He had dreamed of winning in the glamour world of the rich and famous since he first contested the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup: Sean Edwards, the Konrad Motorsport pilot who lives in Monaco, celebrated his first victory on Sunday in the Principality on the Cote d’Azur. At the wheel of his 450 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, based on the street-legal lightweight 911 GT3 RS sports car, he won round four of the world’s fastest international one-make race series with a 1.257-second advantage over Frenchman Kévin Estre (Hermes Attempto Racing). Third place went to his teammate Christian Engelhart (Germany). Fourth position was enough for Austria’s Norbert Siedler (VELTINS Lechner Racing) to defend his points’ lead.

At the most prestigious race of the year, Sean Edwards, whose last Supercup victory was over a year ago in Barcelona, was on course to win right from the start. Taking up the 16-lap race from pole, he found the fastest line around the twisty labyrinth between high-rise apartments and high-end boutiques. Through the early retirement of Dutchman Sebastiaan Bleekemolen (Team Bleekemolen), who had shared the front row of the grid with Edwards but buried his hopes in the barrier at the exit of the swimming pool chicane in the second lap, the Briton was able to pull clear of the field. But it was not to be a solo run to the flag: Kèvin Estre and René Rast (Lechner Racing Team) lay in wait in his slipstream and put the front-runner under pressure at about the halfway distance.

Strong rookie

Setting one fastest lap after the other, title defender René Rast was determined not to let his goal of becoming the first Supercup driver to notch up three wins in Monaco go without a fight. But with five laps left to the flag, his dream died when he had to park his Porsche trackside after crashing in St. Devote. When the fan belt went, the water temperature rose and the power steering failed as a consequence. Through this, he missed the apex of the corner. As a result the safety car was deployed, which leader Sean Edwards in particular then used to his advantage. Determined not to let go of his dream he brought his first Monaco victory safely home. At the 20th Supercup race in the Principality, he was the 17th driver to win from pole position.

Supercup returnee Jeroen Bleekemolen from the Netherlands secured fifth place. Like Rast, Bleekemolen already has two Monaco victories under his belt. Behind the double Supercup champion came Supercup newcomer Michael Ammermüller driving for VELTINS Lechner Racing in sixth place after a strong drive. With this, the German moved to the top of the rookie classification, replacing the previous points’ leader, Nicki Thiim (Hermes Attempto Racing) when the Dane failed to make it to the flag.

Drivers’ quotes

Sean Edwards (winner): “That was a fantastic race. I had a clean start and was able to pull clear of my pursuers. After that I controlled the race, even with Kévin and René close behind me. The last laps were not easy because there was a lot of oil on the track and parts were scattered everywhere. But I made it through well. I want to thank my team for this perfect weekend.”

Kévin Estre (second): “Second place is a great result. Right to the end I tried to put Sean under pressure at the front and looked for my chance. I was a little faster than he, but I saw no possibility of overtaking. In the final lap I kissed the barriers but luckily nothing happened. It’s a great experience to stand on the podium in Monaco.”

Christian Engelhart (third): “I took off into the race from sixth place. After the qualifying I would never have guessed that it would still be enough for a podium finish. But so much happened during the race, and that makes me even happier to have secured third, especially here in Monaco.”

Michael Ammermüller (sixth, best rookie): “After the qualifying I aimed to keep out of trouble, get through safely and earn points. This worked – and I’m very pleased about that.”

Statistics

Race result
1. Sean Edwards (GB), Konrad Motorsport, 28:01.234 minutes
2. Kévin Estre (F), Hermes Attempto Racing, + 1.254 seconds
3. Christian Engelhart (D), Konrad Motorsport, + 2.511
4. Norbert Siedler (A), VELTINS Lechner Racing, + 3.474
5. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), Lechner Racing Team, + 5.312
6. Michael Ammermüller (D), VELTINS Lechner Racing, + 6.276

Points’ standings after 4 of 10 races *
Drivers
1. Norbert Siedler (A), VELTINS Lechner Racing, 54 points
2. Christian Engelhart (D), Konrad Motorsport, 48
3. Sean Edwards (GB), Konrad Motorsport, 43
4. Kévin Estre (F), Hermes Attempto Racing, 39
5. René Rast (D), Lechner Racing Team, 36
6. Kuba Giermaziak (PL), VERVA Racing Team, 30

Teams
1. Konrad Motorsport, 88 points
2. VELTINS Lechner Racing, 79
3. Hermes Attempto Racing, 58

Rookie classification
1. Michael Ammermüller (D), VELTINS Lechner Racing, 28 points
2. Nicki Thiim (DK), Hermes Attempto Racing, 19
3. Patryk Szczerbinski (PL), 14

* Although the race in Barcelona was cancelled, the extra points for pole position were still awarded.

