Should a Race Winner Ever End Up With Zero Points?

Imagine securing your first victory in a prestigious series, in front of a busy F1 crowd and with many people also viewing on the television. You jump out of the car absolutely elated and then realise that with less than 50% of the race distance completed you won’t be awarded any points for your efforts.

This was indeed the gutting reality for Luxembourg’s Dylan Pereira on Sunday, when he won round five of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup at Hockenheim. Due to heavy rain and a massive accident in the middle of the field, the race was cancelled just seven laps in.

Pereira, therefore left Germany as the winner but no better off in the championship. This was because the regulations state that if less than 75% of the race is completed, half points are to be awarded and if less than 50% of the intended distance is completed then no points will be awarded whatsoever.

The main problem is that this seems such an anti-climax. The teams had shipped everything across to the circuit, they’d collected data from practice and set their cars up to extract the optimum performance from them. The drivers had given everything in qualifying to produce the fastest lap possible and then most of them had negotiated a tricky start to the race. Surely this should be recognised in some way.

Now I’m not claiming that Pereira should have been given full points as frankly that would be ridiculous. Leading after 7 laps isn’t the same as coming out on top after 25 or 30 laps. However, what about quarter points?

I’m aware that at first, this does sound ludicrous. This would have meant Pereira received 5 points for his victory, ten Voorde 4.5 points for finishing second and Ellinas 4 points for coming third. This does get a bit messier further down the order as 15^th placed Gianmarco Quaresmini would have received just one quarter of a point. However, drivers have ended seasons without an integer as their final points score so it wouldn’t be unprecedented.

The main reason I’m so keen for some points to have been awarded is that without them the whole 

weekend seems a waste of time. Surely a small recognition in the way of quarter points would have softened the blow and made the weekend count for something. Instead poor Pereira has the victory but nothing to show for it in terms of his championship points tally.

Equally, the history books will show a full classification of finishers but zero points next to each driver’s name. This just doesn’t sit comfortably with me and makes the race meeting a complete anomaly. Was it round five of the ten round championship with no points awarded, or a race that was cancelled in what is now a nine round championship?

Whatever your view on my quarter point suggestion, I’m sure you’ll agree that something needs to be done to prevent the recurrence of a race being won but the winner leaving the event pointless, along with the rest of the field.

Round six of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup takes place this coming weekend at the Hungaroring in Budapest.

                                                                                                                                                                    

Dylan Pereira (pictured) must have been delighted to win his first Supercup race but gutted not to receive any points.

                                    

Photo Credit: Porsche Motorsport

PMSC: Pereira Takes Hockenheim Victory in Rain Shortened Race but no Points Awarded

Dylan Pereira took the first Porsche Mobil 1 victory of his career in a rain shortened chaotic thriller at Hockenheim.

When the lights went out, Pereira, starting second, got the jump on pole sitter Larry ten Voorde who made a slightly sluggish getaway. Michael Ammermuller also capitalised on this and moved into second place.

On lap four, there was mayhem as Ammermuller, ten Voorde and Mikkel Pedersen collided. This resulted in retirement for two of the three drivers involved, with ten Voorde the only one able to continue.

No sooner had the race restarted, the safety car was deployed again as several cars collided in the middle of the pack. Heavy rain then caused the race to be red flagged and therefore cancelled. The race result was determined by the order at the end of the last full lap completed before the second safety car was deployed.

This gave Pereira the victory, from ten Voorde in second and Tio Ellinas, who secured his first Supercup podium.

“My first Supercup victory – and with my family watching. I am mega happy," said Pereira.

Pereira won for the first time in the Porsche Supercup.

Championship leader Julien Andlauer was fourth ahead of his fellow Frenchman Florian Latorre.

“This was a very lively race, and with the rain setting in the conditions changed. Unfortunately the interruptions prevented me from making it further up the order," said the BWT Lechner driver.

Jaap van Lagen was sixth ahead of top rookie Joey Mawson, who achieved his best result of the season.

Al Faisal Al Zubair was eighth, with guest driver Leon Köhler ninth and Jaxon Evans tenth.

However, with less than 50% of the intended distance completed, no points were awarded meaning the championship table was unaffected.

The series continues next weekend at the Hungaroring in Budapest.

Ten Voorde, Ammermuller and Pedersen collide. Only ten Voorde was able to continue.

