated but interesting as I had never raced here before. We didn’t start well, but we managed to improve before qualifying. The first race was very difficult considering the heat and I think my lack of experience of the track meant I had some difficulties with the handling of the car. However on Sunday my car was brilliant and I could control my position. It was very tricky at the start and it was maybe the most difficult race I’d done in a long time. With the sun shining on the track, it was like a mirror. I chose to remain patient at the beginning and it paid off at the end. This win is very important for the championship and it feels great to earn this result before leaving on holidays!”
 
Race 1.

As he had announced, Joffrey de Narda paid full attention to the qualifying and reached the third position on the starting grid of the first round. As for Maxime Jousse, he stood in third row while Christophe Lapierre and Roar Lindland achieved an excellent double in B-class. That result got confirmed 35 minutes into the race.

At the start, Christophe had to give in facing a contender from the B championship, but the driver from Montélimar then attacked four laps before the chequered flag and managed to take leadership of the race, a first position he kept all the way to the finish line, 1”8 seconds ahead of his Norwegian teammate.

Unfortunately, Joffrey’s excellent practice sessions could not pay off as, right from the moment the lights turned off, a faulty clutch, following on an unusually long starting procedure, prevented him from going any further. With a terrific start, Maxime made the Sébastien Loeb Racing shine and was already in third position after the first turn.

Despite putting pressure for half an hour on the second, what remained most important was to score some big points and to be in front of his rivals, which he did by securing the third step of the podium.

Race 2.

Joffrey de Narda confirmed his fantastic performance in the qualifying by starting once again from the third place, just in front of Maxime Jousse’s bonnet in the third row. A new hit in B-class with a second double back to back posted by Roar Lindland and Christophe Lapierre, in that order.

Delicate conditions on Sunday, the track was still wet after a morning thunderstorm. Nevertheless the contenders took to the track with slick tyres. Traffic at the start forced De Narda to let go of a place, as opposed to Jousse who reached the 7th position after the first lap. Lap after lap, while Joffrey was forced to join the list of withdrawals, after having been hit by another car, the driver from Le Var moved up in the hierarchy and crossed the finish line just off the podium, scoring some great points which allow him to stick together with the leading pack in the championship.

In B-class, Lindland and Lapierre got stuck behind a contender who was struggling, but methodically prepared their return in the lead which took place during the 7th lap as they took control of the race. The Norwegian driver thus secured a first success in class this season and stayed closed to Lapierre who is still comfortably settled in the leading spot.

In Le Gard, Maxime Jousse’s performance was faultless up until he faced a mechanical problem, on his way to the starting grid, preventing him from a result which was foreseen as first-class. “That was a real disappointment because we had all it takes to be successful. The cancellation of Sunday’s race certainly did not help neither : we’ve scored only one point throughout the whole weekend, thanks to the pole”, says Max, already hungry for revenge. “Performance is there, therefore we’re just going to tackle Le Mans with the same energy and motivation. Good qualifying sessions and hunting for the win in both races will be key. If I want to catch up, I don’t have much choice. It’s time to attack ! ”

“It was frustrating not to be able to turn our very good start in the competition into a great result, but it is a long championship and I don’t like to give up” warns the driver from Le Var. “Last season we showed our competitiveness in Le Mans, we had notched up a pole under raining conditions while posting the fastest lap during the race, in dry conditions. I hope to race at the front and then it’ll be my job to concentrate properly in order to reach a win and revive myself in the rankings.”

There is a great chance that Maxime Jousse encounters teammate Joffrey de Narda on his way, as his performances around Nîmes’ hills showed he is there to win too. Let us remember that in 2014, for his first participation in the championship, and only 18 years old at the time, de Narda led the race !
Christophe Lapierre will also be there with the intention to compete at the top of the B-class leaderboard. Three times class champion, Lapierre’s most recent race consisted in a first row, a five-lap leadership and ended up in a class win.

His teammate and first rival Lindland also plans on success. “I think that I could have performed better in Lédenon, but Christophe was very fast and I’m happy to have contributed in a double for the Sébastien Loeb Racing”, explains the vice-champion. “Beginning a championship like that is always very positive. It’s a shame that the second race got cancelled, especially because I love rain ! I’m looking forward to racing in Le Mans and to being back in the car on that track which I’m now quite familiar with.

“I want to do even better and I’m very motivated, I want to keep the momentum up. It’s a great track, some great fast sections, I can’t wait to be there.”

As part of the GT Tour’s second round, Sébastien Loeb & Dominique Heintz’s team will face the qualifying at 08:40 in the morning on Saturday May 2nd, then a first 35-minute race will begin at 03:20pm. On the following day, Sunday May 3rd, the timed session is scheduled at 08:00am while the final 25-minute sprint will start at 14:05pm.

If you don’t want to miss out on anything, go to the Sébastien Loeb Racing’s official website to follow a live streaming of the event.

On Saturday, Max Jousse began this new season just like the preceding one : in pole position ! Unfortunately for the French driver, a mechanical breakdown on his way to the grid prevented him from participating in the race and defend his chances. Lapierre then inherited the leading row in spite of himself. Largely dominating the B class, the driver from Montélimar succeeded in qualifying in first position alongside his leader and managed to assert his authority during the race. In two weeks, the next round in Le Mans will have to stand as a confirmation for Christophe and Roar, who is very close behind, and as a fulfilment for Maxime. As for Joffrey, he has showed his great top speed and reached one of the most promising Top-5 results thanks to a consistent race negotiated with much attack.

Race 1

While Maxime Jousse and Christophe Lapierre shared the first rows, Joffrey de Narda and Roar Lindland appeared respectively at the 5th and 6th rows on the grid. Unfortunately, the hopes of the former crumbled down during the lap on his way to the starting grid. Ideally positioned at the front of the pack, Lapierre was at the lead throughout five laps and honourably resisted the A-class drivers. De Narda moved down to the 6th row while Lindland solidly hanged onto the B-class’s second place.
Occupying the third position overall up until the 12th lap, Lapierre damaged a steering tie-rod in the battle which pitted him against some of the best cars of the championship. Well under way to win the B-class race, his own priority, he safely made it all the way to the chequered flag before crossing the finish line at a fantastic 8th place. As for Joffrey, he climbed into the Top 5, only half a second away from the third step of the podium, while Roar secured a double for the Alsace-based team on the B class leaderboard.