Valencia preview

Valencia: Preview to the 5th of 10 races on 24 June
After a year’s break, the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup returns to Valencia. The 5.419 kilometre Valencia Street Circuit around the America’s Cup harbour of the Spanish metropolis is not a typical street course. “Valencia is almost like a real race track with fast corners and wide run-off areas. This allows you to make small mistakes without ending up in the wall,” says René Rast, who won the 2010 race here. Austrian Norbert Siedler, who clinched second then, travels to Spain at the top of the points’ table. TV stations Eurosport and Sky broadcast the race live.

The Eifel has lived up to its reputation. The Porsche Carrera Cup teams had to deal with everything from snow to sunshine. The tolimit motorsport driver Sean Edwards was able to show off his skills on a wet track during a very wet qualifying. After setting a best time during qualification on Thursday, Sean, who lives in Monaco, fought to finish in third place. Nicki Thiim, who qualified in 2nd position, started in 7th position as a result of a penalty. Sean Edwards therefore started from the first row in 2nd position. His teammate René Rast, who also received a five place penalty at the Lausitzring, started the race from 10th position instead of 5th position. The Porsche Junior driver, Klaus Bachler, fought his way to a good 11th position in his first qualifying at Nordschleife.

After a flying start the 24 Porsche drivers were involved in plenty of battles for position. In the early stages the `Team Deutsche Post by tolimit` drivers Sean Edwards and René Rast lost places, which they then managed to make up during the course of the race. The British driver fought his way to 2nd place. René Rast, who won the Porsche Carrera World Cup last year, used his experience at Nordschleife to make a successful series of overtaking manoeuvres. He was rewarded with a podium place alongside his teammate. The Austrian Klaus Bachler finished his first race at Nordschleife in 13th place.

It was another successful weekend for the `Team Deutsche Post by tolimit‘. The team from Lohne has again demonstrated its professionalism and passion for motorsport. The constellation of the two experienced Porsche Cup drivers, Sean Edwards and René Rast, round off the team perfectly. Similarly, the Porsche Junior driver displayed real fighting spirit this weekend and confidently drove his first laps on what is considered to be the most difficult race track in the world, Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Klaus Bachler: “The start was good. On the first lap of the Grand Prix stretch I managed to gain a place. On the first lap of the Nordschleife I was able to follow well. But unfortunately my lack of experience meant I wasn’t fully competitive. Then I had a collision and lost my front lip. Without a front lip, Nordschleife is really difficult.”

Paul Schlotmann: „The Nordschleife challenge. We’ve overcome the challenge extremely well, better than we expected. I wasn’t expecting this result. What`s bad luck for one is good luck for another. That`s motorsport.“

Hans-Bernd Kamps: “On our own, we would only have managed 3rd and 4th places, and Klaus would have been able to finish in the top 10. He performed well and sadly the minor impact caused him to drop back. Sean and René`s performances can be improved. We got a good result with 2nd and 3rd places but we need to work harder. We can do better“.

Further information, results and photos can be found at www.facebook.com/tolimit and at www.tolimit-motorsport.de.

On Mondays after race weekends, the news channel N24 broadcasts a 30 minute Carrera Cup programme at 6.30pm, with reports about the race series, the drivers, the highlights and stories about the people involved in the Carrera Cup.

The Racing Calendar:
3rd June 2012 DTM Red-Bull-Ring Spielberg, Austria
1st July 2012 DTM Norisring
19th August 2012 DTM Nürburgring
26th August 2012 DTM Circuit Park Zandvoort, Netherlands
16th September 2012 DTM Oschersleben
21st October 2012 DTM Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg

Present for the third consecutive year at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, ProSpeed Competition confirms its international line-up. This Belgian team, elected “Best Technical Assistance -Escra Prize” during the 2011 edition, reveals its latest ambitions. The Porsche 911 GT3 RSR #75, in the hands of three Porsche specialists, are out to claim a top classification in the LM GTE AM category, the second most represented category in the field. Alongside the fast Saudi Adbulaziz Al Faisal, already seen in action last year at Le Mans, ProSpeed Competition welcomes the American Bret Curtis and the speedy Sean Edwards. This Brit, a true ace of the Porsche SuperCup, had previously teamed up with the ProSpeed Competition squad during some of the European FIA GT2 Championship meetings…

Rudi Penders (Team Principal): “ProSpeed Competition discovered the 24 Hours of Le Mans back in 2010, finishing the event as first “100% private” team. Last year the iBird impressed and awaken everyone’s spirits, a well as the quality of our technical support during the “pit stops”. Our objective in 2012 is to cross the finishing line for the third consecutive time and to continue to progress. A podium in the LM GTE AM class? Yes, we’ll be doing everything to achieve that.”

