Bleekemolen crowns championship with victory at final

With a win at the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi, Jeroen Bleekemolen from the Netherlands crowned his championship campaign in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. Driving for Konrad Motorsport, the title defender beat his arch rival René Rast (Germany) after a gripping duel and was handed the winner’s trophy by the Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Dr. Wolfgang Porsche. The distinction for second place was undertaken by Wolfgang Dürheimer, Board Member for Research and Development.

After 14 laps on the new Formula 1 circuit in the UAE, Bleekemolen took a pole-to-flag victory to celebrate his fifth win of the season. Moreover, the Dutchman set a new record in the Supercup: At all 13 rounds of the series, he secured a podium result. However, with the number of race wins, René Rast was a nose ahead: The vice-champion from VELTINS MRS Racing dominated six times.

At the start, only Richard Westbrook (Porsche Cars GB) could match the pace set by Jeroen Bleekemolen and René Rast. However, in just lap two, the Briton, who won the rounds in Barcelona and Monaco this season and who claimed the GT2 class title of the FIA GT Championship in a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR a week ago, had to let the leading pair pull away. Westbrook saw the flag in third ahead of Ireland’s Damien Faulkner (Walter Lechner Racing School) and guest driver Alessandro Balzan (Ebimotors), who had put in a breathtaking charge through the field from 19th. The newly-crowned champion of the Carrera Cup Deutschland, Germany’s Thomas Jäger (Abu Dhabi Race Team), saw the flag in sixth, with seventh position going to Alessandro Zampedri (SPS Performance) ahead of Slovakia’s Stefan Rosina of the Walter Lechner Racing School squad, who secured third overall in the championship.

After Jeroen Bleekemolen had already claimed the championship with his pole-setting time before race one on Saturday, the final decision for further honours after a gripping season had to wait until Sunday: Konrad Motorsport won the team title, New Zealander Matt Halliday (SANITEC RACING) pocketed the Rookie Classification as the best Supercup newcomer.

Jeroen Bleekemolen (winner): “A fantastic race and a super fight with René. I was slightly quicker after the start, he picked up the pace later on. I’m very pleased to have won. It was very tough. It’s great to conclude such a successful season with a victory – you can’t ask for better than that.”

René Rast (second): “Of course, I would have loved to have won and I actually think I was faster than Jeroen. But what does it matter – it wasn’t so bad today. I’m very happy with the vice-championship and six wins this season.”

Richard Westbrook (third): “Third place is a wonderful success for the team. The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is one of the most fiercely-contested series. So I knew that Jeroen and René would be hard to beat. They are the quickest drivers so you don’t get to overtake them so easily. Still, it was an extremely encouraging and motivating race.”

1. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), Konrad Motorsport, 31:36.446 minutes
2. René Rast (GER), VELTINS MRS Racing, + 0.157 seconds
3. Richard Westbrook (GBR), Porsche Cars GB, + 0.507
4. Damien Faulkner (IRL), Walter Lechner Racing School, + 12.462
5. Alessandro Balzan (ITA), Ebimotors, + 13.251
6. Thomas Jäger (GER), Abu Dhabi Race Team, + 25.075

1. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), 254 points
2. René Rast (GER), 207
3. Stefan Rosina (SVK), 164
4. Patrick Huisman (NED), 148
5. Norbert Siedler (AUT), 132
6. Damien Faulkner (IRL), 126

Win for René Rast – title for Jeroen Bleekemolen

At the premiere of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in Abu Dhabi, René Rast (Germany) celebrated his sixth win of the season – however the championship title again went to Jeroen Bleekemolen. At the wheel of his Konrad Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, the Dutchman secured pole position for the first of the final two rounds of the popular brand trophy series. The two extra points that he received for this were enough for him to claim the title.

On the gigantic new Formula 1 race track in the largest of the United Arab Emirates, Jeroen Bleekemolen made the best start of the field. His teammate Nicholas Tandy showed little respect for great names at his debut in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup: The Briton promptly slipped into second position and put the front-runner under enormous pressure in the first lap. Initially, Bleekemolen was able to hold off the guest driver’s attack but had to let his arch rival René Rast overtake in lap five. Competing for VELTINS MRS Racing, the 2008 Carrera Cup champion, who had travelled to Abu Dhabi holding a small title chance, was able to quickly pull away from the rest of the field to bring home his sixth win of the season.

Behind Rast, his pursuers fought fiercely for positions. After half the distance, Nicholas Tandy overtook Jeroen Bleekemolen, who didn’t try too hard to defend his position. The Dutchman had climbed the podium at every round this season and was understandably not keen to jeopardise his eventual third position. Behind the leading trio came Austria’s Norbert Siedler (VELTINS MRS Racing) in fourth, followed by Slovakia’s Stefan Rosina (Walter Lechner Racing School) in fifth.

At his first race for SANITEC RACING, New Zealand’s Supercup newcomer Matt Halliday swept past many opponents to snatch sixth place and with this looks set to win the Rookie Classification. Behind Supercup record winner Patrick Huisman (Netherlands) driving for SPS Performance, American William Langhorne (SANITEC RACING) took eighth place. Ninth position went to Britain’s James Sutton (Porsche Cars GB), who came from the Carrera Cup Great Britain to compete as a guest driver. Siso Cunill from Spain (Konrad Motorsport) saw the chequered flag in tenth.

