Archive 2011

Team Jebsen in Championship Contention after Singapore ChallengesTeam Jebsen, Roundup – Rounds 9 & 10, September 23-25, 2011, Marina Bay Circuit, Singapore


Team Jebsen and 24-year-old driver Rodolfo Avila of Macau remain strong contenders to take the 2011 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia championship title after a challenging weekend at the FORMULA 1 SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX.

The two, 12-lap races, held as part of the glitz and glamour of the superstar of the annual F1 calendar, saw Team Jebsen come away with a good haul of points. The team lies second on the leaderboard, a single point adrift of the top spot, as they look to the season finale double-header at the Shanghai International Circuit next month.

Qualifying saw the team face a number of technical challenges, which they worked hard to overcome, putting the Team Jebsen Porsche 911 GT3 Cup on the third row of the grid for the first of the weekend’s two races. Ahead of Avila was the car of his nearest championship rival, setting the stage for an intriguing race.

However, things did not quite go according to plan when the team mate of Avila’s championship rival got between the pair. That put the Macau racer in the unenviable position of whether to risk valuable championship points with an overtaking manoeuvre, which was bound to be robustly defended by a driver already out of title contention.

Avila fought hard to overcome the defensive driving in front of him, but in the end had to be content to finish behind his rival and bring home the points. The fact that race laps were lost due to the safety car being deployed further hindered Avila’s progress.

Race two unfolded in similar fashion, with Avila again subject to his rival’s team strategy.

Quotes from Team Jebsen
Rodolfo Avila, Team Jebsen Driver:
“I did not qualify as well as I wanted, so I started Race 1 knowing I needed to put up a strong fight, but unfortunately we didn’t quite have the pace. I did get side-by-side with the driver in front, but he defended well and I needed to back off in order to ensure no contact and us getting the points.

“We made some changes to the car overnight, making it a bit softer and I was much happier with Race 2. We definitely had the pace and we were able to push right from the start.

“Unfortunately, the Safety Car came out and I think that if it hadn’t we would have definitely moved up as my pace was better than that of the car in front of me.

“Going into Shanghai, we’re one point behind the championship leader but I’m excited to take the fight to the last round. We will definitely need to put it all together and be strong right from practice. It’s an all-or-nothing weekend for sure, and Team Jebsen is ready.”

Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 2011 Provisional Calendar

Date Circuit, Country Event Rounds
March 12-13 Sepang Int. Circuit, Malaysia Test Days -
April 15-17 Shanghai Int. Circuit, China Formula 1 Support Race Rounds 1&2
May 27-29 Zhuhai Int. Circuit, China China Touring Car Championship Rounds 3&4
July 08-10 Ordos Int. Circuit, China China Touring Car Championship Rounds 5&6
August 26-28 Sepang Int. Circuit, Malaysia Porsche Weekend Rounds 7&8
September 23-25 Marina Bay Circuit, Singapore Formula 1 Support Race Round 9
October 21-23 Shanghai Int. Circuit, China SIC Championship Rounds 10&11

About Rodolfo Avila Car No: 20
Avila began his career in karts, attending the Macau Karting School at 14, and winning the Macau Karting International A (Group B) a year later. In 2002, he graduated to single seater racing, becoming the youngest driver ever to compete at the Macau Grand Prix, racing in the Formula Renault event.

He took the Asian Formula Renault Challenge championship title the following year, making his Formula 3 Grand Prix debut at Macau in 2004. His career continued its extraordinary ascent, with Rookie honours in the Asian Formula 3 Championship in 2005, finishing 5th overall. A season in the prestigious British Formula 3 Championship saw him end the year 4th in the National Class for newcomers.

Avila made the switch to sportscar racing in 2008, when he became the youngest ever Asian Supercar Challenge Champion. He made his Porsche Carrera Cup Asia debut in 2009, taking pole position and a podium finish in his very first race.

About Team Jebsen
For Team Jebsen, 2011 marks the seventh full season in the series, having taken the championship title in 2006 and 2008.

Team Jebsen is backed by the Jebsen Group. Established in 1895 in Hong Kong, the Group has since expanded its activities into a comprehensive business network throughout China, Taiwan and South Korea. Today, the Jebsen Group is structured around four strategic business units targeting the consumer, industrial, beverage and luxury sectors.

Jebsen is a name synonymous with Porsche in the region, having first brought the marque to Hong Kong in 1955. Since then, the Jebsen Group has become the largest and longest-established Porsche dealer group in Asia. In addition to Porsche Centre Hong Kong, the group operates Porsche Centres in Macau, Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

9/28/2011