Porsche Supercup Qualifying in Monaco

There is no F1 on Friday in Monaco, but the Supercups were qualifying for the championship's second race after Spain's season opener.

Here's the official PR from Porsche:


Jaap van Lagen goes full risk to claim pole position

Stuttgart. On the legendary street circuit of Monaco, Jaap van Lagen (Fach Auto Tech) from the Netherlands clinched pole position for the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup race on Sunday. Lapping the circuit in 1:35.691 minutes, the seasoned Porsche racer beat Austria’s Philipp Eng (Market Leader Te
am) to the first grid spot by almost a tenth of a second. “I’m so happy. Pole position in Monaco is fantastic. My car ran perfectly. I was just two centimetres away from flying off at one point,” said van Lagen. Christian Engelhart (MRS GT-Racing) from Kösching in Bavaria takes up race two of the season from position three. Lining up alongside
him on fourth is Ben Barker (MOMO-Megatron Team Partrax) from Great Britain. Barcelona winner Michael Ammermüller (D/Lechner Racing Middle East) starts from position five ahead of Alex Riberas (E/The Heart of Racing by Lechner).

After dominating Thursday’s free practice, Eng looked certain to be pole sitter until shortly before the end of the qualifying session. Van Lagen, however, put in a last ditch effort on the twisty circuit with his 460 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup to top the time sheet of the 27-strong field.
Van Lagen stated: “At times I was running second, but I noticed I could do more. On my second set of tyres I really let it rip and planted my car on position one.” Van Lagen won the traditional Porsche Cup, a competition run separately to Porsche’s brand trophy series to determine the best Porsche private driver worldwide, and this weekend races for the Swiss team Fach Auto Tech. This is the same squad that Earl Bamber, the champion of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, drove for in 2014. Thanks to his successes that year, Bamber subsequently received a contract as a Porsche factory driver.

The Porsche pilots headed out on to the 3.340 kilometre street circuit in brilliant sunshine. Given that the qualifying result on this circuit is vitally important due to the very few overtaking possibilities, the tension amongst the drivers was tangible. Eng appeared slightly disappointed with position two. “Generally, the first grid row is good. But second on the grid in Monaco is not so great because the track is pretty dirty there. Now I have to see what I can do in the race.”

Porsche Junior Matteo Cairoli (I/Market Leader Team) kept his cool and posted the seventh quickest time as a rookie. “Unfortunately I had someone in front of me on my flying lap. My car ran beautifully, and I would certainly have done better if I’d had a free run,” explained the 18 year old. Porsche Junior Connor de Phillippi (USA/VERVA Lechner Racing Team) starts from eighth. “I’m annoyed with myself because I made a mistake and touched the barrier and had to call it a day after only six laps. The only upside is that I start the race on fresh rubber,” analysed de Phillippi. Porsche Junior Sven Müller (D/Lechner Racing Middle East) drove the ninth quickest time: “In my fastest lap I touched the guardrail and it damaged the front of my car. My session was over after just five laps.”

The race on Sunday over 16 laps is broadcast live by Sky Deutschland from 9.30 hours. On Eurosport, the race is aired on Tuesday from 23 hours.

Qualifying Monaco
1. Jaap van Lagen (NL/Fach Auto Tech), 1:35.691 minutes
2. Philipp Eng (A/Market Leader Team), 1:35.788
3. Christian Engelhart (D/MRS GT-Racing), 1:35.928
4. Ben Barker (MOMO-Megatron Team Partrax), 1:35.949
5. Michael Ammermüller (D/Lechner Racing Middle East), 1:36.096
6. Alex Riberas (E/The Heart of Racing by Lechner), 1:36.204
7. Matteo Cairoli (I/Market Leader Team), 1:36.355
8. Connor de Phillippi (USA/VERVA Lechner Racing Team), 1:36.635
9. Sven Müller (D/Lechner Racing Middle East), 1:36.661
10. Robert Lukas (PL/Förch Racing by Lukas Motorsport), 1:36.726

Porsche Supercup don't care about track limits

Season opener in Spain for Porsche Supercup,  the best of the best from all the various national Porsche championships across the world.

Note to F1:  this is precisely what fans would ideally like to see a bit more of:  cars that can attack each other,  run with the nose tucked right up under the wing of the car in front without destroying your tires in half a lap.

Makes for some fun stuff.

Of course, tin tops have fenders and bumpers so that just adds to the enjoyment.

Well done Kuba Giermaziak,  of Axis of Oversteer fame of course,  on the podium finish.

How do you ship a racing series across an ocean?

Well, obviously, you stack the cars first.

The US GP in Texas will see the Carrera Supercup boys,  the "A-Team" so to speak of Porsche's one make race series,  come over from Europe.    Their cars neatly packed in pairs minus their enormous rear wings.

Check out those pictures from the Carrera Cup official site

(hat tip Sergio Negroni)

Nicki Thiim is the 2013 Porsche Supercup Champion.