Race 2

Les On Sunday morning, the qualifying session boosted Max Jousse’s spirits. He achieved a first row again, only 16 thousandth of a second away from the pole. Joffrey de Narda confirmed he felt in a good shape again, just like the day before, posting the 5th lap time, while Christophe Lapierre lead the B class within which Roar Lindland stood at the third position. The Sébastien Loeb Racing was unlucky as the heavy rain in Le Gard forced the committee members to cancel race 2.

Reactions

Joffrey de Narda, 5th in race 1, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup No. 09 : “I’m satisfied with the first race’s result, as I had missed out on the qualifying sessions because of an excess of stress that I hadn’t been able to channel. That’s annoying, especially since the winter tests had proven that I was on track for what was to come. I was hungry for revenge when I started the race : I haven’t worked that hard for so many months to only end up at the 10th place of this first round ! Fully concentrated, I made a good start and I climbed all the way to the Top-5, posting some good and very consistent lap times. That’s how I got on with it on Sunday and my progress was visible. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to implement that during the race, as it got cancelled but I hope that it will be replayed. It is just a matter of time. See you in Le Mans !”
 
Roar Lindland, 2nd of race 1 in the B class, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup No. 11 : “It was quite a special race weekend for me. I was prepared to a big challenge because the Lédenon circuit is very tough. Some tracks are your favourite, some are not, you have to adapt to different driving styles and this one is one of the most difficult. Saturday I was P2 in qualifying. I was quite happy, maybe not with the position because I think I could have been a little bit more faster. Anyway it was a good start of the season and my teammate Christophe Lapierre was really strong. I took the best of the tyres and it was very difficult to catch him. In the afternoon the race was quite well and I finished on the podium. It’s always good to start this way in the championship. This is what we were aiming for when we came to the circuit. On Sunday the tarmac changed colour in qualifying and I’ve chosen slick tyres despite the wet track. I pushed a lot and set good sectors, but I ended P3. I would have been happy to race with the rain, but it has been cancelled. It’s a shame, because even if I have never driven at Ledenon in those conditions before, I usually perform well under wet weather. I’m now looking forward to Le Mans !”
 
Next round in Le Mans on the weekend of May 2nd and 3rd.

Despite three wins, three poles and five best lap times posted during last season’s races, Maxime Jousse ended up five points away from the highly-coveted first place. After a hard-working winter recess, the driver from the Côte d’Azur is now ready and determined, looking forward to fighting again on the track in Le Gars where he came first last June.

“I hope that our results will be in keeping with last season’s and I’m happy to receive the Sébastien Loeb Racing’s trust for the third year in a row. Continuing with that particular team, one of the most professional ones in France, stood as a priority for me”, he says. “If we manage to get rid of the couple of mistakes we made last year, there’s no reason for us not to keep up with the race. We’ve organised several test days over the last couple of weeks, including Porsche’s official practice sessions.

“We’ve worked on elements that required improvement, with a specific attention to the qualifying, focusing on how the car adapts to new tyres. The progress we’ve made is encouraging. The minimum goal in Lédenon will be to claim podiums and to score some important points. The team has reaffirmed their confidence in me because they want to aim for the title, so there’s only one thing left for me to do…”

Amongst his opponents will obviously be his teammate Joffrey de Narda. For his second “Cup season” the youngest driver of the competition – 19 years old – intends to reach further than a podium. And now that he is familiar with how the Porsche behaves on that rolling track near Nîmes, the ambitious young driver will more than ever aim for the front of the race.

In the B-class, three times champion Christophe Lapierre is hungry for revenge and will compete for nothing else than the first place, wishing to get back the crown that he lost last season. But just like in the overall rankings, the driver from Montélimar will race alongside one of the most serious contenders of his team as he will be fighting the super fast Roar Lindland, last year’s vice-champion.
While his first campaign in France with the Sébastien Loeb Racing was mostly about discovering the different tracks, the Norwegian driver is now familiar with all of their specificities. “And, as he was himself underlying recently : “the aim is to do better each year, so what can we expect after a second place…”

“I can’t wait to be back at Lédenon. It was a difficult track for my first go last year, but I liked it a lot. We were unlucky at the time there but I hope to be able to show our full power and maximum speed again and to continue on working well with the team. We’re well-prepared for this coming season, particularly here in Lédenon, and I am looking forward to getting back to the championship and to our opponents. We’re racing to win, but the competition is so keenly-fought… That’s why our primer goal will be to reach the best place possible.”

The four aces of Soultz-Sous-Forêts’s team will take to the track on Saturday April 18th at 8:50am for the qualifying before pitting against a tough pack at 02:05pm. On the following day, Sunday April 19th,  a second qualifying session will take place at 08:30am while the second race will begin on the twelve strokes of midday. This first round, as well as all of the GT Tour’s other races of the season, will be available on the Sébastien Loeb Racing’s official website.

Oliver Schwab joined Porsche China in January 2009 and from the beginning of 2011 took over the responsibility for motorsport activities. In addition to managing the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia he also initiated the youth support concept “China Junior Development Programme” which was introduced at the start of the 2014 season.

“As Motorsport Manager at Porsche China, Oliver Schwab has turned the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia into one of the region’s most important single marque race series for sports cars,” says Porsche Head of Motorsport Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser. “We’re confident that with his experience and commitment he will give fresh impetus to the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in the future as the flagship series of the Porsche brand trophies around the world.”

“We are delighted to welcome Alexandre Gibot to our team and we will give him our full support in our mutual goal of building a strong and enduring sports car culture in China,” says Deesch Papke, President and Chief Executive Officer of Porsche China. “We are confident that under his charge the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia will continue to be at the forefront of the sports car one-make race series in China and the whole region. At the same time, we are thrilled that Oliver Schwab’s great work here has been acknowledged with his appointment as the head of one of the fastest and most prestigious brand trophy series in the world.”