René Rast (winner): “That was a great race. I’m very pleased. Obviously we had the best set-up in the field, thanks to my team. My start was not perfect but after the Safety Car Phase my pace picked up. It was fierce racing today – and so at one point I just grabbed my chance.”

Nicholas Tandy (second): “I’m very happy. This was my first Supercup race and it was great fun. My start was very good and second position is more than I had hoped for. I would have loved to overtake René as well, but he was unbeatable today.”

Jeroen Bleekemolen (third): “I was amazed how several of my opponents behaved today. I was nudged by six or seven cars and that’s simply not acceptable. Of course, it’s great that we finished on the podium but I could definitely have secured a better result. We had a great car today and I could have won.”

1. René Rast (GER), VELTINS MRS Racing, 30:46.632 minutes
2. Nicholas Tandy (GBR), Konrad Motorsport, + 7.432 seconds
3. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), Konrad Motorsport, + 7.908

1. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), 232 points
2. René Rast (GER), 189
3. Stefan Rosina (SVK), 148
4. Patrick Huisman (NED), 140
5. Norbert Siedler (AUT), 123
6. Damien Faulkner (IRL), 110

Round 13 of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup takes place on 1 November as support to the Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi.

A tailor-made finale for Richard Westbrook. Claiming victory in Belgium’s Zolder at the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, the Briton secured the FIA GT Championship GT2 class drivers’ title to continue the streak of 911 successes this year. With the 911 GT3 RSR, Porsche pilots won the GT2 championship titles in the American Le Mans Series, the Le Mans Series, as well as other championships. Moreover, the 450 hp racer from Weissach was celebrated as the winning car at the prestigious Nürburgring 24 hour race in 2009.

“We can look back on a highly successful year with the 911,” said a satisfied Hartmut Kristen, head of motorsport at Porsche. “Again the 911 GT3 RSR proved to be the most successful GT race car in the world. Congratulations to Richard Westbrook and the Belgian Prospeed team who made this feat possible.”

“This is the most important title of my career,” said a delighted Richard Westbrook. The Briton and his teammate, the French Porsche works driver Emmanuel Collard, had dominated the FIA GT Championship season. With two victories to open their campaign, they planted themselves at the head of the championship standings, which they only lost prior to the finale to the strongest Ferrari team. The pair travelled to Zolder with a three-point gap to the leader, where the Belgian top squad, Prospeed Competition, put together a clever strategy with the support of Porsche. The two title candidates manned different cars to increase their championship chances. Twenty-one-year-old Porsche Junior Marco Holzer joined Richard Westbrook as his new teammate. And the trick worked. Westbrook and Holzer dominated the two-hour final in the fiercely contested and highly competitive GT2 class. The young German performed equally as well as the experienced Briton – Westbrook was the champion of the Porsche Supercup in 2006 and 2007. “Marco did a super job,” praised 34-year-old Westbrook. It was with a touch of regret that Emmanuel Collard congratulated his English teammate on his title win. Together with Porsche Junior Martin Ragginger (Austria), Collard finished the race sixth at the wheel of the 911 fielded by the Italian Brixia Racing team to claim third overall in the championship.

1. Westbrook/Holzer (GBR/GER), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 76 laps
2. Ruberti/Malucelli (ITA/ITA), Ferrari F430, + 4.157 seconds
3. Bell/Kirkaldy (GBR/GBR), Ferrari F430, + 5.041
4. Bruni/Vilander (ITA/FIN), Ferrari F430, + 11.280
5. Bergmeister/Mamerow (GER/GER), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, + 22.947
6. Collard/Ragginger (FRA/AUT), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, + 59.237

1. Richard Westbrook, Porsche, 56 points
2. Gianmaria Bruni, Toni Vilander, Ferrari, 54 points
3. Emmanuel Collard, Porsche, 49 points

The race for the title of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup remains gripping. In the qualifying session for the eleventh round of the season on the Grand Prix track in the Royal Park of Monza, René Rast (Germany) claimed his fifth pole position of the year at the wheel of his VELTINS MRS Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. With this, he closes the gap to the leader of the overall classification, Jeroen Bleekemolen (Netherlands), by two points. Competing for Konrad Motorsport, the title defender turned the second quickest time, just 0.363 seconds behind Rast.

Nevertheless, the Dutchman can claim the championship title again on Sunday. With his current 45-point advantage, he only has to see the chequered flag ahead of his strongest rival René Rast to clinch the title prior to the two final rounds on 31 October and 1 November on the new Formula 1 circuit in Abu Dhabi at the Persian Gulf.

Jiri Janak (Konrad Motorsport), a surprising third in qualifying, takes up the race from the second row. Lining up alongside the Czech is Slovakia’s Stefan Rosina (Walter Lechner Racing School), who relegated his teammate Damien Faulkner (Ireland) to fifth place. The sixth quickest time went to Austria’s Norbert Siedler (VELTINS MRS Racing), who notched up his best result of the Supercup season a fortnight ago in Spa with second place.

The fourth grid row is reserved for the SPS Performance pilots Lance David Arnold (Germany) and Supercup record winner Patrick Huisman from the Netherlands. Rounding off the top ten on the grid are two guest drivers from the Carrera Cup Italia series: Andrea Sonvico (Centro Porsche Padova) and Massimiliano Fantini (Ebimotors).

