The seventh race in Monza, Italy, offered plenty of explosive action. The race was marked by exciting overtaking manoeuvres and tough battles for position. The improved aerodynamic packet of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Type 991, as compared to the old model, meant that the drivers could use the slipstreams at the high-speed Monza course a great deal more effectively. Even in qualifying it was a battle for the best position in the slipstream of the driver in front.

For Project 1, it was a case this weekend of ‘don’t risk too much but still use our strengths’. This tactic worked well in qualifying. With only 5 laps in the whole session, Edwards put his 911 in third place for the race and ensured the privilege, in contrast to his opponents, of being able to start the race with new tyres. Team ‘Allyouneed by Project 1’ rookie, Sean Johnston, qualified on a track which was again new territory for the 22 year old American in 21st position. The improvement of more than 2 seconds in comparison to practice on Friday was remarkable. After a poor start, Sean Edwards, who lives in Monaco, was forced to use defensive tactics. “Let’s put it this way, it was not an optimal start for me and to avoid going out and getting no points because of an accident, I tried to keep myself clear of everything, particularly on the first bend. Fortunately I wasn’t rammed by anything behind me and everything went smoothly.”

In view of the many drop outs, collisions and the way the competition was driving, this was exactly the right thing to do. Dropping back to eighth position in the early phase, the table leader finished in 5th place and took 12 championship points. “At the end I did everything possible to overtake Christian Engelhart but his car was really quick on the straights. Congratulations to Nicki Thiim. He was able to reduce my lead, but in Abu Dhabi, I’ll be celebrating the championship. Of that I’m sure and we’ll do everything for it.” With his 20 points for winning the race, Nicki Thiim has taken 8 points out of Edwards’ lead. For the two final races in Abu Dhabi, Edwards therefore has a lead of 18 points over his closest rival.

The race finished less well for Project 1 junior, Sean Johnston. Unfortunately, he was one of the victims of the first bend. “In Monza especially, the first chicane offers pure excitement because the drivers brake from top speed down to first gear and the whole field packs together. If you don’t watch out, you hit the driver in front and damage your front.” This is unfortunately exactly what happened to Sean Johnston. “The cars in front of me seemed to stop. Unfortunately I drove into the back of one of my opponents and it caused a small tear in my radiator. At first, the car felt good for another 3 laps but then I had to give up the race because of the raised engine temperature. It’s a shame, but I’m looking forward to the two races in Abu Dhabi.” It was an annoying result for Johnston, particularly because in the three laps mentioned he battled well through the field. The many drop outs and battles of the other drivers would surely have meant that there would have been another top result in it for Johnston.

Project 1 leaves Italy with mixed feelings and is now preparing for the big finale in Abu Dhabi. The result in Italy for Team ‘Allyouneed by Project 1’ boss Paul Schlotmann is neither grounds for frustration and annoyance, nor for unadulterated joy. “I`d say that our drivers did a good job. Sean Johnston’s accident is annoying but I’m much more pleased about the continual improvement in his performance in every race. With Sean Edwards, at the end we had to give up a little bit of our lead. But we can live with the result. Our focus is now on the final in Abu Dhabi. Our competitors are not going to be asleep and we need to carry on concentrating and working hard. Excitement is guaranteed.”

The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup will be opening its gates on 2nd and 3rd November for the final in Abu Dhabi.

News and background information about the race and about Project 1 can be found on the Project 1 website and on Facebook, or on our partner website, racecam.de.

Current positions – drivers’ championship:
1 Sean Edwards 118
2 Nicki Thiim 100
3 Michael Ammermüller 94
23 Sean Johnston 2

Racing calendar – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup:
Abu Dhabi 02./03.11.2013

The sixth race of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup took the teams to the Ardennes, to Spa-Francorchamps. The tradition-steeped Belgian race is viewed by every driver as a highlight of the Supercup racing calendar and always offers spectators and fans spectacular motorsport. Project 1’s starting point was obviously to defend and to further build upon their lead in the drivers’ championship. After promising performances, Sean Johnston hoped to win further championship points with a finish in the top 15.

For a long time, the race, which consists of 11 laps of the 7.004km long circuit, offered very little real tension. Even though the drivers put a great deal of pressure on each other, there were no exciting overtaking manoeuvres amongst the leaders. Everything pointed to a pole-to-flag victory for Kuba Giermaziak but, on the last lap, everything changed. With an eye on the championship, Sean Edwards had cleverly kept out of all rough battles for position and for a long time was in third position behind Giermaziak and Bachler. A few bends before the finish, Giermaziak was forced to give in to a technical defect and give up his position. Bachler and Edwards therefore moved up a position.