Porsche is positioned in China’s burgeoning sports car market with its attractive two-door 911, Boxster and Cayman models. For Porsche, China is now the fourth largest sports car market behind the USA, Germany and Great Britain. 4,021 sports cars were sold in China in 2013, with 3,382 sold from January to October 2014.

26 points behind when arriving in Le Var, Maxime Jousse gave his very best up until the end but unfortunately missed the highest step of the podium by a hair’s breadth. This honorary vice-champion title, together with Roar Lindland’s in the B class, are the final notes of the season for the team co-founded by Sébastien Loeb and Dominique Heintz.

A consistent, reliable and efficient driver since Le Mans, Jousse did not seem to be bothered by any pressure at the start of the first round which he was about to lead from beginning to end. Having achieved his third 2014 success the day before, he then secured a new podium which was also monopolised by Christophe Lapierre and Roar Lindland as part of the B rankings. Though not competing for the title any more, since Nogaro, Lapierre really wanted to shine in this event which was almost taking place at home for him. He was definitely there, right on target, during both the qualifying and the race. As for the latter, Norwegian driver Lindland, his very promising first season in France ended up with two podiums, confirming his progress.

Reactions

Sébastien Loeb, co-founder member of the Sébastien Loeb Racing : « One cannot always be a champion. Unfortunately we ended up twice second, in the overall rankings with Maxime as well as in the B class with Roar. We would have preferred clinching those two titles, but there are still many positive aspects to our achievements. Maxime went for it : his chances were slim before the weekend had begun but we all thought he could do it. He was very close in the end. Regarding Roar, it’s a very positive season for him since he was discovering French racetracks. He’s constantly made progress and his approach of things was fantastic. Christophe hasn’t been so successful but he’s raced just like a champion with his several wins ! As for Sacha, it’s a different story : we are aware of the fast driver he is and he can still take that to the next level, perhaps through exploring some new horizons. Though he’s very young, Joffrey has demonstrated a really interesting potential. His performances deserve to turn into great results. Nicolas’s performances were great as well, but he was discovering the discipline and was quite unlucky. He shall be able to realise his potential as he continues. We have some very good young drivers with us as well as some excellent B-class drivers. That actually matches the vision we have of our team Dominique and I. »

Maxime Jousse, 1st and 3rd, Porsche GT3 Cup No.2 (Sébastien Loeb Racing) : « The season has now ended, I’ve thought hard right until the end. We’ve won the first round and have climbed on the podium in the second one. For a couple of laps I actually thought we were about to reach the title. I couldn’t believe that Côme had made the same mistake twice, but he managed to come back. He deserves this title because he’s been so consistent throughout. As for us, we’ve made some mistakes once or twice, it makes the difference. However we’ve always performed well. Six best lap times in twelve races, figures speak for themselves. I thank the Sébastien Loeb Racing because this vice-champion place means something to me. I also thank my sponsors and partners, without whom I wouldn’t be here today. »

Roar Lindland, 2nd and 3rd in the B class, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup No. 11 (Sébastien Loeb Racing) : « This weekend was fantastic and I cannot be but happy about it. We performed well in the practice sessions on Friday and we reached the 2nd and 3rd places of the podium right after. I am very pleased about it. The race was more tactical on Sunday, because I wanted to maintain that 2nd place in the rankings. I could have lead the race, but a contact occurred just in front of me and I had to brake in order to avoid it. 

 « At the beginning of the year, all I aimed for was to discover this very competitive championship and it’s been difficult actually at times to discover all the tracks. I am particularly happy with the second part of the season. We’ve been unlucky in the first part and our performances and efforts never paid off. But I’m finally second, and that’s just great ! The team have done a fantastic job. »

Race 1
Sébastien Loeb Racing leading driver Maxime Jousse was on the third row of the starting grid while his teammates occupied the 5th (Nicolas Marroc), 7th (Sacha Bottemanne and Christophe Lapierre, pole position in the B class) and 8th (Roar Lindland and Joffrey de Narda) positions.

From the moment the starting lights went off, with no other choice but to impose himself in order to fight for the title, Jousse was agressive overtaking Jimmy Autunes and Tom Dillmann. He reached the third place. Marroc did the same and progressed forward two places in the first laps, actually overtaking current Champion Gaël Castelli. But the most impressive progression was de Narda’s who entered the Top 10 after seven laps.

Racing at the front, Maxime takes advantage of his rival’s penalty, together with Nicolas Armindo’s manoeuvre, to reach the first place. From that point on, despite Dillmann constantly attacking, the driver from Le Var never curbed the pressure. He will cross the finish-line first, 99 thousandth of a second ahead, thus gathering some precious points in his quest for the title.

The Sébastien Loeb Racing and @Loeb Racing’s armada of five drivers finished the race as a group. Bottemanne, Marroc, de Narda, Lapierre and Lindland crossed the finish line in that order in the 8th to 12th positions. Christophe Lapierre won the race in the B class just in front of teammate Roar Lindland.

Race 2
Once again Maxime Jousse started from the 5th row on the starting grid. Nicolas Marroc also started from within the Top 10. He was two places in front of Sacha Bottemanne, while Christophe Lapierre, B-class poleman for the second time of the meeting, was on the following row. Joffrey de Narda started from the 8th place and Roar Lindland from the 9th.

Just like the day before, Jousse had to attack. He did so and placed himself just off the podium during the first lap, following his rival for the title. Joffrey de Narda took advantage of Marroc’s difficult start and got in the 8th position.

Maxime’s hoped for the title as Ledogar, awarded a Drive-Through penalty, went into the pits at the beginning of the third lap. Third in the rankings, Maxime was potentially champion. Fighting with Lonni Martins, de Narda held onto the 7th place while Bottemanne was 10th, Christophe Lapierre 12th and leader of the B class rankings within which Lindland occupied the 3rd row.