René Rast (pole-setter): “We did everything right again today. If I can bring home victory tomorrow I’ll be really happy. That was my fifth pole position this season and I was even four-tenths of a second faster than Jeroen – and that’s significant. Again our strategy was different from our competitors’ and it worked. It would be great if things ran as smoothly in the race.“

Jeroen Bleekemolen (second qualifier): “I’m very pleased. In my fastest lap I unfortunately lost some time, but the first row of the grid is always good – especially on a fast circuit like Monza. Let’s see was happens in the race. In any case, I’m feeling very confident.“

Jiri Janak (third qualifier): “That was a great qualifying session for me. I’m completely satisfied. In the first section things didn’t run so well, I had several problems with the track, but when we came out for the second part everything was almost perfect. I didn’t make one mistake and now I’m looking forward to the race.“

Qualifying
1. René Rast (GER), VELTINS MRS Racing, 1:52.484 minutes
2. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), Konrad Motorsport, + 0.363 seconds
3. Jiri Janak (CZE), Konrad Motorsport, + 0.569
4. Stefan Rosina (SVK), Walter Lechner Racing School, + 0.595
5. Damien Faulkner (IRL), Walter Lechner Racing School, + 0.595
6. Norbert Siedler (AUT), VELTINS MRS Racing, + 0.649

With the race on the Grand Prix circuit in Monza’s Royal Park, the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup farewells the season in Europe on Sunday. Jeroen Bleekemolen will do his very best to win his fifth race of the season at the wheel of his 420 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup on the traditional, ultra-fast circuit to take home his second title before the final two rounds in Abu Dhabi.

His chances of travelling to the debut of the popular brand trophy series in the largest of the United Arab Emirates as the new champion look good. Heading to Monza, the Konrad Motorsport pilot from the Netherlands holds a 47-point advantage over his arch rival for the title René Rast (VELTINS MRS Racing). With 66 points still up for grabs at the remaining three races, this is quite a comfortable lead. Bleekemolen thinks so as well: “I can’t really do much wrong at this stage,” says the four-time winner this season, who has also climbed the podium at all ten rounds to date. “If I see the flag in Monza the title should be mine.”

After notching up four straight victories from pole position, René Rast possibly lost his title chances at the previous race in Spa, when he retired shortly before the finish line with power steering problems. The reigning Carrera Cup champion travels to Monza revved up and ready to attack. “I have to try and win the rest of the races and see what Jeroen does,” says the German before raving about the high-speed circuit on which he secured pole position last year. “I like Monza because of its extremely quick corners.” Jeroen Bleekemolen, who made the pilgrimage to the Formula 1 race in the Royal Park as a toddler with his father, shares this fondness. At the same time, he is not prepared to be led into taking too many risks: “There is no way I’ll compromise the title just to win a race – even if that is particularly difficult in Monza.”

Other drivers will do everything to win in Italy. Austria’s Norbert Siedler (VELTINS MRS Racing) for instance, who celebrated his best Supercup result with second in Spa, is determined to win, as is Slovakian Stefan Rosina (Walter Lechner Racing School), who gave an impressive performance on the Nürburgring to net third place. With a total of 24 Supercup wins to his credit, stalwart Patrick Huisman from the Netherlands regards the healthy ambitions of his young rivals with benevolence. However, he is not about to make room on the ideal line for them in Monza – victory number 25 is a goal worthy of the effort.

Television stations “Eurosport” (11.45 hrs) and “Sky Sport 2” (11.30 hrs) broadcast the race live in Monza on 13 September. Moreover, “Eurosport” televises highlights on Sunday evening in its “Motorsports Weekend Magazin” programme.

Drivers’ standings after 10 of 13 races
1. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), 194 points
2. René Rast (GER), 147
3. Stefan Rosina (SVK), 122
4. Patrick Huisman (NED), 120
5. Norbert Siedler (AUT), 91
Damien Faulkner (IRL), 91

Rookie classification after 10 of 13 races
1. Matt Halliday (NZL), 69 points
2. Siso Cunill (ESP), 58
3. Abdulaziz Al Faisal (KSA), 28

Team classification after 10 of 13 races
1. Konrad Motorsport, 275 points
2. VELTINS MRS Racing, 233
3. Walter Lechner Racing School, 216

With his fourth win of the season, Jeroen Bleekemolen (Netherlands) has created some breathing space in the fight for the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup title. After four races without a win, the points’ leader brought home victory ahead of Austria’s Norbert Siedler on the Grand Prix circuit of Spa-Francorchamps to further extend his already comfortable points’ advantage.

At the wheel of Konrad Motorsport’s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, the pole-sitter immediately took the lead which he never relinquished to the flag. For the title defender, this marked his tenth win in the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup and, with just three rounds left on the calendar in Monza and Abu Dhabi, is very likely to be decisive in the championship. Norbert Siedler (VELTINS MRS Racing) secured his best result of the Supercup season with second position, but was never a serious threat to the points’ leader over the entire race distance. Third place went to Jan Seyffarth (Germany) competing for tolimit/Seyffarth Motorsport as a guest driver from the Carrera Cup Deutschland series.