Danemark's Nicki Thiim won round 8 of the Porsche Supercup championship in Abu Dhabi and becomes the 2013 series champion. He did it in style, with a great move on the last lap of race when he let Carrera Cup Asia's champion Earl Bamber outbrake himself and run off the pavement.

Surely a win with a heavy heart for Thiim who dedicated the win to Sean Edwards. We applause Porsche for not giving in to the public pressure raised by an online petition demanding for the German manufacturer to give the championship to Edwards. We are guessing a racer like Sean would never have gone along with such a plan.

After the tragic accident in Australia there was a lot written online about it, some was good some was not as appropriate. Given the circumstances of the accident, we reached out to professional driver coaches for their thoughts. Ross Bentley, head of a group of extremely experienced professionals who publish the Speed Secrets newsletter, shared his thoughts on this difficult subject after the break

Porsche Supercup Spa

Heartbreak for Kuba Giermaziak...

Porsche Supercup Qualifying, Monaco

Sean Edwards (GB), Team Allyouneed by Project 1

It will be  Sean Edwards ahead of Kuba Giermaziak for tomorrow's Porsche Supercup race in Monaco.

Edwards and Giermaziak

Qualifying were marked by many yellow flags and a couple of heavy crashes in the closing minutes of the session.

Even more than Formula cars Supercup races in Monaco tend to have eventful qualifying and no passing at all in the race so Edwards is well placed for a second win on his home track.

“Our car ran perfectly, it was great to drive. The many yellow flags made it a very difficult qualifying session. I think a faster time would have been possible, but I didn’t really get a clean run. That makes pole position all the more sweeter. For tomorrow’s race I’m of course hoping for a perfect start – and for my second victory in Monaco.”

Sebastien Loeb

Loeb and Ogier

Of note,  there are not one but two WRC superstars competing this week end with Sebastien Loeb joined by the other Seb,  Sebastien Ogier.

“I was almost in despair. I didn’t get one free lap."  said Loeb who qualified 15th  " At one point I was on the way to a new fastest time, but suddenly two cars stood in the middle of the track. That was typical of this qualifying.”



More pix after the break

Take a ride with Sebastien Loeb in a Porsche 991 GT3 Cup

Nine time WRC champion and part time retiree Sebastien Loeb is the factory guest driver for the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season opener in Barcelona this week end.

Supercup is the the top of the heap of all the national Porsche GT3 single make series and runs as support to F1 races.

This year Porsche has decked out one of the two cars it reserves for guest drives in historic Martini livery, making it instantly the coolest looking car on the grid.  The race is the debut for the 991 GT3 Cup which will be available to all teams starting with the 2014 season.

The race was won from pole by Sean Edwards from Nicki Thim  followed by Michael Ammermüller.



while these cars are very fast, it's mind-blowing to think F1 cars are a full 30 seconds per lap faster!

here you ride with Kuba Giermaziak.

Porsche Motor-Cam

certainly puts a different perspective on Carrera Cup racing...in case you ever wondered what your life as a Porsche racing differential might be like.

Huge crash for Sean Edwards at Monza

Between the two Lesmo corners, in the same place Lewis Hamilton crashed a few years back. Hard to see clearly but I'm guessing he might have tried to squeeze into a space that was not quite there.

.

Airtime

A little greedy on the curb? .

Axis IMSA GT3 Challenge livery revealed!

A week from today, on June 11th, the Capital Managers-Axis of Oversteer Porsche GT3 cup will make its debut in the IMSA-Yokohama GT3 Challenge race on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.

The race will be run in support of the 2011 Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix.

The 75 car will be driven by series rookie Carlos Gomez, our own CG, and is set up by our friends at SpeedSport Tuning.

Below is video of CG testing the car at Monticello Motor Club recently.

If you are going to the Grand Prix, go early, the IMSA GT3 race starts at 9:05 AM. Follow Axis on Twitter and on Facebook for updates and please make sure send us any pictures you may have of the car on track!

More pictures after the jump

Monaco: Porsche Supercup qualifying

We may be in one of the temples of Formula 1 but you got to love what having fenders lets you get away with.

As you may know, Fridays are free in Monaco so you can pick whatever spot you choose to watch both Supercup qualifying and the long GP2 race. I decided on a spot overlooking the second Swimming pool complex.
It was amazing to see the fast guys turn in early, aim for the end of the guard rail and brush it every time. You could clearly hear it, tshhk....tsshk... From there they would attack the opposite side curb, bounce about a foot in the air and then gathered it all up in time not to hit the far side barrier. Very cool.

René Rast did it best, qualifying his VELTINS Lechner Racing 997 GT3 cup in 1:35.734, a new Supercup track record .

Sight and sounds below, a full gallery and result from today after the jump




Qualifying result
1. René Rast (D), VELTINS Lechner Racing, 1:35.734 minutes
2. Nick Tandy (GB), Konrad Motorsport, + 0.313 seconds
3. Kuba Giermaziak (PL), VERVA Racing Team, + 0.635
4. Sean Edwards (GB), Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, + 0.641
5. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, + 0.710
6. Sebastiaan Bleekemolen (NL), Team Bleekemolen, +0.845

It's all HD so don't be afraid to go full screen for maximum enjoyment!