Positions would not change much later on, Maxime climbed on the third step of the podium. Unfortunately, due to his rival’s ranking, he missed the title of champion by a couple of points only. De Narda wrapped up his brilliant performance with a sixth-place finish, two rows in front of Lapierre, B-class undeniable winner. Lindland completed the leading trio of the category and Nicolas Marroc finished at the 13th place.

In the B-class, Christophe Lapierre had to say goodbye to a third consecutive title. Though he was in the lead, he came across an oil patch during the first kilometres of round one, and then was not able to defend his chances during round 2 because his car was too damaged. Sébastien Loeb and Dominique Heintz’s squad is still satisfied though, seeing Roar Lindland on the podium twice. On the third step to start with and then on the highest one. The Norwegian driver can celebrate his first win in France !

Quotes

Maxime Jousse, 1st and 15th, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup No. 02 (Sébastien Loeb Racing) : « Once again this race in Nogaro has proved that when everything is there, we are the most efficient and the fastest team. That’s what the pole position, the win and the fastest lap in Round 1 demonstrated. The team has showed that they’re doing some good quality work. For some reason, we have not been able to find that great balance on Sunday. Since we started right from the middle of the pack, I had to attack even though it was risky. I had no other choice. It is sad that I lost some points, but I will keep fighting. There is no way I am going to remain passive. If I want to grab the title in Le Castellet, only pole positions and wins will count. »
 
Roar Lindland, 3rd and 1st in the B-Class, Porsche 911 GT3 No.11 (Sébastien Loeb Racing) : « We have been happy, we have been frustrated, but finally we did it. And this time we get both the points and the trophy ! We are an amazing team and we’re now over the bad luck we’ve encountered at the beginning of the season, when our pace and efforts weren’t paying. Magny-Cours was very good and this weekend too since we took two podiums. It’s really good to gain some positions in the championship, even if it was a tough meeting.  

« This track is very difficult not only because I didn’t get much practice to learn but also because of the circumstances during the race. But overall I’m really happy! »

Race 1
For the third time this season, Maxime Jousse was in pole position. With Joffrey de Narda alongside him, the first row was Sébastien Loeb Racing only ! As for Sacha Bottemanne, he was on the fourth row, in front of Christophe Lapierre who was amongst the Top 10, half a second only behind Jousse, and in pole position as part of the B-class. Roar Lindland occupied the fifth row of that category.

Max and Joffrey had no hesitation when the starting lights went off, and both embarked on a 25-minute incredible sprint. Jousse stayed at the lead in front of his teammate, but the first lap was a rough one. Because of some oil on the track, Bottemanne made a mistake. The safety car went out at the end of the second lap when Christophe Lapierre got caught out by the same thing.

Seven minutes later, when the race started again, Max Jousse launched himself in front of everybody else, racing at a high pace and widening the gap with Joffrey de Narda who was not taking that for granted. That duet managed to escape from the rest of the pack and crossed the finish line in that order, only two seconds apart and ten seconds before the third contestant. With this season’s second win added to the 10th place of his direct opponent, Maxime closed down the gap in the championship and comes back 7 points away from the leader at the end of this first race.

Nicolas Marroc was great at catching back up with the others, going four places up in the rankings and crossing the finish line in 8th position. Finally, Roar Lindland showed all the progress he has been making throughout the past couple of weeks, achieving a new podium and climbing on the third step as part of the B-class, thanks to a great overtaking during the 7th lap.

Race 2
The quest to the title is on again and the 35-minute race had to allow Maxime Jousse to move upward from his 4th row, just behind Nicolas Marroc who had raised up his driving. Joffrey de Narda, Roar Lindland and Sacha Bottemanne occupied, in that order, the 7th, 8th and 9th row on the grid. Unfortunately Christophe Lapierre was not there, due to some irreparable damage on his Porsche, following on an incident that had happened the day before.

At the start, Maxime overtook Nicolas and that duet kept on putting pressure on the 5th contestant during ten laps. At that 10th lap, Jousse hit Beltoise and went back down to the 11th position, while Marroc inherited the 5th place. De Narda was on the 10th rank at that point and Bottemanne, with a car that had become more competitive again, was 12th.

During the 14th lap, Joffrey made a mistake which made him go back to the 13th position. Jousse and Bottemanne thus gained one place and were about to gain another one during the 21st lap once finally managing to overtake the dense traffic in front of them. Under the chequered flag Marroc was hanging onto the fifth position strongly, while Jousse, Bottemanne and de Narda ended up 9th, 10th and 11th. However, Maxime was given a 30-second penalty after having crossed the finish line and was finally ranked 15th. Roar Lindland came first in the B-class. A win that he sealed with a 20-second gap with the leader of the category !

For its debut in this series, Joffrey De Narda kept on overtaking and ended up in the Top 20. As for Roar Lindland, he also achieved an interesting performance, constantly progressing still.

“Even though the final result does not reflect the performances of our three drivers, the outcome is still very positive this weekend” says Franck Tiné, Sporting Director. “Once again we have learnt a lot and we have showed that we are able to compete against the leaders of this series. Maxime has proved that he is one of the top-drivers in Porsche cups and without any race incident he could have definitely ended up within the Top 5. Joffrey’s debut was very good. He went through each step, one after the other, and achieved some interesting lap times during the race. He has really gone up a level. Roar has always been very positive, right from the outset. He continues to make progress now. Also, the team did a very good job technically wise. All those elements bode well for the rest of the season.”

Quickly on the pace, Maxime Jousse was in the Top 10 after the free practice sessions and set the sixth time in the qualifying. The French driver was not totally satisfied with this good performance and wanted more: It seemed clear that the first place on the grid was within reach. On the other hand, Joffrey De Narda was making its first steps in Supercup. Arrived 23rd in the free practice sessions, he picked up some momentum and placed himself on the 20th position on the grid, with a promising time gap between him and some of the frequent contenders of the Supercup. Racing in France in the B-class, Roar Lindland progressed too, going up the overall rankings from the 25th to the 23rd place.