Without doubt it was René Rast who experienced the worst luck at the tenth round of the season on the demanding circuit in the Ardennes. Ranking second overall in the standings, the VELTINS MRS Racing pilot, who recently won four races in a row, had no chance this time due to power steering problems. Early on in the race, he could keep contact with the front-runners but towards the end he fell further back down the field and was forced to retire in the penultimate lap.

Behind the leading trio came Ireland’s Damien Faulkner (Walter Lechner Racing School) in fourth place ahead of his teammate Stefan Rosina. Thanks to this result, the Slovakian was able to move up the points’ ladder into third overall, replacing four-time Spa winner Patrick Huisman (SPS Performance) from the Netherlands, who saw the flag in ninth after a disappointing qualifying result. Richard Williams from Great Britain (SPS Performance) finished sixth ahead of the Brazilian Valdeno Brito (Konrad Motorsport), another guest driver from the Carrera Cup series. Rounding off the top ten was Konrad Motorsport pilot Jiri Janak from the Czech Republic.

Jeroen Bleekemolen (winner): “What a shame that René had this problem. No-one really wants to win a race this way. But his teammate Norbert was a tough enough rival. He was particularly fast early on but then I was able to pull away a little. Our car was very quick this weekend and everything ran to plan in the race. That was for sure a big step in the direction of the championship title. If I see the flag at the next three races it should be good enough to win the series. That would be the crowning achievement of a great year.”

Norbert Siedler (second): “Thanks to my team – that was a super weekend. Second in qualifying and second in the race: I’m very happy with this result. Now I’ve reached my goal for the season. I wanted to climb the podium by the Spa round and luckily it worked. Now I’ll continue my attack in Monza.”

Jan Seyffarth (third): “The key to success was the start. I managed to pull alongside Bleekemolen in the first corner, unfortunately on the outside so I couldn’t overtake. The start had always been a problem for me, but now I obviously know how it goes. I fought with Faulkner over several laps which hampered my progress somewhat. When I finally overtook him, the two ahead had already pulled too far away, otherwise I could have tried to take Siedler. Still, we are all very pleased. The podium was our aim and we did it.”

Race result
1. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), Konrad Motorsport, 27:15.482 minutes
2. Norbert Siedler (AUT), VELTINS MRS Racing, + 1.531 seconds
3. Jan Seyffarth (GER), tolimit/Seyffarth Motorsport, + 3.895
4. Damien Faulkner (IRL), Walter Lechner Racing School, + 4.430
5. Stefan Rosina (SVK), Walter Lechner Racing School, + 6.965
6. Richard Williams (GBR), SPS Performance, + 7.150

Drivers’ classification after 10 of 13 races
1. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), 194 points
2. René Rast (GER), 147
3. Stefan Rosina (SVK), 122
4. Patrick Huisman (NED), 120
5. Damien Faulkner (IRL), 91
Norbert Siedler (AUT), 91

Round 11 of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup takes place on 13 September as support to the Italian Grand Prix in Monza.

There is no time for rest in the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup: Just one week after the race on the street circuit in the harbour of Valencia, the popular brand trophy series now heads to the legendary Spa-Francorchamps track for Sunday’s race. René Rast, who convincingly underlined his title aspirations with his fourth straight win in Spain, is particularly looking forward to his trip to Belgium – the difficult circuit in the Ardennes is his absolute favourite.

“Spa is a real challenge with its many corners that require backbone – like Eau Rouge for instance,” says the VELTINS MRS Racing pilot from Germany. Last year, he started from pole position here with his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, “but things didn’t go so well in the race. I hope it’ll be different this year.”

Jeroen Bleekemolen, however, is determined to prevent this. The title defender from the Netherlands can look back on an impressive season so far: Of the nine races to date, he has won three and climbed the podium at every single round. His clear lead in the championship, which he has held since the season-opening round in Bahrain, is now coming under increasing threat thanks to René Rast’s winning streak. With four races left on the calendar, Bleekemolen lies 30 points ahead of his closest rival. The Dutchman would very much like to win a race again, but with an eye on the title he is not prepared to take any great risks. “We are now in a phase where points are more important than wins,” says the third place-getter from last year. The points’ leader hopes, however, to put his title rivals in their place in Belgium. “For a driver, Spa is very demanding. It’s easy to make a mistake here, especially when the weather is bad. That’s where I see my chance.”

No less gripping than the title fight between Jeroen Bleekemolen and René Rast is the close battle for third in the overall classification. Patrick Huisman, the Supercup stalwart from the Netherlands competing for the SPS Performance squad, snatched back third overall in Valencia after a breathtaking charge through the field ahead of Slovakian Stefan Rosina (Walter Lechner Racing School), who had clinched it at the previous round.

Ireland’s Damien Faulkner is hoping for good results for the rest of the season: After a rather disappointing year, the vice champion of 2007 and 2008 and pilot for Walter Lechner Racing School made an impressive comeback in Spain – but only in qualifying. Taking up the race from third on the grid he only made it to the first corner before being nudged out of contention in a collision. He now anticipates bringing home his first podium result of the season.

Television stations “Eurosport 2” (11.45 hrs) and “Sky Sport 2” (11.40 hrs) broadcast the race in Spa-Francorchamps live on 30 August. In addition, “Eurosport” televises highlights on Sunday evening in its “Motorsport Weekend Magazin” programme.