Hockenheim race results:

1. Dylan Pereira (L / Momo Megatron Lechner Racing)

2. Larry ten Voorde (NL / MRS GT-Racing)

3. Tio Ellinas (CY / Momo Megatron Lechner Racing)

4. Julien Andlauer (F / BWT Lechner Racing)

5. Florian Latorre (F / Auto Tech)

6. Jaap van Lagen (NL / martinet by ALMÉRAS)

7. Joey Mawson (AUS / Team Australia)

8. Al Faisal Al Zubair (OM / Lechner Racing Middle East)

9. Leon Köhler (D / Lechner Racing Middle East)

10th Jaxon Evans (NZ / Fach Auto Tech)

Championship Standings:

1. Julien Andlauer (F / BWT Lechner Racing), 67 points

2. Michael Ammermüller (D / BWT Lechner Racing), 64 points

3. Ayhancan Güven (TR / martinet by ALMÉRAS), 50 points

4. Mikkel Pedersen (DK/Dinamic Motorsport), 47 points

= Florian Latorre (F/Fach Auto Tech), 47 points

6. Larry ten Voorde (NL/MRS GT-Racing), 46 points

Photo Credit: Porsche Motorsport

PMSC: Ten Voorde Secures Hockenheim Pole

Larry ten Voorde followed up his strong practice pace by securing pole position for round five of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup at Hockenheim.

The Dutchman lapped the circuit in a time of 1:41.245s to take his first Supercup pole position of the season. He will also take heart from the fact that all of the races so far this season have been won from pole position.

"I think the lap was almost perfect. Such a close qualifying is also decided in the head. I've stayed calm and improved more and more," said ten Voorde.

Dylan Pereira (Momo Megatron Lechner Racing) was second, just 0.013 seconds adrift of ten Voorde’s benchmark. "On my fastest lap I had to pass a slower car and probably lost some time. The pole position would have been perfect, but here in Hockenheim there are some overtaking opportunities, "said Pereira.

Twice defending champion, Michael Ammermuller (BWT Lechner Racing) was third fastest. "Honestly, I expected a better result but in the end I just made one or two mistakes too much [sic]. Nevertheless, I have a good feeling that I can ride in the front of the race," he said.

Tio Ellinas (Momo Megatron Lechner Racing) was fourth, narrowly beating Florian Latorre (FACH AUTO TECH) into fifth.

Championship leader Julien Andlauer (BWT Lechner Racing) was a slightly disappointed sixth but remains hopeful of battling back on race day. He said: "Of course I've planned more. At Silverstone I drove from sixth place to the podium; that gives me courage. In addition, there could be rain on Sunday.”

Omani driver Al Faisal Al Zubair (Lechner Racing Middle East) managed a season best seventh, ahead of Mikkel Pedersen (Dinamic Motorsport) and Jaap van Lagen (martinet by ALMERAS). Ayhancan Güven (martinet by ALMERAS) was the best rookie and rounded out the top ten.

In Pro-Am, Roar Lindland (pierre martinet by ALMERAS) pipped nearest championship challenger Philipp Sager (Dinamic Motorsport) to pole position by just 0.038 seconds with Stephen Grove (Team Australia) third in class.

The race takes place tomorrow at 11:25am (CEST).

Ten Voorde begins tomorrow's race from pole and will be looking for his first Supercup victory of the season.

Photo Credit: Porsche Motorsport

PMSC: Ammermuller Given Lap Back to Top Hockenheim Practice

Yesterday evening after reviewing footage, stewards decided to reverse the decision to delete Michael Ammermuller’s fastest time for exceeding track limits.

His time of 1:42.410s was amazingly just 0.001s faster than Larry ten Voorde’s best time meaning the German actually topped the session.

This of course demoted everyone else in the top eight by one place meaning Toni Wolf ended up third, Dylan Pereira fourth, Ayhancan Guven fifth, Julien Andlauer sixth, Jaap van Lagen seventh, Florian Latorre eighth and Tio Ellinas ninth.

Michael Ammermuller topped free practice following an appeal.

Qualifying takes place later this afternoon at 1:55 CEST.

Photo Credit: Porsche Motorsport

PMSC: Ten Voorde tops practice at Hockenheim.

Larry ten Voorde topped the times in today’s free practice session for round five of the Porsche Mobile 1 Supercup at Hockenheim. The Dutchman who drives for MRS-GT Racing, lapped the 4.6km circuit in a best time of 1:42.411s.

Rookie Toni Wolf (Team Project 1), making only his second Supercup appearance of the season, was a surprise second, just 0.126s shy of ten Voorde’s benchmark.

Dylan Pereira (Momo Megatron Lechner Racing) was third, the best part of two tenths of a second adrift.

Ayhancan Guven (martinet by ALMERAS), fresh from his Supercup victory last time out at Silverstone, was fourth fastest, just ahead of championship leader Julien Andlauer (BWT Lechner Racing). The pair were separated by just 0.011s, once again highlighting the competitive nature of the Supercup field.

Jaap van Lagen (martinet by ALMERAS) was sixth fastest, ahead of Florian Latorre (FACH AUTO TECH) and Tio Ellinas (Momo Megatron Lechner Racing).