For Sean Edwards, everything ran to plan. “It was a shame and annoying for Kuba, for it was a perfect result for us. At the end, all my competitors drove for me. Thanks to the team, who put a fantastic car at my disposal over the whole weekend. For us, it’s now a question of finishing the final three races and taking the points.” After his second place in Spa, Edwards’ lead is now 26 points over Nicki Thiim and 30 points over Michael Ammermüller. With 60 points still to be distributed in Monza and Abu Dhabi, where two races will take place, Team ’Allyouneed by Project 1’ is right on course for the championship.

For rookie Sean Johnston, despite a strong and error-free performance, with plenty of battles for position, it was a thankless result, for at the end he just missed out on championship points. However, Sean J. put in his best performance of the season in Spa and took a top result. The field was very close together and Sean J. confidently kept Porsche professionals with a great deal more experience behind him. He himself views the race in Spa as further experience in a long learning curve: “The race was good for me. When you think that this was my first race here in Spa. It was an amazing feeling to drive through the ‘Eau Rouge’ with my opponents. We’re happy and thanks to my team for a great job. With the improvement in my performance I’m looking forward to Monza.”

Team boss Paul Schlotmann is also completely happy with the performance of his team. “I’m really happy with the entire performance over the weekend. Both drivers delivered a clever and error-free race. Both rookie Sean Johnston, who took on drivers such as Bleekemolen and Engelhardt, and Sean Edwards, who didn’t take any risks. With P2, we can build on our lead in the championship, and in the last three races we are right on track. Thanks to my whole team, who again worked superbly and without errors. With such a performance we’re looking forward to Italy.”

The third to last race in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup will take place in just under two weeks’ time on 8.9.2013 in Monza.

News and background information about the race and about Project 1 can be found on the Project 1 website and on Facebook, and on our partner website, racecam.de.

Current positions – drivers’ championship:
1 Sean Edwards 88
2 Michael Ammermüller 80
3 Nicki Thiim 76
23 Sean Johnston 2

Racing calendar – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup:
Monza 08.09.2013
Abu Dhabi 03.11.2013

With a confident performance and a controlled victory from pole position, Sean Edwards showed once again in the race in Budapest who is the driver to beat this season. With three out of five victories in the bag in 2013, ‘Team Allyouneed by Project 1’ can now go into the forthcoming summer break safe in the knowledge that everything is running according to plan. The goals that the team from Lohne set themselves before the race in Hungary have virtually all been achieved. The goal for Edwards was to win, and for Johnston to achieve a top 15 finish.

After a start that resembled a launching rocket from 21st place, Sean Johnston was able to overtake six opponents and to join in the battle for 15th position and one important championship point. Right until the final lap it looked as if Johnston would finish in the top 15, but a mistake and consequent spin resulted in him falling back to finish in 18th position. “It’s a shame, I was close to my goal. But the spin at the end meant that I didn’t quite manage it. To start the race from 21st place wasn’t what we were aiming for but my great start meant that I immediately got into the position I wanted to be in. Right up until the end, everything came together today. The car was unbelievably fast, the tyres held and I know that I can hold my own against the top drivers.” Johnston knows who he has to thank: “The heat here in Hungary is brutal and I’m annoyed about the spin. Most of all for my boys and the team who, particularly in these temperatures, gave me a perfect car all weekend.” Johnston’s performance is particularly strong when we think that, with just one year’s motorsport experience, he is competing so well against the field of experienced professional drivers. He is driving for the first time on nearly all the circuits in the racing calendar.

The highlight this weekend was again the perfect performance of championship favourite Sean Edwards; from pole position, through the fastest lap, to victory. After the fifth race in Hungary, Edwards has already bagged his third win and thereby extended his championship lead by a valuable 16 points. “It was a great feeling for me and Project 1 to win here. To crown the perfect qualifying with a win from pole position is huge. It may have seemed easy from the outside, but with these temperatures it was really hard to concentrate in the car. But despite that, I was able to control the whole race and even managed to drive the fastest lap, as demanded by my engineer, Kosta,” said the delighted winner after the battle in Budapest in temperatures of over 30°C.

Straight after the start, Edwards had to defend himself for a short time against his pursuer and winner of last year’s race, Christian Engelhart. The other championship contenders, Thiim and Ammermüller, finished the race in positions 8 and 14. “The result is great in terms of the championship and I hope we can repeat this performance in the remaining four races. Now all that’s left for us to do here is jump into the pool,” said Edwards.