Drivers’ classification after 9 of 13 races
1. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), 172 points
2. René Rast (GER), 142
3. Patrick Huisman (NED), 111
4. Stefan Rosina (SVK), 108
5. Richard Westbrook (GBR), 78
6. Damien Faulkner (IRL), 75

Rookie classification after 9 of 13 races
1. Matt Halliday (NZL), 69 points
2. Siso Cunill (ESP), 52
3. Abdulaziz Al Faisal (KSA), 28

Team classification after 9 of 13 races
1. Konrad Motorsport, 246 points
2. VELTINS MRS Racing, 209
3. Walter Lechner Racing School, 186

 

René Rast is the man of the day in the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup: On the street circuit in the harbour of Valencia, the German celebrated his fourth win in succession with the 911 GT3 Cup of VELTINS MRS Racing, and with this keeps the fight for the title open. In a gripping duel at the head of the field, he again beat Jeroen Bleekemolen (Netherlands), the Konrad Motorsport pilot, title defender and current points’ leader. Surprisingly, third place went to Lance David Arnold (Germany) competing for SPS Performance who had started from twelfth on the grid.

Taking up the race from pole position, René Rast got away well and successfully held off the constantly attacking Jeroen Bleekemolen in the early phase. The Dutchman turned the fastest lap on the Grand Prix circuit in the Spanish America’s Cup harbour in his attempt, but did not manage to overtake. With his victory and four races to go, the reigning Carrera Cup champion Rast reduced his gap to Bleekemolen, who has led since the beginning of the season, to just 30 points.

For two drivers who took off with great hopes, their race was already over in the first corner: Jiri Janak from the Czech Republic (Konrad Motorsport) braked too late and sent not only himself but Damien Faulkner into retirement. For the Irishman from Walter Lechner Racing School, and vice-champion from 2007 and 2008, this was particularly tragic: His third in qualifying was his best starting position so far in a season that has been rather disappointing. The Brazilian newcomer Valdeno Brito (Konrad Motorsport Austria) also didn’t return from the first lap.

Finishing behind the former Porsche Junior Lance David Arnold, who used the start collision to catapult himself from twelfth to third place, his SPS Performance teammate Patrick Huisman saw the flag in fourth after a spectacular charge through the field. With this result, the Supercup record winner from the Netherlands moved back into third place overall in the points’ standings – a fitting gift on his 43rd birthday. Also driving for SPS Performance, Richard Williams from Great Britain received the flag in fifth place. Slovakia’s Stefan Rosina (Walter Lechner Racing School), who had also fallen back in the first lap due to the collision, fought his way through the field to finish sixth.

René Rast (winner): “Four straight wins – I’m simply ecstatic. Again we did everything right. A huge thanks to my team. I got away well, but early on Jeroen was a little faster, I made some slight errors and once I didn’t get the right gear in correctly and he immediately pulled alongside me. I managed to regain my lead and go on to control the race successfully.”

Jeroen Bleekemolen (second): “That was a great race. After the start I was actually quicker than René but didn’t manage to overtake him. I didn’t want to go all out and risk everything. Taking the championship into account, I’m happy with second.”

Lance David Arnold (third): “Sometimes it’s just important to be in the right place at the right time. My start was fantastic because I still had a set of new tyres from qualifying. My team order was to attack in the first two laps and then wait to see how the race developed. Then suddenly the collision happened in front of me and I knew I had to use the chance. A great race.”

Race result
1. René Rast (GER), VELTINS MRS Racing, 30:52.084 minutes
2. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), Konrad Motorsport, + 2.539
3. Lance David Arnold (GER), SPS Performance, + 17.784
4. Patrick Huisman (NED), SPS Performance, + 33.202
5. Richard Williams (GBR), SPS Performance, + 38.734
6. Stefan Rosina (SVK), Walter Lechner Racing School, + 39.408

Drivers’ classification after 9 of 13 races
1. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), 172 points
2. René Rast (GER), 142
3. Patrick Huisman (NED), 111
4. Stefan Rosina (SVK), 108
5. Richard Westbrook (GBR), 78
6. Damien Faulkner (IRL), 75

Round 10 of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup takes place on 30 August as support to the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps.

René Rast achieves hat-trick on the Hungaroring

With his third win in succession, René Rast (Germany) underlined his title ambition in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. Driving the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup fielded by VELTINS MRS Racing, he secured a clear light to flag victory at the hot race on the Hungaroring on the outskirts of Budapest ahead of Jan Seyffarth (Germany) and points’ leader Jeroen Bleekemolen (Netherlands) after starting from pole position and also turned the fastest race lap.

On the twisty Grand Prix circuit, the reigning Carrera Cup champion made an excellent start to hold onto his lead followed by guest start Jan Seyffarth (tolimit/Seyffarth Motorsport) and Jeroen Bleekemolen (Konrad Motorsport). Trailing the trio, Slovakia’s Stefan Rosina (Walter Lechner Racing School) passed his teammate Damien Faulkner from Ireland after getting away well at the start to bring home fourth place. Rosina, who had secured second place from the race on the Nürburgring, attempted several times to overtake the stalwart title defender, Bleekemolen, but to no avail. Nevertheless, he moved up the points’ table into third place to now put pressure on Patrick Huisman (SPS Performance). The Supercup record winner from the Netherlands received a stop-and-go penalty after jumping the start and finished eleventh.

