Press Release August 28, 2011 No. M 114/11

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, round 8 at the Formula 1 race in Spa-Francorchamps/Belgium

Kuba Giermaziak’s second win increases tension in title bid

Stuttgart. The suspense is mounting in the race for the Mobil 1 Supercup title. At Spa-Francorchamps, VERVA Racing Team pilot Kuba Giermaziak from Po- land celebrated his second consecutive win. On the finish straight of the season he now has a good chance of capturing the trophy in the world’s fastest international one-make series. On the traditional circuit in the Ardennes, Giermaziak beat title de- fender René Rast (Germany) by 0.531 seconds in his 450 hp GT3 Cup, based on the lightweight 911 GT3 RS street sports car. Competing for VELTINS Lechner Racing and with four wins to his credit so far this season, second place to- day was enough for Rast to snatch back the points’ lead.

Kuba Giermaziak, who at the previous round in Budapest claimed the first victory for a Pole in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, followed up his gala performance in the wet qualifying session with a top race result on a dry track. Starting from pole position, he won the sprint to the first corner against Supercup record winner Patrick Huisman (Team Bleekemolen) from the Netherlands to then edge clear of the field. In the final phase of an exciting race with many bold overtaking manouevres, his lead of at times more than five seconds was dramatically reduced, but his lights-to-flag victory never came under serious threat. René Rast, who had started from fifth on the grid and ploughed his way through the field to within striking distance of the front-runner, re- mains without a win in Spa-Francorchamps. Trailing the winner by over four seconds, Britain’s (Konrad Motorsport) brought home third place.

Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft 1 of 4 Public Relations and Press Porscheplatz 1 Motorsport 70435 Stuttgart Oliver Hilger Tel +49 (0) 7 11 9 11 – 2 65 09 e-mail [email protected] Press Release August 28, 2011 No. M 114/11

For Tandy’s compatriot Sean Edwards, the day was a disappointment. As previous points’ leader and two-time Spa winner, the Abu Dhabi by tolimit pilot had taken up the sprint from the second grid row, only to make a mistake in the first lap in the legendary Eau Rouge corner which tossed him back to seventh position. Edwards finally reached the flag in sixth behind (Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit) from the Netherlands and Germany’s Christian Engelhart, winner of the season-opening race in Istanbul with Konrad Motorsport’s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. In the overall standings, Edwards now occupies second place, only four points ahead of Kuba Giermaziak. At 21 years, the Pole is the youngest driver and the hero of the day in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. Like many talented youngsters before him, he is now in a good position to use the performances he has shown this season in the flagship of Porsche’s 19 brand trophy series that runs as support to Formula 1 to launch a successful GT career.

With a breathtaking chase through the field, Norbert Siedler made up for his poor qualifying. Driving for VELTINS Lechner Racing, the Austrian started from 14th and reeled in the field to finish seventh and secure valuable points. However, he had to relinquish his third place in the overall rankings to winner Kuba Giermaziak. A black day for Patrick Huisman: After a strong qualifying result, the most successful driver in the field with 24 Supercup wins looked set to claim his 25th anniversary win. How- ever, in a duel with René Rast he spun off and only managed to see the flag in elev- enth.

Kuba Giermaziak (winner): “What a fantastic race. I had luck on my side though – two more laps and I would very likely have had great difficulty fending off the others. My start wasn’t that great, we really must practice that more, because the distance to the first corner in Monza is even further. Still, I managed to hold my lead and possibly pushed a little too hard to put some distance between me and my pursuers. Towards the end my tyres were deteriorating and René was catching me. I hardly dared to look in the rear vision mirror. I tried to take a little heat out of the pace because if you’re going full-tilt you’re more likely to make mistakes. Luckily it was enough to win.

Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft 2 of 4 Public Relations and Press Porscheplatz 1 Motorsport 70435 Stuttgart Oliver Hilger Tel +49 (0) 7 11 9 11 – 2 65 09 e-mail [email protected] Press Release August 28, 2011 No. M 114/11

Now we’ve shown we are not just good in the rain, but we can also win in dry condi- tions.”

René Rast (second): “That was great. To come from fifth and finish second, and then grab the championship lead – you can’t wish for more than that. I’m totally happy, even though it didn’t work with my first win in Spa. My car was ultra-fast over the whole weekend. If the race had been one lap longer I would have done to Kuba what I did to Nick, Sean and Patrick. Anyway, I’m absolutely over the moon.”

Nick Tandy (third): “That wasn’t a bad race. We’ve collected some important points. Qualifying was the problem. If I’d been faster there I could have done better in the race.”

Race result 1. Kuba Giermaziak (PL), VERVA Racing Team, 26:58.941 minutes 2. René Rast (D), VELTINS Lechner Racing, + 0.531 seconds 3. Nick Tandy (GB), Konrad Motorsport, + 4.091 4. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, + 5.118 5. Christian Engelhart (D), Konrad Motorsport, + 8.117 6. Sean Edwards (GB), Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit, + 9.679

Drivers’ classification after 8 of 11 races 1. René Rast (D), 123 points 2. Sean Edwards (GB), 116 3. Kuba Giermaziak (PL),112 4. Norbert Siedler (A), 106 5. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), 100 6. Nick Tandy (GB), 95

Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft 3 of 4 Public Relations and Press Porscheplatz 1 Motorsport 70435 Stuttgart Oliver Hilger Tel +49 (0) 7 11 9 11 – 2 65 09 e-mail [email protected] Press Release August 28, 2011 No. M 114/11

Preview Monza: Title aspirants move into position for season finale

With round 9 in the Autodromo Nazionale in Monza on 11 September, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup farewells Europe. On the 5.770 kilometre Grand Prix circuit in the Royal Park, it’s all about securing an excellent position for the season final in Abu Dhabi for the top title aspirants René Rast (Germany, VELTINS Lechner Racing), Sean Edwards (Great Britain, Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit) and Kuba Giermaziak (Po- land, VERVA Racing Team). Britain’s Nick Tandy (Konrad Motorsport) won last year in Monza and with 187.896 kph in qualifying posted the fastest lap in the history of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. The Briton, however, does not hold good chances for overall victory in the world’s fastest international one-make series this year. TV sta- tions Eurosport (11.45 hrs) and Sky Sport 2 (11.40 hrs) broadcast the race live. Eu- rosport also televises highlights on Sunday in its “Motorsport Weekend Magazin”.

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Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft 4 of 4 Public Relations and Press Porscheplatz 1 Motorsport 70435 Stuttgart Oliver Hilger Tel +49 (0) 7 11 9 11 – 2 65 09 e-mail [email protected]