On Sunday, the drivers of the Sébastien Loeb Racing made a good start. Occupying the sixth position when the starting lights went off, Maxime Jousse came to  4th ! As for Joffrey De Narda, he went up from the 20th to the 17th place after a couple of laps only. Roar Lindland also climbed up the hierarchy, from the 23rd to the 18th position ! But unfortunately, the two young French drivers were about to encounter some problems. Max had to deal with a contact in the very first lap which made him drop back many places. Joffrey got sent back to the 22nd position after a contact too. Combative and determined, Maxime was the first French driver when the checkered flag came out and finally ended up 11th, only three seconds away from the fourth position. Joffrey managed to come back up the rankings and concluded its first participation with an interesting 19th place. Regarding Roar, he had to face a loss of grip and finished his race at the 21st place.

 “The result fails to match my initial expectations, but I feel that it ended on a positive note overall” admits Maxime Jousse. “We have proved that we have the potential to race in Supercup, at this very high level of competition. The team has worked well, we have had a very good car. Actually the qualifying proved it : 6th place, only four tenths away from the pole position and I could have been on the first row. I was unlucky during the race with a contact right from the start. It is a such a shame because I had everything otherwise to cross the finish line amongst the Top 5. We can compete against the best drivers, that is what I want to remember. It is promising for the second part of the French championship where our aim is clear and simple : to win the title.”

“My first weekend in Supercup is a very positive experience” says Joffrey De Narda. “Considering the level of this race, my performance is an interesting one, whether during the qualifying or in terms of the racing lap times. I have come here in order to learn and I have learnt a lot indeed, generally speaking but also regarding many details and little tricks… The team and ourselves have worked well. During the race, I managed to gain positions after a first contact at the rear of the car. Overtaking so many times, in a pack of very experienced and professional drivers, that is a positive thing to me. My driving has become more aggressive now. The very condensed schedule of the weekend encouraged me to make the most of my time and to be constantly as efficient as possible. Everything that was experienced in Spa will be useful in the future.”

“Spa was an interesting meeting, a good weekend to learn and develop” says Roar Lindland. “It is a fantastic track which stands as a true challenge for each driver. Once again the team came a little closer to the best contenders and together we have taken a step forward. There is still more to come and we will get there. We keep on gaining experience. Personally, I was aiming for the Top 20. I was not far from that goal during the qualifying and achieved an 18th place during the race before losing grip.”

“I have achieved my objective in terms of progression and development. And I almost fulfilled it regarding the result itself : I am getting there. It is encouraging for the future, both in the Cup France and in the Supercup.”
 
The Sébastien Loeb Racing will return to the Porsche Carrera Cup France in Magny-Cours (September 6th and 7th), with six Porsche 911 GT3 lined-up. The team is still competing for three titles.

For Laurent Aiello and the 200,000 spectators around the 13.629 km circuit, this will undoubtedly evoke a very special feeling of déjà vu. His 911 GT3 Cup not only features the same livery as the victorious GT1 of 1998, but also flies the same starting number 26. And the race engineer who looks after the technical aspects of his VIP stint stood behind the pit wall when he scored his overall victory: Porsche Meister Roland Kussmaul.

Laurent Aiello is one of the most successful touring and sports car pilots in France. In addition to his Le Mans victory, he also won touring car championships in Germany, Great Britain and France. His last major victory was in 2002 when he took home the DTM title. With his VIP guest appearance at Le Mans, he follows in the footsteps of many successful race drivers who have taken up the gauntlet in Porsche’s famously cutthroat one-make cup series. Last year, for example, nine-time WRC champion Sébastien Loeb and five-time Le Mans winner Emanuele Pirro pitted themselves against the brand trophy specialists in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.

« The outcome of the season’s first two rounds is positive because we have proved to be on it, whether in Le Mans or in Imola » says Sporting Director  Franck Tiné. « We have six drivers therefore six opportunities to reach the podium or to win either in the overall rankings or in the Gentlemen Drivers class. Our team has lots of potential and the mindset is amazing. We all share information. There is a great human aspect which will help the team in being successful. In Lédenon, victory is clearly all we are after. »

Unfortunate with a recalcitrant gearbox on the starting grid of the first Italian race, Sacha Bottemanne now wants to take his revenge and wishes to overcome the bad luck that has been on him since the start of the season. « I am going to do my best and will refrain myself from making any prediction since it has never brought me good luck until here. Lédenon is a track where I feel comfortable. I have already reached the podium there in Porsche Carrera Cup France. What happened in Imola has not affected me so much. The qualifying sessions were very tight, just as usual, and we did good, that is what we should keep in mind. All the more since during race 2, the longer one, I was able to keep up with Nicolas Armindo and Lonni Martins, despite worn tyres, and managed to save a 7th place. So mentally, I am definitely ready ! »

18 years old young rookie Joffrey de Narda has continued learning in the discipline. He had already been in the lead in the difficult conditions of Le Mans, proving the fast driver he is. « Imola showed that I still have to progress in dry conditions » says Joffrey. « I have learnt a lot and my driving has developed and improved. It is different from driving a single-seater where you must be gentle, here I have to attack, to go on the curbs. That is what I had the most difficulties with in Italy where the gaps were very little since I was 10th on the starting grid and only six tenths away from the pole position.

« My objective in Lédenon is to keep working on finding the limits of the car, all the more since I am not familiar with driving the Porsche on that track. A good result would be to finish within the Top 10. But my primer objective is to end up on the podium. If I manage to fix everything, then we can expect a good result. »

Despite discovering a new playground right next to Nîmes, Roar Lindland will surely adapt quickly to the Lédenon track. He has shown that he is a well-implicated, rigorous and therefore fast learner.

« I am happy with the progress I have made since the beginning of the year and I enjoy the professional relationship that we have established with the Sébastien Loeb Racing. The first round at Le Mans went quite well. I discovered a new racetrack in Imola and the pole position in race 2 was a great achievement. Later on we were leading the race when I got spun-off the track by another driver. Bad luck really. I am looking forward to racing in Lédenon, a hilly and very technical circuit with characteristics that I am used to. I will keep on pushing because I really want to get a good result. »   

After a round outside of France, the Porsche Carrera Cup France is about to return to the atmosphere of the GT Tour events. The Sébastien Loeb Racing will be competing as part of the French GT Championship as well.