The surprise of the race was Supercup newcomer Siso Cunill. Driving for Konrad Motorsport, the Spaniard turned his strong drive in qualifying into his best performance to date in the series with sixth place. With this, he held much more experienced pilots at bay like the Austrian Norbert Siedler (VELTINS MRS Racing) and Jiri Janak (Konrad Motorsport) from the Czech Republic, who had to settle for seventh and eighth respectively.

René Rast (winner): “I’m simply over the moon. Three pole positions, three wins – that is incredible, particularly because I haven’t tested at all this season and due to drive-shaft problems we only drove half the free practice. Jan was really strong in the first laps, but then I managed to pull away and bring victory home without too many problems.”

Jan Seyffarth (second): “At the beginning I was actually a bit faster than René, but I just couldn’t find a way past him. After the halfway point in the race I lost contact with him and then concentrated on Jeroen who was shadowing me and trying to overtake. But it’s really difficult to overtake on this circuit so I knew my second place was relatively safe.”

Jeroen Bleekemolen (third): “I was as fast as the drivers in front of me, but unlike Jan, who started as a guest and had nothing to lose, I was fighting for the championship. I had the Lechner boys trailing me and they were determined to get by, so my first priority was to keep them at distance. That’s not easy, so the strategy here is to get away well at the start and pull away – then you don’t have these problems.”

1. René Rast (GER), VELTINS MRS Racing, 26:18.224 minutes
2. Jan Seyffarth (GER), tolimit/Seyffarth Motorsport, + 3.353 seconds
3. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), Konrad Motorsport, + 8.374
4. Stefan Rosina (SVK), Walter Lechner Racing School, + 10.121
5. Damien Faulkner (IRL), Walter Lechner Racing School, +10.361
6. Siso Cunill (ESP), Konrad Motorsport, + 30.578

1. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), 154 points
2. René Rast (GER), 120
3. Stefan Rosina (SVK), 98
4. Patrick Huisman (NED), 96
5. Richard Westbrook (GBR), 78
6. Damien Faulkner (IRL), 75

Round 9 on the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup takes place on 23 August as support to the European Grand Prix in Valencia/Spain.

In Silverstone René Rast has finally done it: On the demanding Grand Prix circuit the German notched up his first win in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup at the wheel of his VELTINS MRS Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. In a gripping sixth round of the world’s fastest international one make race series, the reigning Carrera Cup champion, who has already claimed three second positions so far this season, relegated the Dutch title defender Jeroen Bleekemolen (Konrad Motorsport) to finish second.

From start to finish, the fastest of the Supercup pilots put in a spirited fight for the win. René Rast took off from pole position but was unable to use this advantage and had to slot in behind Bleekemolen and local matador Richard Williams (SPS Performance) after the first corner. He then proceeded to fight his way past Williams and into second, positioning himself virtually on the bumper of the leading Bleekemolen. Initially, he couldn’t find a way past the three-time winner in 2009. It was only in the penultimate lap that Rast managed to snatch the lead in a spectacular outbraking manoeuvre and bring home his long awaited first Supercup victory. In Bleekemolen’s slipstream, who further extended his lead in the overall classification, came James Sutton (Porsche Cars Great Britain) in third, the fastest of the three guest drivers from the British Carrera Cup.

Behind the front-running trio, Patrick Huisman from the Netherlands saw the flag in fourth. Driving for SPS Performance, the record Supercup winner beat Supercup newcomer Matt Halliday from New Zealand (Federsand-Jetstream Motorsport) who increased his lead in the Rookie Classification with fifth place. Former Porsche junior Lance David Arnold ranked sixth at the flag with the third sports car entered by SPS Performance, which he will drive for the rest of the season, ahead of Jiri Janak from the Czech Republic (Konrad Motorsport) and the British Touring Car stalwart Tim Harvey (Porsche Cars Great Britain). Two budding young hopefuls made it into the top ten in their first Supercup season: Securing ninth was Renger van der Zande (Netherlands), who replaces the double Supercup champion Richard Westbrook who contests the FIA GT Championship this weekend. German Christian Engelhart (SANITEC RACING) took the flag in tenth.

René Rast (winner): “I am so happy. I had such a bad start with my revs much too high at the beginning and it cost me two places. Luckily I got past Richard, touching his car slightly when he closed the door on me, but it wasn’t intentional. Half way through the race I backed off slightly so that I could attack towards the end. That worked well. In the final two laps I was faster and more aggressive than Jeroen. I was determined to win and not finish in second again.”

Jeroen Bleekemolen (second): “René was very fast and aggressive today. He pulled no punches, and was often at the limit but always fair. When he got past me I gave him plenty of room. I could have closed the door too but then we would have collided and I didn’t want that. I was concentrating on the points towards the championship. We’ve made another huge step towards winning the title. And as far as my duel with René is concerned, next time victory will hopefully be mine.”

James Sutton (third): “I got the best seat in the house today and saw the fantastic duel between René and Jeroen. I’m thrilled that I could match the pace of the front-runners and I’m very pleased with third place.

