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Round 7 at the British Grand Prix
Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, round 7 at the British Grand Prix, Preview: Jeroen Bleekemolen leads the field into second half of season
Stuttgart. With the race in Britain’s Silverstone this coming weekend, the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup launches into the second half of the season. Jeroen Bleekemolen (Netherlands) from the Jetstream Motorsport PZ Essen team travels as the half-time champion to the seventh round of the series, which takes place on the most challenging circuit of the year.
“Silverstone is a highlight on the race calendar. It requires real grit,” says Jan Seyffarth (Germany), who currently ranks second in the standings. The 5.1 kilometre Grand Prix circuit is one of the fastest and most difficult for drivers and engineers alike. Three sectors, each with totally different characteristics, make the race car set-up complicated. The best compromise between the fast and slow passages is decisive for a good grid position. “The first passage is flat-out. Speed is everything here,” explains 21-year-old Seyffarth. Key points are the ultra fast corners at Copse and Becketts. At the end of the long Hangar Straight the 420 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racers reach around 250 kph. Seyffarth comments: “Then comes a slower section. In the last third top driving skills are needed again.” Generally, teams choose a very hard suspension set-up, which put the tyres under extreme stress. “If you start out too fast you have to dea l with deteriorating tyres at the end,” said the Konrad Motorsport pilot.
At last year’s race in Silverstone, Nicolas Armindo (France, tolimit Motorsport), pole-setter at the previous round in Magny-Cours, coped best with the challenges on the British circuit. He not only secured pole position but celebrated a clear flag-to-flag victory, notching up his first win in the world’s fastest international one-make series.
In the 2008 season the fierce competition has provided exciting sport, especially during the qualifying: With the exception of the Monaco race, more than 15 pilots have qualified within one second at every round. Recently at the race in France, the first twelve drivers were separated by a mere three-tenths of a second.
As the only pilot to secure two victories by now (Monaco and Magny-Cours), Jeroen Bleekemolen leads the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup championship with 96 points. Trailing the Dutchman by twelve points is Barcelona winner Jan Seyffarth in second. Chris Mamerow (Germany, Damac Kadach Racing Team) ranks third holding 68 points with Uwe Alzen (Germany, SPS Performance – PZ Aschaffenburg) sitting just one point behind. The reigning vice-champion Damien Faulkner (Ireland, SAS Lechner Racing) occupies fifth with 64 points.
René Rast (Germany, VELTINS MRS Racing) will not contest the championship round in Great Britain. The sporting commission barred Rast from taking part in the race. In Magny-Cours the young German damaged his radiator in an accident and, against the track marshal’s signals, drove back to the pits, leaving coolant along the circuit.
Television stations “Premiere” and “Eurosport” broadcast the race in Silverstone live on Sunday (6 July) from 11.40 hours. Additionally, “Eurosport” televises highlights on Sunday evening in its “Motorsports Weekend” programme.
Drivers’ standings after six of twelve rounds:
1. Jeroen Bleekemolen (Netherlands), 96 points
2. Jan Seyffarth (Germany), 84 points
3. Chris Mamerow (Germany), 68 points
4. Uwe Alzen (Germany), 67 points
5. Damien Faulkner (Ireland), 64 points