The two 30-minute free practice sessions will take place on the Friday, before both a qualifying and a race on each day Saturday and Sunday. Those two rounds will be broadcast live on the team website.

Quickly on the pace for his debut in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and on the famous Monaco circuit, Maxime Jousse signed the seventh time in free practice. Caught out by two red flags in qualifying, the young Frenchman started the race from the sixth row, only three tenths from sixth place. After losing one position in avoiding an incident, Maxime returned to form a few laps later. Despite attacking well, he was unable to take the advantage over his competitor and crossed the finish line in 12th place.

With the 17th fastest time in free practice, Roar Lindland was also held up by the two red flags during qualifying. Following a good start, he gained two positions. Unfortunately, due to contact with another car, he fell victime to a mechanical issue that forced him to retire.

Quotes.

Franck Tiné, Sporting Director: « The team learned a lot this weekend but we are still looking for more. We feel like the final result doesn’t reflect our performance level. Maxime showed promising things, but was unable to capitalise in qualifying. He wouldn’t have been far from the top five. In the race, he did very well, but everyone knows it’s difficult to pass at Monaco. As for Roar, with his dedication and his work, including in the simulator, he has shown very good progress. The17th position in practice was promising. His first laps in the race were also interesting. Ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, we discovered a very unique atmosphere : it’s good for the team and our partners to race at this type of event, on such a difficult circuit and in a tough championship. We must walk away with the positives and capitalise on this for the next races. »

Roar Lindland : « Practice was positive with the 17th fastest time. It was a much better performance for me than last year. Qualifying was more difficult with typical Monaco issues : in addition to the two red flags, I must have had about 10 yellow flags. Each time, my first and second sectors were good, but there was an incident in the third. I started in 21st with the hope of gaining positions in the first few laps. I had a good start and was running 19th before retiring due to an issue at the right rear. I think it’s due to contact I had in the first few laps. It’s a shame because the car was handling very well in race conditions and I was pushing to gain positions. Monaco is one of the biggest challenges of the season and there are several positive things to keep from this weekend. We keep building and I’m looking forward to return to the track. Following Imola and Monaco, where we experienced a certain amount of bad luck, I hope to have a good result in Lédenon. »

Sébastien Loeb Racing will now focus on another very busy weekend. While part of the team will be at Lédenon for the Porsche Carrera Cup France and French GT Championship, the other will be at the 24 Hours of Le Mans Test Day !

 Larbre Compétition is delighted to announce that karting sensation Antoine Lepesqueux will drive their second car in the upcoming Porsche Carrera Cup France season.

 The Vigeant-based squad, which made their racing debut in the category 25 years ago, enjoys a strong driver line-up with Lepesqueux joining reigning champion Gaël Castelli.

 Known for nurturing young talent through endurance racing, Larbre Team Manager Jack Leconte has enrolled another young driver in the Young Talents category. Leconte will look to repeat the success he enjoyed with now established stars Emmanuel Collard, Stéphane Ortelli and Sébastien Bourdais, all of whom raced at Le Mans.

Lepesqueux, who started karting in 2007, can now rely on Larbre’s vast experience to make a smooth switch to the series. Although 2014 will be about learning as much as possible, he has already set himself the ambitious goal of achieving a top-three finish in the Rookie category.

 The young Frenchman will begin his preparations with Larbre during this month’s Porsche test day at Paul Ricard on 18-20 March.

 Antoine Lepesqueux: “After enjoying much success in karting, I was willing to tackle a completely new challenge. That’s why I decided to switch to sportscar racing. In order to do so, I was keen to find a competitive championship that could open up new perspectives, and Porsche Carrera Cup France seemed ideal. I contacted Larbre, a team with a fantastic racing pedigree and a great deal of expertise when it comes to winning. As I embark on a new journey in motorsport, joining Larbre and Jack is an obvious choice. Building on this new partnership, I will look to improve throughout the season and secure a top-three finish in the Rookie category.”

Jack Leconte, Team Manager: “Ahead of our Porsche Carrera Cup France return in 2014, Larbre has prepared thoroughly to perform well. After recruiting reigning champion Gaël Castelli, who will defend his title in the A classification, we aimed at entering a second car, this time in the Young Talents Trophy.

 “The latter category has proved to be a fantastic training ground for endurance hopefuls, particularly thanks to the Porsche Motorsport International Cup Scholarship. It will come as no surprise that we’re very keen to be a part of it.

 “We have always been willing to support young talents and help them reach international blue riband events. That’s why we elected to place our second 991 in the hands of a junior Porsche driver.

 “I met Antoine, a fantastic karter, through my good friend Bernard Simmenauer who is in charge of 917 Racing Team. His two karting victories at the Le Mans 24 Hours – a place filled with motorsport history and where Larbre secured their greatest ever results – certainly caught our attention. 

 “Helping Antoine settle into GT racing provides the team with a major boost. We have designed a specific programme for him so that he can acquire as much experience as possible before and throughout the season. As the Young Talents Trophy gets underway, he will hopefully be able to race in the midfield and challenge for the podium.

 “Spurred on by our ambitious goals, the Larbre team will start preparing on March 19 when the Porsche 991 Cup cars are unveiled at the Paul Ricard circuit.

 “We are delighted to be racing in Porsche Carrera Cup France this year, a genuine competition where the Balance of Performance does not play any part. We cannot wait for the season to kick off.”

Over two days, the successful one make cup pilots had to set not only the fastest possible lap times on the 3.7 kilometre Motorsportarena Oschersleben race track, but also demonstrate their technical understanding and analytical skills in setting up the 460 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (991). Part of the selection process included the simulation of a qualifying session as well as an entire race.