1. René Rast (GER), VELTINS MRS Racing, 26:58.487 minutes
2. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), Konrad Motorsport, + 2.174 seconds
3. James Sutton (GBR), Porsche Cars Great Britain, + 2.910
4. Patrick Huisman (NED), SPS Performance, + 3.397
5. Matt Halliday (NZL), Federsand-Jetstream Motorsport, + 10.320
6. Lance David Arnold (GER), SPS Performance, + 12.505

1. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), 120 points
2. Richard Westbrook (GBR), 78
3. Patrick Huisman (NED), 77
4. René Rast (GER), 76
5. Stefan Rosina (SVK), 73
6. Matt Halliday (NZL), 69

Round 7 of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup takes place on 12th July as support to the German Grand Prix on the Nürburgring.

With his third win of the season, Jeroen Bleekemolen extends his lead in the overall championship of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup. On the Grand Prix circuit at Istanbul Park, he won the fifth round of the world’s fastest international makes cup series after starting from pole position with his Konrad Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. The title defender from the Netherlands had taken off into the season with two victories in Bahrain.

In mid-summer temperatures at the Bosporus, Jeroen Bleekemolen held the lead right from the start. His only serious contender until shortly before the finish was René Rast (Germany). Yielding second place from Bahrain and Monaco so far this season for his VELTINS MRS Racing team, the reigning Carrera Cup champion could not get past the front-runner and had to be content with bringing home second place and crucial points towards the championship. Jiri Janak (Czech Republic, Konrad Motorsport) achieved his best Supercup result to date, making up two positions in the race to finish third.

Double Supercup champ Richard Westbrook (Federsand-Jetstream Motorsport) narrowly missed out on a podium result. After his strong performances with victories in Barcelona and Monaco recently, he took the flag in fourth today ahead of Norbert Siedler. Piloting a VELTINS MRS Racing 911 GT3 Cup, the Austrian had taken up the race from third on the grid, missed out on the anticipated podium step, but with fifth place still managed to bring home his best result of the season. Sixth position went to Stefan Rosina (Walter Lechner Racing School) from Slovakia, who slipped past the Supercup record holder Patrick Huisman (SPS Performance) from the Netherlands in the final lap. Richard Williams made up the most positions in the race. The SPS Performance pilot from Great Britain started into the race from twelfth and crossed the finish line in eighth. Ninth position went to the 18-year-old Spaniard Siso Cunill (Konrad Motorsport), the youngest competitor in the field, with Italy’s Luigi Ferrara of Team SANITEC RACING claiming tenth.

Jeroen Bleekemolen (winner): “That was a fantastic race. I got away very well. In the beginning, René was very fast, still I was careful with my tyres otherwise I doubt I would have made it to the finish. Thanks to that I could pick up my pace in the final lap and drive a very quick time. After disappointing results in Barcelona and Monaco, it’s a great feeling to win again.”

René Rast (second): “I’m very pleased. Second again, and like in Monaco another very calm race. Early on I was somewhat faster than Jeroen so I tried to put the pressure on but he just didn’t relent. It would only have been possible with a crowbar. So I thought I’d try again towards the end, but that didn’t work either. There was a huge gap behind me, which just goes to show how well the car was set-up.”

Jiri Janak (third): “Podium at last. I’ve waited a long time for this day. To do this after so much bad luck makes it even sweeter. I put the pressure on right at the start. This is obviously the key to success in the Supercup. That’s what I’ll do in the next race – let’s see if it works again. My fight to get to third probably looked quite easy – but I can tell you that’s not the case at all.”

Race result
1. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), Konrad Motorsport, 28:00.685 minutes
2. René Rast (GER), VELTINS MRS Racing, + 3.180 seconds
3. Jiri Janak (CZE), Konrad Motorsport, + 15.217
4. Richard Westbrook (GBR), Federsand-Jetstream Motorsport, + 18.188
5. Norbert Siedler (AUT), VELTINS MRS Racing, + 26.789
6. Stefan Rosina (SVK), Walter Lechner Racing School, + 28.173
Driver classification after 5 of 11 races
1. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), 102 points
2. Richard Westbrook (GBR), 78
3. Patrick Huisman (NED), 61
4. Stefan Rosina (SVK), 56
5. Matt Halliday (NZL), 55
6. René Rast (GER), 54
Round 6 of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup takes place on 21 June as support to the British Grand Prix in Silverstone.

 

At the qualifying session for the fifth round of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, Jeroen Bleekemolen (Netherlands) secured his fourth pole position of the season. Driving his 420 hp Konrad Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup on the Grand Prix circuit in Istanbul Park, the title defender and points’ leader was 0.264 seconds quicker than René Rast (Germany). The reigning Carrera Cup champion, who competes for the VELTINS MRS Racing team, had also taken up the previous round in Monaco from the front row of the grid.

In high summer temperatures, Norbert Siedler gave a surprising performance. The Austrian set the third quickest time at the wheel of his VELTINS MRS Racing 911, marking his best qualifying result this season. Siedler shares the second row for Sunday’s race with Richard Westbrook from Great Britain. Driving for the Federsand-Jetstream-Motorsport squad, Westbrook, the Supercup champion of 2006 and 2007, has won the races in Barcelona and Monaco so far this season. Lining up on the grid behind the pair are Jiri Janak from the Czech Republic (Konrad Motorsport) and the quadruple Supercup champion from the Netherlands, Patrick Huisman (SPS Performance).