Postcard from Monaco 3: Porsche Supercup

When F1's go by you smell gasoline, when Supercups go by you smell brake pads....

Check out the gallery after the jump

Testing, testing.

CG testing the Axis of Oversteer Patron Challenge 997 Cup at Monticello Motor Club. Best lap 2:20. Getting there!
end of post

Axis of Cup!

Fantastic news: CG, after vanquishing the ranks of PCA club racing, has decided it's time to play on a different playground, with a bigger toy.

I'm very excited to announce Carlos will be running at least 4 races of the 2011 IMSA Patron GT3 Cup Challenge, for our European readers, it is the US version of Porsche Supercup.

To make the whole thing even sweeter, the debut will be June 10-12 2011, in the support race to the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Canada in Montral. How cool is that? We are planning on being in the (at least the supercup) paddock and handing CG his first bottle of celebratory champagne...regardless of where he finishes!

The car, run by TRG/Speedsport will have Capital Managers / Axis of Oversteer livery but there is still plenty of sponsorship space available. If your company is interested in the exposure opportunities on track, television (SpeedTV) and online, via IMSA and through Axis of Oversteer.com. we will be happy to work with you, drop us a note.

Here are the dates. Aside from Montreal, most races run as support to the American Le Mans Series races. Axis fans, now you know who to cheer for if you are attending!

Date                         race 
June 10-12, 2011             Montreal Grand Prix
July 8-9, 2011               LimeRock Park
July 22-24, 2011             Mosport International Raceway
August 18-20, 2011           Road America
September 16-18, 2011        Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway*
September 29-30, 2011        Road Atlanta (Petit LeMans)*

*=either one of the two

So what is a sales brochure for a 2011 GT3 cup like? Have a look after the jump.



My 11 Final Nl Appr 09-17-10

Desert Floods

This was the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi Friday morning. That Benie can arrange anything!

Didn't last long but you can't say it could never happen...

Pos  Driver              Car                   Time       Gap       Laps
 1.  Sebastian Vettel    Red Bull-Renault      1m42.760s            18
 2.  Lewis Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      1m43.369s  + 0.609s  16
 3.  Jenson Button       McLaren-Mercedes      1m43.785s  + 1.025s  19
 4.  Mark Webber         Red Bull-Renault      1m43.840s  + 1.080s  19
 5.  Robert Kubica       Renault               1m44.080s  + 1.320s  19
 6.  Fernando Alonso     Ferrari               1m44.121s  + 1.361s  17
 7.  Michael Schumacher  Mercedes              1m44.199s  + 1.439s  19
 8.  Kamui Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari        1m44.604s  + 1.844s  18
 9.  Nico Rosberg        Mercedes              1m44.718s  + 1.958s  19
10.  Nick Heidfeld       Sauber-Ferrari        1m44.737s  + 1.977s  19
11.  Felipe Massa        Ferrari               1m45.160s  + 2.400s  18
12.  Vitaly Petrov       Renault               1m45.445s  + 2.685s  21
13.  Rubens Barrichello  Williams-Cosworth     1m45.474s  + 2.714s  15
14.  Adrian Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  1m45.552s  + 2.792s  20
15.  Tonio Liuzzi        Force India-Mercedes  1m45.585s  + 2.825s  14
16.  Jaime Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m46.003s  + 3.243s  20
17.  Nico Hulkenberg     Williams-Cosworth     1m46.644s  + 3.884s  19
18.  Sebastien Buemi     Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m47.105s  + 4.345s  22
19.  Timo Glock          Virgin-Cosworth       1m48.450s  + 5.690s  19
20.  Jarno Trulli        Lotus-Cosworth        1m48.472s  + 5.712s  17
21.  Lucas di Grassi     Virgin-Cosworth       1m49.375s  + 6.615s  13
22.  Bruno Senna         Hispania-Cosworth     1m49.590s  + 6.830s  18
23.  Christian Klien     Hispania-Cosworth     1m50.274s  + 7.514s  17
24.  Fairuz Fauzy        Lotus-Cosworth        1m51.705s  + 8.945s  18

All timing unofficial

end of post

Porsche Supercup Germany

While you wait for the dreaded Fox broadcast of the F1 GrandPrix, have a look at the Supercup race. Always nice to see how a relatively normal car goes around the same track before you watch F1 around those same corners.

Porsche must do a brisk business in body panels...

Porsche Supercup Gallery


end of post

Porsche Supercup, Monaco 2010

Some say Porsche Supercups are just racing toys, who are we to argue?
(press the fullscreen button on the lower right)



HOME

2010 Porsche Supercup: Bigger Wings, Bigger Brakes ..Daytime Running Lights?

New cars with 70'' rear wings, carbon brakes, bigger tires, more power and led running lights. Ok, whatever, Supercup is always good for door banging entertainment. As you can see, there is not much passing at Sakir though.


Continues after the jump...

Valencia Support Races: Porsche Supercup, GP2 and Formula BMW

Porsche Supercup results
GP2 and Formula BMW after the jump






GP2 Results


Results