This weekend, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup made a guest appearance in Monaco. The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the most famous motorsport races in the world. The drivers in the one-make cup have to contend with the most difficult of conditions. Narrow bends, road markings and uneven surfaces create a unique challenge for both the drivers and the cars. With a sensational victory from pole position, “Team Allyouneed by Project 1” driver Sean Edwards proved his driving abilities and crossed the finish line with a lead of 20.323 seconds over the second placed Kuba Giermaziak. “An unbelievable performance!” beamed the current championship leader. “I had a perfect car. Thanks to Kosta and the whole team. The set up was super. We couldn’t have put in a better performance than we did. It’s been the best week of my life. First victory in the 24 hour at the Nürburgring on Monday and now victory in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in Monaco. Now we’re going to celebrate!”

A second highlight of the weekend was the encounter between the two rally drivers, Sébastien Loeb and Sébastien Ogier. Both made appearances as guest drivers in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. Sébastien Ogier won the prestigious battle driving for “Team Allyouneed by Project 1”, finishing in 13th place, three places in front of his namesake, Sébastien Loeb, who finished in 16th place. The French driver summed up his first race in the Porsche: “It was great and I really enjoyed the race in Monaco. At first I was a bit worried about the start, but there were no problems. I haven’t made any mistakes this weekend and I’m really pleased with my first race in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup”.

The American junior driver in Paul Schlotmann’s team finished his first street race in the principality in 20th place: “It was a difficult day. After the hairpin bend I made contact with another driver. I therefore had to finish the race with a damaged car. Unfortunately, that’s the second time this season. I hope the next race will be better. But driving in Monaco is great. The atmosphere here is unbelievable.” concluded the Rookie, Sean Johnston, as he gained further incisive experience in his fledgling motorsport career.

For the team from Lohne, next weekend means changing cars and then full steam ahead to Austria and the Red-Bull-Ring in Spielberg. The next race in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup will be at the end of June at Silverstone.

Current news and background information about the race and 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:

Monaco 26.05.2013
Silverstone 30.06.2013
Nürburgring 07.07.2013
Budapest 28.07.2013
Spa-Francorchamps 25.08.2013
Monza 08.09.2013
Abu Dhabi 03.11.2013

With the first race in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in Barcelona, the Project 1 team demonstrated, with a successful weekend, what people can expect this year.

From free training right up to the chequered flag, everything ran to plan for the team based round team boss Paul Schlotmann and engineer Konstantin Kotitsas. “We had a clear strategy for the whole weekend. From Friday to Sunday, the whole team worked with the new conditions meticulously and intensively, to make sure Sean Edwards and Sean Johnston had a perfect car. The plan worked. To start the season with a win in the first race is fantastic. A huge well done and thanks to everybody.”, said team boss Paul Schlotmann.

With pole position and a clear lead of 0.492 seconds separating him from the driver starting in second position, even in Qualifying Sean Edwards left the competition trailing behind him. Sean Johnston finished his first Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Qualifying in 19th position but was 1.512 seconds behind his mentor Sean Edwards, which was a good result for the rookie.

The mission to take first place continued on Sunday. In blazing sunshine in Barcelona, 25 drivers began the race in the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup type 991. Sean Edwards controlled the race from the start and was delighted to win after leading from the start. “I’m so happy to have won the first race. The Project 1 team gave me a perfect car. I had to push in the first three laps, but eventually I controlled everything and could even preserve the car towards the end. Thanks to my team for the perfect work and I’m really looking forward to the upcoming race in my home, Monaco.” said the winner.

At the back of the field, the 14 laps were considerably more exciting and a lot more suspense-packed. The second ‘Team Allyouneed by Project 1’ driver, Sean Johnston, had promised himself his first points, but a bad collision meant he was no longer able to attack. “After a good start, I wanted to push forward as quickly as possible, but in the eighth bend of the first lap I had a severe collision with another driver. The car was left pretty battered and was really difficult to drive. In the following laps I just tried to finish the race and to hold my position. For me, it was a worthwhile weekend that I can build on for future races. I’m looking forward to Monaco.”

The success is also due to the hard work of the organisers who work behind the scenes at Project 1. Over the winter, various packages have been developed and tied up with partners and sponsors. This year, we are grateful for the support and help of partners such as the online supermarket Allyouneed and the American berry and fruit firm Driscoll’s. We’re looking forward to a successful season in 2013.

The next race will take the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup teams to the principality of Monaco. Amid breath-taking scenery, the 911s will race through the maze of houses in the harbour town. Project 1 will again be striving for first place.

Current news and background information about the race and Project 1 can be found on the Project 1 
website and on 
facebook, or on the partner website racecam.de.

