Archive 2012

Baird Takes Emphatic Win for SC Global Racing Porsche SC Global Carrera Cup Asia - September 21 - 23, 2012 – Round 9


Singapore. New Zealand’s Craig Baird took victory today in the 12-lap Porsche SC Global Carrera Cup Asia – Singapore 2012 on the Marina Bay street circuit. Second across the line, taking full championship points for the win, was Martin Ragginger of Team Eagle – Jiejun & Junbaojie, while championship leader Alexandre Imperatori of PICC Team StarChase was third.

Class B winner was Seminole Racing Team’s Egidio Perfetti, his fourth class victory this season, with OpenRoad Racing’s Francis Tjia second, and Singapore racer Yuey Tan taking the final podium position for his Dorr McElrea Racing team.

Imperatori now has a 40-point lead from defending champion Keita Sawa of LKM Racing Team, who kept his title aspirations alive by taking points for fifth in the race having started from seventh on the grid after crashing in qualifying. Imperatori may be so close to the title he can taste it, but there will be no letup whatsoever from the 25-year-old and his team as they head to the season finale in November.

Baird was surprised to have made such a strong getaway, but thrilled to be back on the top step of the podium: “I knew the car was a lot better than how I drove it yesterday and then it just came down to the start. I was dive bombed by a white and red car, but he let me back past him and then it was a very clean race. The car was absolutely fantastic, and it’s great to be back with SC Global. We won a couple of races here in 2010, and then we were second here in 2011, but it’s very rare that you turn it on with a new car that you haven’t run before. Everything just clicked. There’s a little bit of luck in that as well but I really enjoyed my weekend.”

For Ragginger it was a strong finish to an impressive Singapore debut, having topped the times in free practice before earning an extra championship point for pole: “Craig did a good job. I was quick in qualifying and in first practice too, but I struggled a little bit in the first four or five laps, I miscalculated my start and had a lot of wheel spin. The first four laps he had amazing pace and my tyres didn’t come in. When my tyres came in, I saw Craig was ahead and I was trying to push. I was quick the whole weekend, but even if I caught him at the end, it’s difficult to overtake, so compliments to him.”

In Class B, Perfetti was glad to be back after a disappointing outing in Malaysia earlier this month: “I think it was a very good weekend. It was my first time here in Singapore, it was a learning experience, and even though I didn’t have the best qualifying, I learned every time we were out there and in the race it worked out pretty well. I had a good start and then I managed to find my way through a couple of cars in the first few turns and that put me in a comfortable position. I am ready for Shanghai and I hope the bad luck is over and then we’ll see.”

Baird, making a guest appearance for race title sponsor SC Global Developments, took his third victory on the challenging street circuit after a superb start from second on the grid, setting the fastest lap of the race for good measure. Pole-sitter Ragginger grappled with wheelspin before running wide and rejoining in the lead, but wisely handed the place back to Baird. From there, Baird was on a charge but Ragginger never let up, closing the gap lap-by-lap. Imperatori was running a strong third, but behind him the fight was on between Team Yongda Dongfang’s Benja-min Rouget in fourth, chased by Team Jebsen’s Rodolfo Avila and Sawa.

Budweiser Team StarChase driver Tung Ho-Pin got a bad start, dropping down the order from the second row of the grid.

Lap 2 saw Sawa get by Avila, and the pair had the crowds on their feet with some thrilling wheel-to-wheel jousting, Tung poised behind and ready to pounce. Avila reclaimed fifth on Lap 3 and began closing in on Rouget ahead, while Sawa came under attack from Tung, closing the gap to less than three tenths of a second. Tung executed a wheel-perfect pass on Lap 5 to take Sawa, and thundered towards Avila ahead, whose first attempt to pass Rouget almost ended in tears before finally making it stick, with Tung following him through and in to fifth. Rouget forfeit another place when Sawa got by, eventually crossing the line in seventh.

Baird was leading the pack out in front, having built an impressive margin of 4.7 seconds from Ragginger by the end of Lap 7, with Imperatori comfortably ahead of the battling pack behind. But the race was not done, and by the end of Lap 9, Ragginger had closed the gap to Baird to 3.3 seconds and Tung, running in fifth, was right on the limit, kissing the barriers in his efforts to get close enough to pass Avila.

The charge to the flag was interrupted, however, when John Shen ran into the barrier and, despite a valiant effort to move his car to a safe position, the Safety Car was called out on Lap 11 and the field crossed the line a lap later.

Despite the unforgiving nature of the Marina Bay street track, coupled with unrelentingly fierce competition right the way through the field, 24 of the 28-strong field finished the race, testament to the skill and talent of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia drivers.

The 2012 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia championship titles, for both overall and Class B, will be decided at the season grand finale in Shanghai from November 9-11, at the inaugural Shanghai Sportscar Festival.