Two time defending champion Michael Ammermuller (BWT Lechner Racing), like at Silverstone two weeks ago, appeared to struggle for one lap pace, and could only post the ninth fastest time, 0.652 seconds off ten Voorde’s pace. Mikkel Overgaard Pedersen (Dinamic Motorsport) rounded out the top ten.

In Pro-Am, points leader Roar Lindland (pierre martinet by ALMERAS) was fastest, two tenths clear of Philipp Sager (Dinamic Motorsport), with Stephen Grove (Team Australia) a distant third.

Ten Voorde set the pace on Friday in Germany

Qualifying takes place tomorrow at 1:55PM (CEST).

Photo Credit: Porsche Motorsport

PMSC Season So Far: BWT Lechner’s Andlauer and Ammermuller in Tense Title Fight

After four rounds of the ten round Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, the title fight is shaping up to be incredibly tense with the BWT Lechner Racing duo of Julien Andlauer, and defending champion Michael Ammermuller, separated by just three points.

Andlauer, in his second full season in the series, began with an impressively dominant display during the season opener in Spain. The Frenchman topped the free practice session, qualified on pole position, claimed a lights to flag victory and set the fastest lap to complete a perfect weekend and take an early lead in the championship.

Normally such a display would warrant rave reviews and prevent anyone talking about other drivers in the field. This, however was not the case at Catalunya, as rookie Ayhancan Guven qualified on the front row and converted it into a second position finish. He also kept Andlauer honest, particularly in the first half of the race, finishing just over three seconds adrift of the winner as the chequered flag fell.

Third in the season opener was Michael Ammermuller with quite a subdued performance given his recent history at the circuit. The German two time defending champion had won four of the last five Supercup races held at the circuit but struggled to match the pace of his younger, less experienced team mate. By the end of the race though, he did begin to pile the pressure on Guven but was unable to find a way through and had to settle for the final place on the rostrum. Incumbent Carrera Cup GB champion Tio Ellinas was fourth as he marked his step up to the Supercup with an excellent performance; this meant three Walter Lechner prepared machines finished in the top four. Porsche stalwart Jaap van Lagen rounded out the top five.

Andlauer holds off the impressive Guven at turn one in Spain.

Ammermuller bounced back in style at Monaco, though not without controversy. He took pole position but only after championship newcomer Larry ten Voorde had been stripped of his best lap time due to setting it under yellow flags. This pole position gave Ammermuller the platform for his victory as he drove a beautifully controlled race through the narrow streets of Monte Carlo and grabbed the lead of the championship in the process. He was followed home by Mikkel Overgaard Pedersen who secured the first podium finish of his Supercup career. Ten Voorde was third, ahead of Florian Latorre. Catalunya frontrunners Guven and Andlauer were fifth and seventh respectively, split by Jaap van Lagen.

Michael Ammermuller leads the pack into Sainte-Devote for the first time. It would be a lead he never relinquished.

Round three at the Red Bull Ring brought a strong response from Andlauer who again put the car on pole position having also been fastest in practice. He fended off the faster starting Larry ten Voorde, during a tense first lap in which the pair ran side by side for the majority of it. Once he had achieved this, he broke away and was never troubled again en route to his second victory of the season. Ammermuller survived contact with Dylan Pereira on the first lap before fighting his way past van Lagen and hunting down ten Voorde to claim second. This gave Walter Lechner’s team a 1-2 finish at their home circuit. Ten Voorde was third, to give him a second consecutive podium and put him in the championship picture despite not participating in the season opener. Van Lagen, Latorre and Pedersen rounded out the top six. However, there was disaster for Ayhancan Guven who was eliminated in a first lap collision with guest driver Igor Walilko.

Julien Andlauer on his way to victory at a sweltering Red Bull Ring.

It didn’t take long for Guven to erase the disappointment of Austria as he claimed his very first Supercup victory two weeks later at Silverstone. Having taken pole position he drove a superbly controlled race to secure a lights to flag victory and launch himself up the championship table into third position. Julien Andlauer, who would have been on pole had his best lap in qualifying not been deleted for exceeding track limits, scythed his way through the field from sixth on the grid to finish second, and crucially, take the championship lead for the first time since round one. Florian Latorre was third having started second. Larry ten Voorde was fourth ahead of Jaxon Evans, who was a season best fifth. Michael Ammermuller was sixth having qualified a lowly ninth. Current Carrera Cup GB championship leader, Dan Harper secured the best result by a guest driver so far this season by coming home eighth, to build on what has already been a superb season for the Porsche GB Junior driver.

Ayhancan Guven was understandably delighted with his maiden victory last time out at Silverstone.

In the Pro-Am championship Roar Lindland leads the way having won all four races in his category, with a best overall finish of 12^th coming at Monaco. Philipp Sager is second, 12 points adrift, with Stephen Grove third, eight points further back.

Roar Lindland is dominating the Pro-Am category.

