Strong newcomer Kévin Estre celebrates first Supercup win
Stuttgart. Kèvin Estre has shown them all: On the Grand Prix circuit in Monza, the Hermes Attempto Racing pilot from France celebrated his first win in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and already before the season final in Abu Dhabi secured the BBS Rookie Classification as the best newcomer in the world’s fastest international one-make series. With his 450 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, which is based on the lightweight 911 GT3 R street sports car, the newly-crowned champion of the Porsche Carrera Cup France relegated points’ leader René Rast (Germany) to finish in second place after a gripping duel. Driving for VELTINS Lechner Racing, the four-time winner this season took another large step towards successfully defending the title.
One of the closest opponents in the fight for the championship was dealt a bitter set-back in the Autodromo Nazionale: Britain’s Sean Edwards (Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit) was running amongst the group of pursuers when he touched a competitor on the straight after the chicane and slid into the tyre stack. The impact was so heavy that the field had to follow the safety car while waiting for the barriers to undergo necessary repairs. Profiting from the Barcelona winner’s accident the most were Norbert Siedler and Kuba Giermaziak. The Austrian of VELTINS Lechner Racing finished fourth behind Italian guest driver Alessandro Balzan which pushed him up the points’ table past Sean Edwards into third. Securing sixth, Giermaziak from Poland, who recently scored two straight victories in Budapest and Spa, moved into second overall.
In summery temperatures in the Royal Park of Monza, René Rast won the sprint to the first corner with a lightning start against pole-sitter Alessandro Balzan. In his slipstream, Kévin Estre repeatedly attempted to overtake, but had to wait until lap four before he slipped past the reigning champion. Britain’s Nick Tandy driving for Konrad Motorsport, winner of the Monza race last year, saw the flag in fifth and held on to his more theoretical title chance heading to the two final races of the season on 12 and 13 November in Abu Dhabi. In the points’ standings, he pulled past Jeroen Bleekemolen (Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit), the double Supercup champion from the Netherlands, who experienced a disappointing last race in Europe to finish a lowly 13th.
Kévin Estre (winner): “That was a tough race. I tried to overtake René in the first laps but there just wasn’t enough room. So I had to be patient until after the safety car phase. I finally got my chance that I’d waited so long for. This victory and winning the rookie classification already makes the season a triumph for the whole team. I want to thank them here and now for their fantastic support. Now I can’t wait for the final in Abu Dhabi.”
René Rast (second): “The race ran perfectly for us. Second place earned us valuable points – I’m very pleased. After the safety car phase I couldn’t hold the pace. Slipstreaming worked perfectly for Kévin, he literally flew past me and I couldn’t do a thing about it. Things are looking very good for the championship. We now just have to hold our course and bring home a decent result from Abu Dhabi, then it could be ours.”
Alessandro Balzan (third): “I started from pole position and, to be honest, I had hoped for a better result than third. After all, we’re in Italy. Still, I’m happy enough. Don’t forget this is only my third Supercup race and I didn’t want to get in the way of those fighting for the championship. Early on I had some problems with the brake balance, but after a couple of laps I overcame them and was back up at pace. Now I’m hoping I can also race at the final at Abu Dhabi.”
Race result
1. Kévin Estre (F), Hermes Attempto Racing, 29:21.986 minutes
2. René Rast (D), VELTINS Lechner Racing, + 1.364 seconds
3. Alessandro Balzan (I), Ebimotors, + 1.811
4. Norbert Siedler (A), VELTINS Lechner Racing, + 2.466
5. Nick Tandy (GB), Konrad Motorsport, + 3.386
6. Kuba Giermaziak (PL), VERVA Racing Team, + 6.694
Points’ standings after 9 of 11 races
Drivers
1. René Rast (D), 141 points
2. Kuba Giermaziak (PL), 124
3. Norbert Siedler (A), 122
4. Sean Edwards (GB), 116
5. Nick Tandy (GB), 109
6. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), 108
Teams
1. VELTINS Lechner Racing, 257 points
2. Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, 221
3. VERVA Racing Team, 190
BBS Rookie classification
1. Kévin Estre (F), 91 points
2. Mathias Lauda (A), 30
3. Andreas Mayerl (A), 20
Preview Abu Dhabi: Riveting three-way title fight in the desert
After a season packed with fiercely-contested racing, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup heads to a dream finale: On the Yas Marina Circuit of Abu Dhabi, the ultra-modern Formula 1 track in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, the trophy for the world’s fastest international one-make series will be decided on the 12th and 13th November. At rounds 10 and 11, no less than six drivers hold chances, albeit some theoretical, to clinch the title: proof enough of just how tight the competition is in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. The title, however, will very likely go to one of three pilots: René Rast (Germany, VELTINS Lechner Racing), the reigning champion and four-time winner this season, travels to Abu Dhabi leading the points. Ranking second is Poland’s Kuba Giermaziak, the rising star of the season driving for the VERVA Racing team, followed by his Austrian teammate Norbert Siedler. TV stations Eurosport and Sky Sport broadcast the races live. Moreover, Eurosport televises highlights on Sunday in its “Motorsport Weekend Magazin” programme.
Public Relations and Media
Motorsportpress
Oliver Hilger
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