Sharing the fourth row are Irishman Damien Faulkner (Walter Lechner Racing School), vice-champion of 2007 and 2008, and the New Zealand Supercup newcomer Matt Halliday, who currently leads the Rookie Classification for his Federsand-Jetstream Motorsport team. Rounding off the top ten on the grid are Stefan Rosina from Slovakia (Walter Lechner Racing School) and the Italian Luigi Ferrara (SANITEC RACING), for whom this marks his best result so far in his debut Supercup season.

Jeroen Bleekemolen (pole-sitter): “I’m very pleased. What a great qualifying. We’ve shown that we’ve bounced back from our little low at Monaco. We are back where we want to be. Now I just hope we can turn this good qualifying performance into a victory on Sunday.”

René Rast (second qualifier): “I’m really happy. It’s always good to take off into the race from the first row. I think I could have been a little quicker, but I was held up by slower competitors. Still, we have an excellent car for the race so I think I still have something up my sleeve. Anyway, I’m optimistic.”

Norbert Siedler (third qualifier): “I finally got a perfect lap. Thanks to my team for putting a great car on the track for me today. I avoided making the same mistake today that I made yesterday in free practice and I was really fast. This circuit suits me and I was fast here last year too. I hope I can turn it into a good race result. If I manage it, I reckon a podium result could be possible.”

Television stations “Eurosport” and “Premiere” broadcast the race in Istanbul live on Sunday, 7th June, from 11.45 hrs. In addition, “Eurosport” televises highlights on Sunday evening in its “Motorsports Weekend” programme.

Qualifying result
1. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), Konrad Motorsport, 1:57.474 minutes
2. René Rast (GER), VELTINS MRS Racing, + 0.264 seconds
3. Norbert Siedler (AUT), VELTINS MRS Racing, + 0.301
4. Richard Westbrook (GBR), Federsand-Jetstream Motorsport, + 0.338
5. Jiri Janak (CZE), Konrad Motorsport, + 0.830
6. Patrick Huisman (NED), SPS Performance, + 0.922

At the fourth round of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup in the streets of Monte Carlo, Richard Westbrook from Britain takes up the race on Sunday from pole position for the first time this season. In qualifying, the Supercup champion of 2006 and 2007 was a good two and a half tenths of a second faster in his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of Federsand-Jetstream Motorsport than René Rast (Germany). Driving for VELTINS MRS Racing, the reigning Carrera Cup champion tackles the prestigious race in the Principality on the Cote d’Azur alongside Westbrook on the front row.

Jeroen Bleekemolen from the Netherlands, who won in Monaco in 2007 and 2008, had held the pole position for quite some time. The title defender and his Konrad Motorsport team, who had taken up all races from position one by now, finally had to settle for third on the grid. Italian Andrea Belicchi (Centro Porsche Padova), one of five guest drivers from the Carrera Cup Italia, surprisingly turned the fourth quickest time and lines up alongside the Monaco resident in the second row.

In a dramatic qualifying session on the famed street circuit, on which 23 of the 420 hp 911 GT3 Cup set off on Sunday, Stefan Rosina occupies fifth place. Driving for Walter Lechner Racing School, the Slovakian was only two-hundredths of a second faster than Supercup newcomer Matt Halliday from New Zealand (Federsand Jetstream Motorsport), who currently ranks first in the Rookie Classification. The vice-champion from 2007 and 2008, Damien Faulkner from Ireland (Walter Lechner Racing School) as well as Italian guest driver Alessandro Zampedri (Konrad Motorsport Austria) make up the fourth row of the grid. Ninth position is qualifying went to Austria’s Norbert Siedler (VELTINS MRS Racing) ahead of Konrad Motorsport pilot Jiri Janak from the Czech Republic.

Television stations “Eurosport” and “Premiere” broadcast the race in Monaco live on Sunday, 24 May, from 9.45am. Additionally, “Eurosport” televises highlights on Sunday evening in its “Motorsports Weekend” programme.

Richard Westbrook (pole-sitter): “Everything ran perfectly in qualifying. My car’s handling kept improving and that’s what is important in Monaco. You have to constantly improve over the course of the qualifying as the track gets quicker and there is more and more rubber left on the street. Most importantly you need a perfect car for the final lap. I put my order in with my engineers and they delivered right on time. I’m looking forward to a great race.”

René Rast (second qualifier): “We had a lot of traffic on the track, and I couldn’t drive as fast as I wanted particularly with my first set of tyres. With the second set it was somewhat better. Second on the grid is a good place to start from, so I’m pleased. In Monaco it’s difficult to overtake so it can only be an advantage to start from the first row.”

Jeroen Bleekemolen (third qualifier): “Of course I’m disappointed. In free practice I was way in front and today I was very fast with my first set of tyres. But there were a lot of cars on the circuit, which is typical for Monaco, but it cost me a great deal of time, particularly when you’re on your flying lap. Oh well, for the race I just have to make the most out of the situation. Still, it won’t be easy starting from third and winning.”

Qualifying result
1. Richard Westbrook (GBR), Federsand-Jetstream Motorsport, 1:36.820 minutes
2. René Rast (GER), VELTINS MRS Racing, + 0.258 seconds
3. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), Konrad Motorsport, + 0.501
4. Andrea Belicchi (ITA), Centro Porsche Padova, + 0.580
5. Stefan Rosina (SVK), Walter Lechner Racing School, 0.767