Fastest Lap: Craig Baird/SC Global Racing/2:22.232/128.401kph

Points After Round 9
Overall

No Driver Entrant Points
1 99 Alexandre IMPERATORI PICC Team StarChase 165
2 1 Keita SAWA LKM Racing Team 125
3 86 Martin RAGGINGER Team Eagle-Jiejun & Junbaojie 108
4 20 Rodolfo AVILA Team Jebsen 104
5 98 TUNG Ho-Pin Budweiser Team StarChase 102

Class B
No Driver Entrant Points
1 16 Wayne SHEN Modena Motorsports 152
2 88 Egidio PERFETTI Seminole Racing Team 126
3 21 Francis TJIA OpenRoad Racing 116
4 81 HUANG Chu Han Asia Racing Team 103
5 6 ZHENG Ting BBT 78

Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 2012
Series Partners
Supporting the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia are two of the most recognised names in international motorsport: Mobil1 and Michelin. Mobil and Porsche have been partners since 1996. Close cooperation in research and development has led to every new Porsche engine being filled with Mobil1 high-performance lubricant. Porsche Carrera Cup Asia drivers also have the advantage of racing on cutting-edge tyres supplied by series partner Michelin. The consistent performance and leading technology of Michelin tyres constantly improve the performance of many teams in international motorsport. The partnership between Michelin and the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia emerged from a worldwide agreement signed between Porsche AG and the Michelin group.

The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia is organised and promoted by Malaysian based Motorsport Asia Ltd.

Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
Stronger, wider, faster, the new version of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – the best selling race car in the world – was introduced in 2010. Based on the light-weight road-going version of the 911 GT3 RS, the body corresponds largely to the standard model, with Porsche modifying the aerodynamics for racing. The front spoiler lip has been lowered 15 millimetres, providing significantly more downforce. Rear downforce has also increased with the rear wing growing from 1.46 to 1.70 metres.

The engine is largely identical to the production unit in the 911 GT3 RS: with a capacity of 3.8 litres, the six-cylinder motor delivers 30 hp more than its predecessor. The power output is 450 bhp, with a maximum engine speed of 8,500 rpm.

The racing exhaust features a fully controlled catalytic converter. Via a ZF Friedrichshafen AG race clutch, a sequential six-speed dog-type gearbox and a limited slip differential, the engine power is transmitted to the rear axle.

With the rear body 44-millimetres broader than standard, there is sufficient space for wider wheels. The front axle comes with three-piece light-alloy rims measuring 9.5 J x 18 (previously 9 J x 18). The one-piece light-alloy rims on the rear axle grew an inch to 12 J x 18.

Anti-roll bars front and rear, now adjustable to seven different positions, allow an even more precise set-up. The camber, track, ride height, and rear wing can be adjusted within the regulations.


About Porsche Carrera Cup Asia
Now in its 10th season, the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia blasted off the starting grid in 2003 and has never looked back. Joining the family of hugely successful Porsche “one make” series, it is now firmly established as the Number One racing series in Asia.

The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia offers extremely exciting racing across the region and is truly international, with competitors from all over Asia as well as Europe and the Pacific. The field is made up of a combination of professional race drivers and ambitious and talented gentlemen drivers.


About Porsche China
Porsche is known throughout the world for creating the ultimate sports cars for everyday use. Under the guiding credo of “Porsche Intelligent Performance”, Porsche provides a new generation of sports cars that prove high performance and efficiency are not contradictory terms. Since commencing operations in 2001, Porsche China has imported iconic sports cars that are imbued with the sporting spirit that has defined the marque since 1948: the legendary 911 series, the renowned Boxster and Cayman mid-engine sports cars, the Cayenne premium SUV and the four-door Panamera Gran Turismo. Porsche China currently oversees 46 Porsche Centres nationwide, ensuring that Porsche owners across China receive the hallmark personalised care that customers have come to associate with the brand. In 2012, Porsche enters its second decade in Mainland China, building on its 2011 sales record of 24,340 deliveries across Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. For more information, please visit us at www.porsche.cn.


For further enquiries, please contact:

Ms Chester Zhang
Public Relations Executive
Porsche China
Tel: (86-21) 6156 5911
Fax: (86-21) 5058 4210
Email: chester.zhang@porsche.cn

Mrs. Nikki Kemp
Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Press Officer
Tel: (+852) 2575 6995
Email: nikki@prplus.com.hk

For more images, videos and latest information of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, please visit www.carreracupasia.com.


Porsche Centre Indonesia PR

Public Relations and Media
Cynthia Ratna
Phone: +62 8190809 6740
E-mail: cynthia@eurokars.co.id

9/25/2012