Porsche Motorsport Newsletter: Volume 11 2010

Maybe you’re not able to, or put more simply, you don’t want to read each little news blurb about Porsche Motorsports. If that’s the case, there is no better way to stay up to date than by reviewing the monthly Porsche Motorsport Newsletter here on PorschePurist.

There’s always a lot going on and this month is no different. Filled with interesting facts and figures about past and upcoming races, along with changes to team and crew, the Porsche Motorsport Newsletter is an easy way to keep on top of this year’s racing activities within the Porsche community.

American Le Mans Series: Tenth GT drivers’ title for Porsche pilots

At the finale on the Road Atlanta circuit in the US State of Georgia (2 October) Porsche works drivers Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long celebrated their title defense in the strongly- supported GT class. This latest success is Bergmeister’s fifth driver’s championship in the ALMS with Porsche. Patrick Long, his teammate at Flying Lizard Motorsports, has notched up three titles. Since the start of the ALMS in 1999, Porsche pilots have won, amongst other accolades, ten GT driver’s titles. The outstanding efficiency of the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR once again yielded victory in the environmental Michelin Green X Challenge for Porsche.

Porsche Intelligent Performance: Le Mans winners pilot 911 GT3 R Hybrid

A fitting debut for the innovative Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid in the USA: At the season final of the ALMS, Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Mike Rockenfeller – the overall winners of this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours – took on the job in the cockpit. The race car with its ground- breaking hybrid technology ran like clockwork and provided engineers with valuable data to further develop the system.

Works driver Wolf Henzler: Chequered flag for the bachelor

On 9 October after a 12 month engagement, Porsche works driver Wolf Henzler and his fiancée Antje finally tied the knot. The couple live in Nürtingen near Stuttgart with their son Noah. In 2010, Henzler won the GT2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR and claimed overall victory at the Spa 24 hour race.

International GT Open: Patrick Pilet and Raymond Narac still on title course

After claiming fourth at race 13 and victory at race 14 in Monza (2/3 October), Porsche works driver Patrick Pilet and Raymond Narac travel to the final round in Barcelona ranking second in the championship. 15 points separate the two IMSA Performance Matmut pilots from the current Ferrari leaders. 44 points are still up for grabs. Italian GT Championship: Gian Luca Roda is the GT3 champion Second at race 13 and a cautious fifth at the 14th and final race of the Italian GT Championship in Monza (24 October) was enough for Gian Luca Roda to clinch the GT3 title at the wheel of the 911 GT3 R fielded by Autorlando Sport. Roda shared the cockpit at these decisive races again with Porsche factory pilot Richard Lietz.

French GT: Strong finish for Bornhauser and Groppi yields championship

Only at the last race weekend in Magny-Cours (16/17 October) was the fight for the title of the French FFSA GT Championship decided. Patrick Bornhauser and Laurent Groppi took up the two final heats in their Larbre Compétition 911 GT3 R ranking second in the points. Victory at race one kept their title chances open. Second place at race two yielded the pair the championship against strong opposition from a Corvette over six gruelling weekends.

Belcar Endurance: Goossens and Soulet head to final as points’ leaders

After their third win of the season at round five in Zolder (10 October), Marc Goossens and Maxime Soulet travel to the final, the Zolder 10 Hours (13 November), leading the points. Goossens and Soulet drive a Porsche 911 GT3 R from Prospeed Competition.

Carrera Cup Deutschland: Old-hand Armindo beats rookie

Tandy Finishing the finale in Hockenheim (17 October) in fifth, Nicolas Armindo from France crowned his sixth season in the Carrera Cup Deutschland with the championship title. Three victories and points from all nine events was the key to success for the Hermes Attempto Racing pilot. Armindo is the first non-German champion in the Carrera Cup Deutschland. His arch rival was the British rookie Nick Tandy, who concluded the year as runner-up after five wins.

Carrera Cup France: Makowiecki beats Estre by a mere point

Four straight wins, the last two at the final in Magny-Cours (16/17 October), gave Frédéric Makowiecki (Luxury Racing) a one-point lead over Kévin Estre (Sofrev ASP) to claim the title. From 13 races, the new champion notched up seven victories.