Abdulaziz Al Faisal (UAE – 4th June 1983 – 2nd participation): Racing is an activity that Abdulaziz Al Faisal takes very seriously. In 2011, he joined the RedBull Athlete Team to test the RedBull F1 simulator at Milton Keynes. Back in the Middle East his driving skills are renowned and feared. Amongst his record of achievements; two crowns in the Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East (2010 and 2012), two podiums in the 24 Hours of Dubai … not forgetting his earlier debut in Formula BMW (3e – 2007). Present last year in the European FIA GT3 Championship (BMW), he is the ideal ambassador for his country, Saudi Arabia. He first appeared at the Le Mans event back in 2011, and on that occasion already behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.

Bret Curtis (USA – 13th December 1966 – 1st participation): Born in Valencia, Pennsylvania, Bret Curtis is a businessman very much at home in the motorsport world. Founder of Spectra Resources (2002) and United Steel Supply (2007), he has been enjoying his passion since 2009 (Imsa GT3 Cup). Following a season in ALMS (2010) at the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3, he decided in 2011 to compete in the 24 Hours of Daytona (Porsche), the 12 Hours of Sebring (Porsche) and the 24 Hours of Spa (Mercedes). At the beginning of this year he was to be seen at the start of the 12 Hours of Sebring (Lola B11-Honda).

Sean Edwards (GB – 6th December 1986 – 1st participation): Karting as from the age of 11 years, followed by Formula Ford UK (5th) and Formula Renault UK (5th), Sean Edwards swiftly turned his talents to the GT world, winning the European FIA GT3 Championship (2006). This young man is presently competing in the Porsche SuperCup… held during the F1 Grand Prix. Here he has accumulated “pole positions”, podiums and victories! He is also active in GrandAm (Porsche) and recently clinched victory in the 24 Hours of Dubai (Mercedes). Cinema aficionados will undoubtedly recognise him in Ron Howard’s film, “Rush”. He will be playing the part of his father, the racing driver Guy Edwards, caught up in the battle between James Hunt and Niki Lauda during the 1976 F1 season.

The third and fourth races of the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany turned out to be as exciting as promised. After a mixed qualifying session, on Saturday the ‘Team Deutsche Post by tolimit‘ drivers started with René Rast in position 3, Sean Edwards in position 6 and Klaus Bachler in position 12. The Porsche Junior driver had a collision on the first lap and couldn`t keep his place. A damaged car led him to finish the race in 18th place. Drivers championship leader René Rast had a better race. He put pressure on the two leading drivers and managed to take 2nd place. His teammate Sean Edwards initially fell back to 7th place but then undertook a series of successful overtaking manoeuvres to finish directly behind René. For a second time, two of the ‘Team Deutsche Post by tolimit‘ drivers finished on the podium.

Sunday`s race was not so successful for the tolimit motorsport team. An accident in another series led to a delayed start for what turned out to be a turbulent 4th race. Sean had a good start and was able to defend his 1st place and ended with a start-finish victory. René Rast joined the leading cars in position 5 and fought to the final lap for a podium position. Shortly before the end he had a collision with Nicki Thiim which put him back to 9th place, where he finished the race. The second race was not very successful for the Porsche Junior driver. After an impact on the start-finish straight, he was unable to finish the race. Despite the highs and lows of the Sunday race, the ‘Team Deutsche Post by tolimit‘ drivers René Rast and Sean Edwards lead the Drivers` Championship. The lead in the Team` Championship has also been extended.

Sean Edwards: “A perfect race. I had a good start, but Kevin`s start was a bit better. I managed to push past on the inside. In the middle of the race I put more distance between us and managed to hold on to my lead. I´ve caught up in the Drivers` Championship and it was a good weekend for the team. Thanks to all at tolimit. I really had a perfect car. Hopefully we´ll be able to carry on with this level of performance at Nordschleife.