Team boss Paul Schlotmann is happy with his team’s performance: “We’ve put in a great performance overall. Even the accident with our team tent on Saturday, when a helicopter that was flying too low caused our tent to lift off, couldn’t stop us. The way we dealt with the tyres in these extreme temperatures worked. The car held up and my team delivered a flawless performance. Even Sean Johnston’s little set back doesn’t weigh too heavily, because we know what he’s capable of and we’re much more interested in looking forward to what’s to come,” summed up the good-humoured boss of ‘Team Allyouneed by Project 1’.

The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is now taking a four week break and will resume again with the next race at the Belgian Spa-Francorchamps on 28th August 2013.

News and background information about the race and about Project 1 can be found on the Project 1 website and on Facebook, and on the partner website, racecam.de.

Racing calendar – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup:
Spa-Francorchamps 25.08.2013
Monza 08.09.2013
Abu Dhabi 03.11.2013

In the fourth race of the season at the Nürburgring in the Eifel, Team ‘Allyouneed by Project 1’ has cemented title favourite Sean Edwards’ lead in the championship, and has increased his lead over the driver in second place. In glorious sunshine, 25 drivers set out to drive the 13 laps of the Grand Prix circuit.

Project 1, the team from Lohne in Lower Saxony, was on the attack after the disappointment at Silverstone. The team wanted to recover, at home, the momentum of its two wins in the two opening races. Unfortunately, it wasn`t possible to achieve everything that had been planned. On Saturday in qualifying, bad luck struck favourite Sean Edwards’ team. On his quickest lap, which in the first two sectors pointed clearly to pole position, the speed limiter, which controls speeds in the pit lane, suddenly switched on. Edwards’ performance was obviously affected accordingly. “On my quickest lap I was clearly heading for pole position and then the limiter switched on. It’s really disappointing.” Every driver sets the foundation stone of a good result during qualifying. His starting position of 5th was not the end of the world in respect of his battle for the championship, but it makes it harder to win. In the race over the 5.148 km long Grand Prix circuit, there was to be no jump onto the podium.

After a turbulent race, the Project 1 driver was able to bring his racing car home in 4th place, just as at Silverstone. “Even though I always want to win, the result was ok. The car was really fast. Thanks to the team. Even after my fast spin due to Kuba Giermaziak, I was able to make up the 2 or 3 seconds and catch up with the front runners again. One more lap and I may have been able to overtake Kévin Estre. In the next race I’ll be giving it everything again.” In respect of the championship, everything is currently running to plan for Project 1 and Edwards. The only driver Edwards has lost points to, is Nicki Thiim who is now the runner-up of the championship with four points less.

Team mate Sean Johnston wanted to underline the upward trend which he has been on in the past few weeks with his best result of the season. He qualified on the ninth row of the starting grid, in 18th position, and hoped for a top 15 finish. Unfortunately, the German race was also not to be as hoped. Although the 22 year old American put in a great performance over 12 laps, he couldn`t manage a top 15 finish. “I’m really disappointed. After a crazy first lap, I was able to hold my position behind my team mate Jeffrey Schmidt in the top 15. In the second half of the race, after a collision with a tyre, I had to battle with heavy over steer. Up until the last lap it looked good, but after a braking error in turn 6, I had to let nearly the whole field past. It was really annoying, but motorsport is tough. I can just draw experience from it and learn from it.” Johnston finished the race in 19th place and hopes for a top 15 finish in the next race in Budapest.

The third Project 1 driver, Jeffrey Schmidt who, with his second Porsche Supercup guest start has got virtually no previous experience, put in a confident performance. Schmidt turned his strong result in qualifying, securing 13th position, into a 13th place finish. The 19 year old Swiss driver is satisfied with his performance at the Nürburgring: “Right at the start I had a collision; a competitor drove into the back of me, and after that the car was very difficult to drive. Ultimately, 13th place is ok, but with an undamaged car a top 10 finish would have been possible. Thanks to the team, who have supported me perfectly in my two Supercup guest starts. The car was consistently fast and, in Sean Edwards, we rookies have a top driver as a team mate, from whom we can learn and benefit a great deal.”

In the team championship, the team of team boss Paul Schlotmann is currently lying in fourth place, five points behind third place. Team boss Paul Schlotmann is content with the season so far. “Clearly, at the home Grand Prix we wanted to recapture our old form, and we had the pace for a win, but sadly luck wasn’t on our side on Saturday. That notwithstanding, I view us as working to plan, as long as Sean Edwards can continue building his championship lead. The learning curve of the two junior drivers is also pointing upwards, which underlines Project 1’s goal of training top drivers. We’re looking forward to the next race in Budapest and we’ll do everything to make sure we’re on the podium there.”

At the race in Hungary, in just under 2 weeks, the Porsche Supercup teams will again be hunting times and points.

News and background information about the race and about Project 1 can be found on the 
Project 1 website and on 
Facebook, or on the partner website, 
racecam.de.

Racing calendar – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup:
Budapest 28.07.2013
Spa-Francorchamps 25.08.2013
Monza 08.09.2013
Abu Dhabi 03.11.2013

If you comprehensively win the first two races of the season, it’s understandable that you want to achieve a hat trick of three wins in a row, and if at the same time you have the chance to achieve that in your home country, then you are especially motivated. But for the team ‘Allyouneed by Project 1’ and championship favorite Sean Edwards, things turned out rather differently.

After the perfect start to the season, with the opening race victory in Barcelona and the comprehensive victory from pole position in Monaco, in Silverstone there was a fourth place. Ultimately, however, although just missing a podium place, the race was not too much of a disappointment, as Edwards gained important championship points in a still long season. After gaining third position in qualifying, attacking was the order of the day for Edwards, but unfortunately he had to wave goodbye to the plan right from the start. “Unfortunately, the clutch stuck as we started and I lost a position rather than attacking.” said Edwards, whose race after that was rather about damage limitation: “Despite the poor start, the race was ok, even though I wasn’t happy with the performance of the car. Starting in third position, we obviously wanted to push forward, but we didn`t have the pace today that we have had in the previous races, and we need to find the reason for that.” said Edwards, who is also able to take some positives from his home race: “The atmosphere with all the fans and the crowds here at Silverstone is just great and I’d have loved to give the many fans in England a British victory, but there wasn’t anything more I could do today. We’ll find the problem quickly and we’ll be back in the next race” said Edwards, after the race on his home soil. With 14 points, Edwards holds on to the championship lead and now leads with a gap of 4 points over German driver, Michael Ammermüller.     

Team ‘Allyouneed by Project 1’ rookie, Sean Johnston, has returned after two years to the track where his career in motorsport began in such prominent style. Through a well-known console game, an American TV challenge offered the winner a professional career in motorsport. In the final, which naturally took place at the home of motorsport, Silverstone, it was a case of “every man for himself, only one can win”. Although Johnston only finished second, since that time he has not let anything stand in the way of his dream of becoming a professional racing driver. 

Johnston would of course have gladly signed up for another second place finish, but all good things come to those who wait and the 22 year old American’s plan was very much about gaining experience. Starting in P20, Johnston was able to finish in 18th place and is satisfied with the result: “The race was tough and I gained a lot of experience today. On the second lap I lost four places and then tried to limit the damage. It’s huge to drive here at Silverstone in front of all the motorsport fans. All in all, I’m happy with the race and the weekend”.  

The result of Team ‘Allyouneed by Project 1’ rookie and guest driver Jeffrey Schmidt was visibly unusable. For the young Swiss driver, who was driving the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Type 991 in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup for the first time, there was also a great deal to learn after his brilliant third place in the Porsche Carrera Cup in Lausitz: “First of all, I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who made it possible for me to take part in my first Supercup race. The first time in a 991 is something really special and Porsche have developed a great racing car. After the tests last week, I had a good feeling about the new car, but it takes a lot of time to get used to it. Unfortunately, I had a collision at the end of the race and couldn`t finish my first race but even so it was an instructive and a good weekend here in England.”

For the team from Lohne it’s now a case of packing everything together and travelling home to prepare for the forthcoming race at the Nürburgring. The Formula 1 circus, including the Porsche supporting programme, is travelling without a break to the German Grand Prix, which will take place on 7th July. At home, Project 1 will be gathering all its strength together and will be showing everyone which is the team to beat in the championship. Paul Schlotmann considers himself and his team to be well on track: “It obviously wasn’t a perfect weekend for us but we can travel back home satisfied. Three wins in a row would have been great, but you can’t win every race. We now need to analyse the mistakes. I’m certain that we’ll be right back at the front at the Nürburgring next weekend.” 

Project 1 is again planning to have three cars on the starting grid at the Nürburgring. The free practice session will take place on Friday at 4.45pm.
News and background information about the race and about Project 1 can be found on the Project 1 website and on Facebook, or on the partner website, racecam.de.

Racing calendar – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup:
Nürburgring 07.07.2013
Budapest 28.07.2013
Spa-Francorchamps 25.08.2013
Monza 08.09.2013
Abu Dhabi 03.11.2013