Carrera Cup Great Britain: Tim Harvey claims title with brilliant timing

Tire damage in the last race saw Tim Harvey come away with the only zero result of the year but luckily when he had nothing to lose – he was already the 2010 champion. Harvey notched up eleven wins and seven second places from 20 races in the Red Line Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, to clinch the trophy at the penultimate round in Brands Hatch (9 Oct.).

Carrera Cup Asia: Christian Menzel recaptures the points’ lead

On the Shanghai International Circuit (23/24 October), reigning champion Christian Menzel elbowed his arch rival Craig Baird off the top of the points’ table with a victory at the ninth race in torrential rain. At race ten, Menzel made the weekend perfect for his StarChase squad with another win at the wheel of his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

Carrera Cup Japan: Yasuhiro Shimizu calls on experience to defend title

Reigning champion Yasuhiro Shimizu (Team Art Taste) had to call on his vast experience at the last and decisive race weekend in Motegi (23/24 October). After a jumped start and the ensuing drive-through penalty for Shimizu, victory went to his young challenger Hideto Yasuoka with Shimizu recovering to secure second. In the final race, Yasuoka won again, while Shimizu avoided taking any risks to bring home second and defend the title.

Patrón GT3 Challenge: Henrique Cisneros wins the Gold Cup

After the 14th and final race on the Road Atlanta circuit (1 October) rookie Henrique Cisneros was delighted to take home the title in the Gold Cup class for 911 GT3 Cup cars from the model years 2005 to 2009. Assisting as coach of the NGT Motorsport pilot, for whom only the Sebring circuit was familiar, was none other than Porsche works driver Wolf Henzler.

GT3 Cup Challenge Australia: Roger Lago is the new champion

It looked like the title was in the bag: Reigning champion Matt Kingsley traveled to the last three races on the Sandown Raceway (23/24 October) with a comfortable points’ lead over his pursuer Roger Lago. But Kingsley then seriously damaged his Porsche in a high-speed crash during the qualifying session. He was uninjured but had to watch from the pit wall as Lago, with his usual caution, drove the Falcon Property Group/Lago Coldstores 911 GT3 Cup home to his first unexpected championship. Kane Rose won all three races of the weekend.

Super Sports Cup: Final wins for Heyrowski and Jahn, Micanek champion

Victory at the two final races of the Porsche Super Sports Cup in Hockenheim went to Sven Heyrowski in the Porsche 911 GT3 R as well as David Jahn in a 911 GT3 Cup. The trophies were presented by the Chairman of the Board at Porsche AG, Matthias Müller, Board Member of Sales and Marketing, Bernhard Maier, as well as the Managing Director of Porsche Germany, Klaus Zellmer. The championship title went to the Czech Tomas Micanek, who had already been confirmed as champion prior to the final round.

Other Porsche Race notes:

Gian Luca Roda and Raffaele Giammaria win the GTS class at both Spanish GT races in Jerez (17/18 October) with the 911 GT3 R of Autorlando Sport.

The Belgian Mühlner Motorsport squad concludes the 2010 ADAC GT Masters with third in the team classification. Joerg and Tim Bergmeister take up the final race of the Nürburgring VLN Long Distance Championship for the team on 30 October.

British GT: David Ashburn and Glynn Geddie clinch second at the season finale in Donington (17 October) in the Trackspeed Porsche 911 GT3 R. Ashburn had already become champion.

Timo Bernhard, Arno Klasen and Lucas Luhr yielded second at round 9 of the Nürburgring VLN Long Distance Championship (16 October) in the Manthey-Porsche 911 GT3 R after tyre poker in changeable weather. Six Porsche 911 amongst the top ten.

After the 11th and 12th race of the GT3 Cup Challenge Brasil in Curitiba, Ricardo Rosset holds on to his points’ lead with four races left on the calendar. With a win, André Posses secured the championship title in the “Light Class” for older 911 GT3 Cup cars.

In the GT3 Cup Challenge Eastern Europe the decision for the title is between points’ leader Cenk Ceyisakar and his pursuer Yüzel Ozbek heading to the final with races 13 and 14 on the Grand Prix circuit of Istanbul (5/6 Nov.).