Race calendar – Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup:

Monaco 26.05.2013

Silverstone 30.06.2013

Nürburgring 07.07.2013

Budapest 28.07.2013

Spa-Francorchamps 25.08.2013

Monza 08.09.2013

Abu Dhabi 03.11.2013

Konrad Motorsport still sets the Benchmark in the team standings of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. Sean Edwards after a thrilling finish at his home race in the British Silverstone delivered his team a third rank, and with that he also claimed valuable points for the driver standings of the championship.

The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, being a support race of the Formula 1, once more delivered a race to the spectators, which was really thrilling until the chequered flag. Started from third spot in the grid, Sean Edwards soon improved to second position and further on was close behind race leader René Rast. “I pushed really hard and tried everything, but there was no chance to overtake him”, Edwards reviewed the race.

The fact that the view of Sean Edwards was focused straight ahead was proven by a very special incident: The Porsche-Professional lost his rear mirror and with that he had to let Norbert Siedler pass him in the last lap of the race. “My mirror dropped off, so I couldn’t see where Norbert was when he attacked me”, explained Edwards, who finally celebrated his third rank. With 77 points, Edwards ranks second in the driver standings, only one point behind the championship leader. “With the third rank we could claim some valuable points. I am really looking forward to the next race, where I want to strike back and take over the championship lead again”, Edwards shows great fighting spirit.

Unlike Edwards, Christian Engelhart had bad luck. In the timed session on Saturday the German was able to qualify for sixth spot on the starting grid and had good hopes for a reasonable race, with which he wanted to close the gap to the top in the driver standings. However, a burst tyre stopped the ambitious drive of the 25-year-old. “I don’t really know what happened. All of a sudden the tyre was gone. It’s a pity, I could have easily improved positions, because the performance of the car was really promising”, said Engelhart.

In the fastest one make cup worldwide, the team Konrad Motorsport after the round in Silverstone with 124 points on its credit ranks still at the top of the team standings. The goal is to increase this lead in the next rounds of the series. “In Hockenheim we want to attack again, and hopefully we claim two perfect results in order to make some progress in the driver standings as well as in the team standings”, team manager Franz Konrad feels confident.

A review of the Porsche Supercup race in Silverstone is provided by Eurosport 2 on next Tuesday (July 10th), at 11.00am. Already on Sunday evening at 23.00pm Eurosport provides a summary of the best moments of the race in its magazine “Motorsports Weekend”. The next round of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup takes place in Hockenheim, on July 22nd.

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.

After the accolade as best team of the season in Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland a few weeks ago, ‘Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit’ secures the vice-championship in Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in front of its home crowd in Abu Dhabi.
‘Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit’ pilot Sean Edwards finishes the season on the 4th place of the driver standings with the same amount of points than the third ranked driver, but unfortunately with less race wins. Team mate Jeroen Bleekemolen secures 6th place equally tied to the 5th ranked driver. And local hero Khaled Al Qubaisi finished the season on 17th position with 15 points overall.

For Brit Sean Edwards, the weekend in Abu Dhabi didn’t run according to plan. After having started both races from 7th place, he was only able to make up one position in race one and finished the 2nd round on position 4. Jeroen Bleekemolen also lacked the ideal starting position, although the speed was good in both races. Having started from 6th and 5th place, he scored positions 7 and 5 respectively in the races. Khaled Al Qubaisi experienced some bad luck. The Emirati star finished the first race on position 17 and was not able to finish the second round due to a breaking failure.

Sean Edwards: “Being tied onto the 3rd ranked driver and missing the podiums finishing 4th in the end is obviously a bit disappointing. But we need to look forward to next year’s season. The year went well for the team. The vice championship is well deserved.”

Jeroen Bleekemolen: “After Engelhart hit me, the second race was almost over for me. I am pretty happy that I was able to finish it, however, was obviously lacking all competitiveness. Finishing on position 6 of the driver standings is not very satisfying for me, however, motivates for the coming season.”

Khaled Al Qubaisi: “That was obviously not the way how I wanted to finish the season. After breaking late on Sebastian Bleekemolen, the car locked up and I ended in the wall. But I had the right speed and I enjoyed the races in front of my home crowd a lot.”

tolimit head of motorsport and Supercup team manager Michael Seifert: “I look back on the season with mixed feelings, as we obviously would have preferred to win the title. We put in a lot of effort and passion into this season. That makes me proud. This year, we became best Porsche team at the 24 hours of Dubai, secured the team titles in Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East and Porsche Carrera Cup and now secured the vice championship in the Supercup. After my first year as head of motorsport, I am obviously very happy with these results.”

tolimit managing director Hans-Bernd Kamps: “We gave our best on and off the track this weekend and that’s what everyone is used to see from us. Being the runner-up obviously means that we are not champion, but nevertheless the vice championship is a great reward for the team as well as for our partners at Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, Deutsche Post, aabar, SR Technics, Windreich and Etihad. I am using this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to them for their support. We look forward to next season.”