“After evaluating all the data and an extensive analysis of lap times, Earl Bamber gave the most convincing performances of all candidates,” says Jonas Krauss, Manager of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. “He is both quick and experienced as a pilot and his personality also impressed us. I’m thrilled to welcome him to the world’s fastest international one-make series for the 2014 season.”

“We are proud that a driver from the Carrera Cup Asia was able to win this international competition and that he will represent us in the coming Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season,” says Oliver Schwab, Motorsport Manager at Porsche China. “In his first season with Porsche, Bamber adapted very quickly to the unfamiliar vehicle and has become the man to beat.”

“It’s a dream come true,” says a delighted Earl Bamber. “When I first entered the Carrera Cup Asia it was my goal right from the beginning to be nominated for the Cup Scholarship. But when I got the call from Germany I couldn’t quite believe that I’d won. In the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, which is contested alongside Formula 1, I’ll be up against some of the world’s best GT drivers. I’m really looking forward to pitting myself against them.”

Earl Bamber began carving out his racing career at the wheel of a kart. At the young age of eight he won his first national title in New Zealand. As a 15 year old he switched to the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship before heading off to Asia two years later. Success quickly followed: He promptly won the Asian Formula BMW title. The young Kiwi turned heads at his other career stages as well, achieving pole positions, fastest race laps and podium results in the Formula Renault V6 and Australian Formula 3, despite a tight budget. In 2008 he notched up two vice-championship trophies – in the Formula Renault V6 Asia and the Toyota Racing Series New Zealand. In 2009 Bamber contested several rounds of the international A1 GP Formula Series for the New Zealand team, and finished on the podium three times. He also climbed the podium in the GP2 Asia – at the age of just 19 years. In 2010 he repeated his 2008 success and was again crowned runner-up in the New Zealand Toyota Racing Series. He made his debut in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia in 2013 and convincingly won the championship after scoring a total of seven victories.

This year marks the second time that the International Porsche Motorsport Cup Scholarship is awarded. Already at a club sport level, talented youngsters have the chance to impress and advance into the GT3 Cup Challenges or the Porsche Carrera Cups contested around the globe, where they learn everything they need for a career as a racing professional. By way of the next stage – Porsche’s flagship series, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup – a number of pilots have succeeded in switching to international GT and prototype racing series. Several of them represent Porsche worldwide as works drivers in major race series.

Seven Porsche one-make race series nominated their most promising pilots aged up to 26 years to take part in the shootout. Earl Bamber represented the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, with Maxime Jousse racing for the Porsche Carrera Cup France, the home series of last year’s scholarship winner Jean-Karl Vernay. Alberto Cerqui competed for Porsche Carrera Cup Italia, with Porsche Carrera Cup Japan sending Ryo Ogawa. Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain put forward two candidates, Daniel Lloyd and Jonas Gelzinis. Representing the Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia and the GT3 Cup Challenge Central Europe, the national title winners Johan Kristoffersson and Christofer Berckhan Ramirez were two more hopefuls in the selection process.

“All eight candidates have shown just how competitive Porsche’s international one-make cup series are,” says Jonas Krauss, Manager of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup. “All of the drivers did a great job at the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and this doesn’t make our decision over the next few days easy. We now have to evaluate the huge amount of data and select the candidates with the most potential. But one thing is certain: With the winner of the Porsche Motorsport International Cup Scholarship, the Supercup will have yet another top pilot in the coming season.”

This year marks the second time that the Porsche Motorsport International Cup Scholarship will be awarded. Already at a club sport level, talented youngsters have the chance to impress and advance into the GT3 Cup Challenges or the Porsche Carrera Cups contested around the globe, where they learn everything they need for a career as a racing professional. By way of the next stage, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup as the crown of the Porsche one make cups, a number of pilots have succeeded in switching to international GT and prototype racing series. Several of them represent Porsche worldwide as works drivers in major race series.

Due to the Porsche Scholarship program, which allow young pilot to progress into the Porsche sector, the Italo-Belgium Pilot intends to play the first places and get noticed: « More and more young pilots leave single seater and car for the Porsche Carrera Cup. I expect for a high competition level, as most of the pilots will have the same level. The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is a sharp car. I am coming here to win from this year. » Around twenty cars are expected, which promises an intense and hot season.

The objective is to pursue the longer with the German manufacturer: « I want to stay in the Porsche Competition, which is the only manufacturer who trusts in young pilots. I want to follow the Jean-Karl Vernay’ example, who after his first place championship, will pursue on the Porsche Supercup and also in the Endurance World Championship. »

Six meetings are planned for the French Porsche Carrera Cup. Season will start at Le Mans (27/28 April) before getting at the Pau Urban Race (19/20 May). Then, let’s go to the Mugello race in Italy (6/7 July) with the Italy Porsche Carrera Cup, then Magny-Cours (7/8 September), Lédenon (12/13 October) and Paul Ricard (26/27 October).

Source : Andrea Barlesi

The new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is powered by a 3.8-litre six-cylinder flat engine. It generates 460 hp (338 kW) at 7,500 revs, surpassing the predecessor by 10 hp. A six-speed dog-type gearbox developed by Porsche Motorsport which is operated via shift paddles at the steering wheel for the first time in a Porsche brand trophy race car transmits the power to the rear axle. The single piece race wheels with centre mount were also newly designed by Porsche Motorsport. The width of the Michelin race slicks was increased by two centimetres to 27 centimetres at the front and by ten millimetres at the rear axle to now measure 31 centimetres.

A newly developed race braking system further improves the excellent endurance qualities compared to its successful predecessor. The 380 millimetre slotted and inner-vented steel brake rotors at the front axle are decelerated by six-piston aluminium fixed callipers. The rear axle features a four-piston version.

During the development of the new car a particular emphasis was put on the driver safety. A newly designed safety cage protects the pilot in case of a roll or a collision as does a newly developed race seat which is distinctively shaped around the head and shoulders and can be adjusted individually with the help of padding. A rescue hatch in the roof provides easy access for primary medical attention and for the extrication of the driver.