René Rast: “At the end of the day it wasn’t a satisfactory result for me in Sunday`s race, with 9th place. I had to fight with Nicki the whole way through the race. On the last lap he made a small mistake and I took advantage of the slipstream and got close to him. We drove through the bend together. He then drove over the kerb which made his car lift up and he made contact with me. I went off the racing line and into the grass and also lifted up whilst trying to get back onto the track. I hit Nicki in the process. After that everything took its course. I finished in 9th place despite a damaged tyre and managed to get some points. The most important thing is that I`m still leading the Drivers` Championship. That`s what we set out to do and that`s what we did.”

Klaus Bachler: “I got off to a good start but at the end of the first lap Norbert Siedler drove into the back of me. As a result I drove into the car in front of me and damaged my radiator. I suspect coolant got onto the wheels and blocked them, causing me to drive into the wall.”

Paul Schlotmann: “A flawless start-finish victory for Sean Edwards. Unfortunately there was an accident on the last lap with René and Nicki Thiim. Both have received a 5-position penalty at the next race at the Nürburgring. The weekend was a success for the team. We`ve confidently defended our lead and René has 1st place and Sean has 2nd place at the top of the Drivers` Championship.”

Further information, results and photos can be found at www.facebook.com/tolimit and at www.tolimit-motorsport.de.

On Mondays after race weekends, the news channel N24 broadcasts a 30 minute Carrera Cup programme at 6.30pm, with reports about the race series, the drivers, the highlights and stories about the people involved in the Carrera Cup.

The Racing Calendar:
18th May 2012 ADAC Zurich 24h Race Nürburgring
3rd June 2012 DTM Red-Bull-Ring Spielberg, Austria
1st July 2012 DTM Norisring
19th August 2012 DTM Nürburgring
26th August 2012 DTM Circuit Park Zandvoort, Netherlands
16th September 2012 DTM Oschersleben
21st October 2012 DTM Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg

The first race weekend of the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany has finished. The high powered performance of the drivers at the Hockenheimring gave spectators plenty to see at the Saturday and Sunday races. The `Deutsche Post by tolimit` Team started the season with two best times in qualifying, courtesy of Sean Edwards. In Saturday’s race, tyre damage forced the British driver to retire on the 5th lap. On the same lap, technical problems forced Klaus Bachler to pit. He managed to continue the race and finished in 17th place. René Rast took this season’s first Porsche Carrera Cup victory.

The second race on Sunday was dominated by yellow Porches. Sean defended his pole position throughout the race. His teammate René Rast took third place during the race and crossed the line in that position. Klaus Bachler finished his second race in a Porsche in 13th place. The start of the season in Hockenheim has therefore seen The `Deutsche Post by tolimit` Team celebrating two podium places and two race victories.

Paul Schlotmann concluded: “We set ourselves high targets and we’ve achieved a lot. The team has performed very well. The drivers are happy and we haven’t got any damage to the cars. We’re leading in both the Drivers’ and the Constructors’ Championships. All in all, a successful weekend.”

Sean Edwards is delighted with his win in the second race: “I started well today and was able to defend first place. It was a hard race. I had to fight for 18 laps because the pressure behind me was very strong. Thank you to the whole team. It was a successful weekend, with two pole positions, 2 wins and a lot of points.”

René Rast is happy with the first weekend: “It was a great result for the team, with positions 1 and 3. It was the maximum that I could achieve from position 4. The team did a great job and I had a great debut. I’m leading the Driviers‘ Championship and we’re leading the Constructors‘ Championship. It couldn’t really have gone any better.“

Klaus Bachler looked back at his first race in the Porsche Carrera Cup: “I started in position 12 today and lost a place because of a braking mistake. In terms of speed, it was worse today than yesterday. We need to analyse it and make sure that we do better. I’ve learnt a lot and gained a lot of experience.”

Further information, results and photos can be found at www.facebook.com/tolimit and at www.tolimit-motorsport.de.

On Mondays after race weekends, the news channel N24 broadcasts a 30 minute Carrera Cup programme at 6.30pm, with reports about the race series, the drivers, the highlights and stories about the people involved in the Carrera Cup.

The Racing Calendar:
6th May 2012 DTM EuroSpeedway Lausitz
18th May 2012 ADAC Zurich 24h Race Nürburgring
3rd June 2012 DTM Red-Bull-Ring Spielberg, Austria
1st July 2012 DTM Norisring
19th August 2012 DTM Nürburgring
26th August 2012 DTM Circuit Park Zandvoort, Netherlands
16th September 2012 DTM Oschersleben
21st October 2012 DTM Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg