Porschenews 04/08 The new Panamera is coming.

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Porsche Carrera Cup Asia s The Porsche SC Global Carrera Cup Asia – Singapore 2008 blasting off the grid Porsche Carrera Cup Asia – A Thrilling End to 2008. When racing resumed in the fall, it was with a moment the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, its teams and drivers will never forget, as they took their place in motorsport history at the 2008 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix. With an event title sponsor on board, Singapore leading luxury residential property developer SC Global Developments, 19 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars took to the grid for Porsche Asia Pacific’s first ever “home” race on the streets of Singapore. Not only were the eyes of the world on Singapore as it hosted its first ever Formula One Grand Prix, but the brand new Marina Bay street circuit represented a level playing field for all the drivers. Resplendent in new Noble Group livery, Sugden took Singapore’s first Porsche pole position, while O’Young, just a tenth of a second slower, lined up beside him. Class B pole-sitter was Hammam. The drama began from the moment the lights went out at the beginning of the 12-lap race when Sugden was judged to have jumped the start. The GruppeM racer was not aware he had been handed a penalty until after the chequered flag and so it was O’Young, who ran second the entire race, who became the eventual winner. Although he didn’t have the satisfaction of crossing the line first, the points earned for the win crucially strengthened Team Jebsen’s position at the front of the charge to the title. In their home event, the Singapore drivers put on a strong showing in Class B, with Choo winning the category from Hammam and Team Porsche Club Singapore Racing guest driver Tan Ian Mao. As the 2008 season neared its conclusion, anyone who thought a clear champion would emerge could not have been wider off the mark. A spectacular Round 10 in Shanghai, the third time the 2008 series appeared on the FIA Formula One World Championship support programme, brought the four Class A title contenders even closer together. Sugden took pole position ahead of Jones, beating the Australian by just three one-hundredths of a second. O’Young qualified fourth. In Class B, it was category leader Choo who took pole, ahead of rivals Hammam and Ma. As race day dawned, little did the drivers know that the Class A championship standings were about to be completely reshuffled. Although Sugden and Jones took the front row of the grid, it was Menzel who roared into the lead after the pair touched, with the Briton spinning and dropping down the order. As Menzel headed off to take victory, Jones, who had sustained some car damage in this start incident, soldiered on to take second, with Lee taking the final podium place. Sugden had clawed his way back through the field to finish fourth, keeping him in championship contention. However, disaster had struck O’Young when t Christian Jones, Marchy Lee and Christian Menzel (from left to right) celebrating their victories in Shanghai s Part of the Marina Bay Street Circuit – the Anderson bridge suspension problems forced a pit stop, instantly wiping out his hard-earned points lead. The four Class A drivers were now separated by just seven points. In Class B, Hammam took the victory after pole- sitter Choo retired, followed across the line by Tresidder and Ma. Despite his retirement, Choo retained his place atop the Class B leaderboard, but as in Class A, the title was far from decided. As the series prepared for its Middle East debut and the championship-deciding double header, a mere seven points separated the four Class A title aspirants: Jones, who came so close to taking the title in 2007, out to prove his sportscar credentials; O’Young in the hunt for a second title; Menzel, respected in Europe and determined to make his
Porsche Carrera Cup Asia mark in Asia; and Sugden, defending champion. The stage was set for a truly remarkable season-closer. For its Middle East debut just three weeks after racing in Shanghai, the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia needed to transport the cars from Singapore to Bahrain in double-quick time. With the help of Singapore Airlines Cargo, the 19 race cars became the first fleet of Carrera Cup cars to be transported by air. The weekend’s qualifying session offered further proof that the championship would come down to the wire in the very last race, when all four Class A championship-contenders reserved the first two rows of the grid for the start of Round 11. On pole was Menzel, joined in the front row by O’Young. Jones and Sugden comprised the second row, while Marsh matched his best qualifying position of the season to start from fifth on the grid. In Class B, it was class- leader Choo who took pole, extending his lead over Hammam with the one extra point earned. t Season final at the Bahrain International Circuit Round 11 got off to what Sugden described as a more well-behaved start than he had anticipated given the intensity of the situation. Menzel got away well, but by the end of the lap, O’Young had pulled alongside of him and seconds later, made a crucial overtaking maneuver to grab the lead. While Menzel stayed close, O’Young stayed out front to take the victory. O’Young’s win vaulted him to the top of the points standings, with Jones, who finished fourth in the race, now second. However, with Sugden finishing third, all four original contenders were all still in with a shot at the title, separated by just eight points. With just a few short hours until the final round of the season, tension filled the air. Choo won Class B ahead of Hammam and Kim and, with the win, Choo’s buffer stood at six points. On pole for the final round – and for the championship – O’Young lost the lead to Menzel on the first corner of the first lap. Behind the pair, Jones continued to push in third, with Sugden and Lee running fourth and fifth respectively. As Menzel and O’Young pulled out a gap at the front, the battle for the final podium place was heating up. At first it looked to be Jones, but the Australian’s hopes were sadly dashed as Sugden and Lee both got by him. Secure in the knowledge a second place finish would clinch the title for him and Team Jebsen, O’Young was taking no chances. So it was Sugden and Lee, fighting for third, who provided the best racing of the weekend. The two went head-to-head, racing hard but fair, right to the chequered flag, with Sugden roaring into third place on the finish line. Jones’ championship fate was sealed. Class B was no less dramatic. Choo was forced out of the race early. With his retirement, the title was Hammam’s for the taking and the Malaysian finished the championship ahead of both Choo and Tresidder. With the champions crowned, the celebrations got underway and all involved were able to reflect on a fantastic season, one which will certainly not be forgotten. n Final Standings Overall s PCCA 2008 overall Champion – Darryl O’ Young of Team Jebsen from Hong Kong s Championship Dinner at the Awali Ballroom at Sheraton Bahrain Hotel Place Car No. Driver Team Points 1 55 Darryl O’YOUNG Team Jebsen 196 2 99 Christian MENZEL Team StarChase 194 3 88 Tim SUGDEN GruppeM Racing 186 Final Standings Class B 1 51 Tunku HAMMAM – 203 2 69 Melvin CHOO Kwok Ming CorumThunderAsia Racing 189 3 23 Paul TRESIDDER Pelorus Property Group/Assetz 174
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Porschenews 04/08 The new Panamera is coming.

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