As the series heads to Hockenheim for round five this weekend, will it be Andlauer or Ammermuller who leave with the championship lead? Can Guyven make it back to back victories and force his way back into the championship picture? Or will we have a fourth different winner in five races?

Make sure you keep checking this blog for updates throughout the weekend. You can now also follow us on twitter through the handler @PAboutPorsche.

All photos courtesy of Porsche Motorsport.

Five Reasons Why I'm Blogging About Porsche

My love of all sport is immense but motorsport in particular has a special place in my heart as it’s the one I’ve followed the longest.

Of all the motorsport categories in the world, why have I chosen to focus on the Porsche one make scene? Here are five (of many) simple reasons:

   1)  It’s down to driver and team skill rather than performance advantage or engineering ingenuity.

All of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars are identical and there aren’t any weight penalties to hinder the more successful drivers. Instead, it is up to the teams and the driver to find the best setup, though they are limited as to what changes they can make. Then it is down to which driver can deliver the best performance on the circuit. This is everything that you want from a race series, the fascination of which driver and team combination will come out on top. There’s nothing worse than watching a championship and knowing that barring something extraordinary happening, driver x will win because their car is by far the best suited to that particular circuit. There is absolutely none of that predictability in the Porsche one make series. Of course there are drivers who spend more time near the front thanks to their ability but due to the level playing field of the cars, they are only ever one mistake from running lower down the order. This does happen too, quite often a championship protagonist can’t string a competitive lap time together in qualifying and they end up starting in the middle of the pack, which of course leads to quite a spectacle in the race as they try to fight their way through the field.

    2) The 911 is a beautiful looking and sounding car!

The Porsche 911 is not only one of the most iconic cars ever made, it is also one of the most beautiful. Watching 30 identical 911s line up on the grid prior to a race is quite a sight to behold. It also doesn’t seem to matter what colour scheme or sponsors logos are plastered on the cars, you cannot dilute its aesthetically pleasing design. Add to that the roar of their four-litre six-cylinder boxer engine in effortless harmony with each other as they thunder away from the start line and it really is a special sight and sound to behold.

Photo Credit: Malcolm Griffiths

    3) It is the fastest one make series around.

With 485 BHP to play with the 911 GT3 Cup car certainly packs a punch. In motorsport, you want to see the fastest cars racing hard and there simply aren’t any one make series that have machinery as fast as the 911 GT3 Cup. This, for me, makes it the pinnacle of one make racing. Furthermore, there isn’t any tyre or fuel management to really consider so these cars can be unleashed and pushed to their maximum for the entire duration of the race. This means drivers need immense bravery and skill in order to be able to get the best performance out of the car. As a motorsport fan you want the drivers to be working hard behind the wheel and in awe of the power they have underneath them.

    4) The point scoring system leads to thrilling championship battles and tense finishes.

The point scoring systems in both the Supercup and domestic Carrera Cups has a one or two point difference between each point scoring position. This rewards consistency and tends to prevent anyone running away with the championship. Failure to finish can be incredibly costly so this sometimes results in championship leaders taking a more cautious approach towards a race weekend rather than trying to win at all costs. This gives their closest rivals an opportunity to take points away from them and close the gap in the standings. More often than not, the title race goes to the final round of the year, which is exactly want motorsport fans want to see. There’s nothing worse than when a highly anticipated championship ends up fizzling out as a dominant champion wraps it up with a good four or five meetings to go. This never happens in Porsche racing, there aren’t enough rounds or points to play for and, as aforementioned, the racing is too close for one driver to be able to run away with it. In the 2017 Porsche Carrera Cup GB for example, it was that close that two of the three main title protagonists, Charlie Eastwood and Dino Zamparelli, finished tied on points after all 15 rounds had been completed. Eastwood was declared champion by virtue of having won more races across the season (four to Zamparelli’s three if you’re wondering). What a way to end a championship!

Photo Credit: Malcolm Griffiths

    5) It encourages drivers of all abilities to compete.

In the domestic Carrera Cups there are different categories of championship depending on the ability and experience of each driver. This means that so called ‘gentlemen’ drivers still have class victories and championships to fight for. Not only does this allow them to stay motivated and continue trying to improve their own performance, they also have the challenge of trying to beat other drivers performing at similar levels to them. With every driver in the field having something to fight for it means it is rewarding for all competitors and the fans as there are then important battles from first to last. In the Supercup, for example, they have the rookie championship which encourages first year drivers and helps with their development. If the overall championship proves a step too far for talented young drivers they can still fight for the rookie title and have something to build on in subsequent seasons. There is nothing worse than seeing a debutant turn in good performances and not get rewarded for it, this simply doesn’t happen in Supercup racing.

There you have my top five reasons for loving and wanting to share my passion for Porsche racing. Do you agree? Have I missed any reasons that you simply have to watch the championships? Let me know by leaving a comment below!