“The new 911 GT3 Cup is much easier to drive at the limit,” says Porsche works driver Timo Bernhard, who was significantly involved in the development of the new vehicle. “The car is excellently balanced. The new axle geometry is enormously positive for the handling. Apart from that the new Cup 911 is great fun to drive.”

Like its predecessor the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is produced in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen on the same assembly line as the road legal models. At the Motorsport Centre in Weissach it receives a general set-up for the circuit and is tested by a professional race driver before delivery to the customers. The basic price for the vehicle, which is available exclusively in white, is 181,200 Euro plus the country-specific value added tax.

Source : Porsche

It’s useless to give a detailed account of the Villeurbanne-native’s race at the Navarra track. A glance at the timesheets and ranking tables is enough! It is evident that the gap was clearly established and that any existing suspense present was due to the battle for 2nd place. More importantly, Jean-Karl is now in a position to fight for the title in his very first Porsche Matmut Carerra Cup season: “Winning this way, especially on a track that neither I nor my team was familiar with, is terrific. I personally feel consistently more at ease at the wheel of the Porsche, I’m improving and I’m enjoying myself. Sébastien Loeb Racing did a great job and we can always count on a top engineer and Cup expert that goes by the name of Jean-Pierre Béchu.”

The battle of the title will be between Jean-Karl Vernay and Come Ledogar, with an 8-point gap in favour of the former. However, at Paul Ricard, the presence of the vice-champion of the Porsche Supercup, Kevin Estre, promises to stir up the competition. “Kevin is a good benchmark, my goal will be to beat him and to clinch a third championship title in three years!” Keep in mind that Jean-Karl was the Firestone Indy Lights champion in the USA in 2010 and that last year he shared the LMP2 championship title of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup with the Signatech-Nissan team.

The Porsche Matmut Carrera Cup will take a break for seven weeks before announcing its verdict in the Var region of France. Jean-Karl also plans to take advantage of this downtime to secure his future…

Source : Jean-Karl Vernay

The Porsche Carrera Cups in Asia, Australia, France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan and Scandinavia will each nominate one candidate up to 26 years of age who has successfully completed at least one season in its series. Porsche can also select exceptionally talented drivers from the rest of their one-make race series. This autumn, in a driver comparison, candidates will compete with one another on the race track under identical conditions. Besides turning in fast lap times, they must also demonstrate their technical understanding and analytical skills in finding a proper setup for the 450 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

With this added element, Porsche is extending one of the most comprehensive and universal promotion programmes for new driver talent in the automotive industry. Even on the club motorsport level, new talent can be recommended for higher tasks and advance to GT3 Cup Challenges or Porsche Carrera Cups across the globe, where they can learn everything they need to know for a career as a racing professional. Via the next level, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, a number of drivers have already advanced to international GT and sports prototype racing. Some of them represent Porsche as factory drivers in certain key motorsport series.

Source : Porsche

The British Grand Prix was held in typically English, but worse than usual, weather early on in the weekend. The camp sites were flooded and car parks were forbidden all of which tested the fans’ enthusiasm to its limits. However the 125 000 spectators who turned up on Sunday were rewarded with more clement skies. “On Friday, we took three hours and forty-five minutes to reach the circuit because of the traffic jams at the car parks,” said Kevin. “We made it just in time for the briefing!”

In free practice for the Supercup full wets were the order of the day. Estre did not shod new tyres and set a promising third-quickest time, which he failed to repeat on Saturday during a tricky qualifying session. “We were on slicks and two minutes before the session went green the rain began to fall so everybody swapped to grooved tyres. Then the track began to dry out and we had to choose between two strategies for the last fifteen minutes: use the two sets of new rubber available or use just one at the end of the session and keep one for the race. We opted for the second solution that left no margin for error.”

Fifteen drivers were covered by a second after qualifying, an exceptional situation. The driver of the Hermes Attempto team was under seven-tenths off pole, but he ended up eleventh on the grid, his worst qualifying position of the season. “The setup was a gamble given that the conditions were in perpetual evolution, and also we hadn’t run in the dry in free practice. The car was understeering too much, which is a big handicap at Silverstone.”

But Kevin managed to salvage something in the race on a dry track. “I moved up a place at the start and then I had a good run through the Loop out of which I emerged in sixth place. I was stuck behind two slower drivers that I couldn’t get past. I tried several times and there was a bit of panel bashing, but above all I had to score points. I preferred not to take too many risks and hold on to sixth place as in the Porsche championships retirement is out of the question.”

The next round of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup will take place on 22nd July as a curtain-raiser to the German Grand Prix on the Hockenheim circuit, where the first four in the classification already raced at the end of April in the German Porsche Cup. Estre set the third-best time in qualifying behind Edwards but in front of Rast, and finished second in the race sandwiched between the Brit and the German bagging the fastest lap. Before that he will be at Magny-Cours for the French national celebration this weekend for a one-off in the Porsche Matmut Carrera Cup, which he won last year.

Source : Kevin Estre

Adapting to the very specific steering and driving techniques of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup does not seem to have been a challenge. “I am now 2nd in the championship and the teams we face are very competitive and experienced. The skill of the drivers will be the determining factor. I enjoyed driving the Porsche at Pau as much as when I drove here in Formula 3, even if it is evidently quite different. In fact, it’s almost more difficult to smoothly manoeuver the track with the 911 because you have to operate with a degree of vigilance in areas that you would drive all-out in the single-seater. I would like to thank Sebastien Loeb Racing: truly an excellent organization with a fantastic atmosphere as well as an abundance of seasoned professionals. The attention to detail is continuous, so much so that I occasionally feel as though I am in company with a factory team.”

Jean Karl knows what he is talking about, considering the fact that he should have been at the wheel of a Peugeot 908 this year in the Endurance World Championship. The last four races of the Porsche Matmut Carrera Cup are a priority, yet he hopes to incorporate other discipline areas into his 2012 program, such as Le Mans prototypes, GT models or Touring Cars. All programs in which, given the opportunity, his prior experience would work wonders.

Source : Jean-Karl Vernay