Archive 2011

Two Points Deny Team Jebsen ChampionshipTeam Jebsen, Roundup – Rounds 11 & 12, October 21-23, 2011, Shanghai International Circuit

After a superb season of 10 podium finishes in 12 races, Team Jebsen and talented 24-year-old Macau driver Rodolfo Avila came to within two points of taking the 2011 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Championship at the Shanghai International Circuit at the weekend.

Avila, completing just his third season with the series and his fourth of GT competition, drove the races of his career in the two final rounds of the championship on the 4.6 km track.

Going in to Round 11, Team Jebsen was just one point off the championship lead, and the race proved to be a supreme test of concentration, determination and racing skill as Avila endured nine laps of intense, unyielding pressure.

Having put the Team Jebsen Porsche 911 GT3 Cup on the second row of the grid after a difficult qualifying, as the lights went out Avila was on a charge.  He stormed up to third place on Lap 3, making stick a brave passing manoeuvre over the vastly-experienced Le Mans veteran Tim Sugden.

His next challenge was two-fold - to close up to and battle his championship rival Keita Sawa ahead, and to stave off a determined Sugden behind. Avila held his nerve – and his position – even when he and Sugden briefly came together on the final lap. Although the gap to Sawa was dramatically cut, Avila ran out of laps to challenge and collected points for third, probably some of the hardest-earned of his career to date.

After Round 11, the championship was still within grasp, although Team Jebsen now had a deficit of three points, meaning Avila needed to finish two places ahead of Sawa to claim the title. Everything rested on the final 13-laps of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia season.

Skilfully staying out of trouble in the four-car charge into the first turn off the grid, Avila quickly reclaimed a place he briefly forfeit, while holding off a forceful attack from behind.  Mid-way through the 13-lap thriller, Avila also survived a collision, his Porsche 911 GT3 emerging scarred but luckily unaffected mechanically.

Avila fought his way past his Sawa with another decisive pass. Now he had to catch the race leader but the gap looked unassailable. However, a Safety Car period closed up the field giving him just one more chance and a single lap in which to grab the lead.  Despite a momentous effort, Avila had to settle for second, and the 18 points it brought with it left him just two championship points shy of the title.

While the championship was not to be theirs this season, it was a bravely fought final race weekend. Team Jebsen and Avila proved they are a powerful pairing and came within a whisker of the title.

Quotes from Team Jebsen
Rodolfo Avila, Team Jebsen Driver:“It’s been a great season and Team Jebsen and I have improved so much over last year.  We’re getting stronger with every outing.  This is just my third year in the series, and fourth in sports car competition, so missing out by just two points is frustrating but at the same time we are proud to have come this close to winning such a competitive international championship.”“I gave it everything I could at the weekend, and we had two strong races.  We never gave up, and I want to thank the whole team, Jebsen and also the customers for giving me such fantastic support this weekend and all season. The team has worked incredibly hard and, while we may not have won the championship, our results tell the story of our commitment.”

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.

10/31/2011