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SuperCup 08 - Race 12 # Monza, Italy - Race of the Year

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The first races in the Autodromo Nazionale Monza already took place in 1928. The initially track length of about 10 kilometres of the circuit in the Royal Park of Monza after several modifications in the course of the years shrank to 5.793 kilometres nowadays.

Monza belongs to the few absolute high speed circuits in the world. With a full throttle ratio of almost 70% the load for the engine is particularly high here. Having very long full throttle passages mostly interrupted by painful slow chicanes, the second technical main focus at Monza is on the brakes.

Schedule Monza

Friday 12.09.2008 17:00 - 17:45 Uhr Free practice
Saturday 13.09.2008 12:25 - 13:10 Uhr Qualifying
Sunday 14.09.2008 11:45 - 12:20 Uhr Race

TV broadcasts - Monza

Day Date Station Show Time Content Duration Period

So. 14.09 Motors TV N.N. 00:00 Uhr Highlights 10:00 min N.N.
So. 14.09 Premiere Porsche Supercup 11:35 Uhr 12. Rennen live 50:00 min 11.35 - 12.25 Uhr
So. 14.09 Eurosport Porsche Supercup 11:45 Uhr 12. Rennen live 40:00 min 11.45 - 12.25 Uhr
So. 14.09 Eurosport Motorsports Week 22:00 Uhr Highlights 05:00 min 22.00 - 22.15 Uhr
 

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Racetrack records Monza

Race track

Monza( ITA), Length: 5.793 km, 14 Laps = 81,102 km

Uwe Alzen (GER) - 1:52.623 min - 10.09.2006


Winners on this track

Year - Pole Position - Pole-Time - Winner - Fastest Lap - Time

2007 D. Faulkner (IRL) 1:51.884 D. Faulkner (IRL) S. Rosina (SLO) 1:53.016
2006 R. Lietz (AUT) 1:51.660 U. Alzen (GER) U. Alzen (GER) 1:52.623
2005 D. Saelens (BEL) 1:53.375 P. Huisman (NEL) U. Alzen (GER) 1:55.123
2004 W. Henzler (GER) 1:53.510 J. Hardt (GER) M. Rockenfeller (GER) 2:08.135
2003 M. Rockenfeller (GER) 1:54.840 F. Stippler (GER) P. Long (USA) 1:55.184
2002 M. Werner (GER) 1:55.956 M. Werner (GER) E. Collarad (FRA) 1:56.289
2001 J. Bergmeister (GER) 1:55.982 J. Bergmeister (GER) S. Maasssen (GER) 1:56.628
1998 S. Ortelli (ITA) 1:53.712 P. Huisman (NEL) R. Kelleners (GER) 1:54.458

Onboard with...

Richard Westbrook at Monza


Onboard Richard Westbrook

Set in the beautiful National Park north of Milan, Monza has an atmosphere like no other circuit. Extremely long straights and painfully slow chicanes means braking is the most important challenge at this historic venue. Like in Silverstone, for the set-up of the aero package, a compromise is necessary between reduced drag and the best possible stability under braking, which is not easy due to the bumpy track. The suspension is set-up hard, without to much camber at the front axle in order to achieve good braking tracktion on the rough surface of the track.

Retafilio
You are approaching this very slow chicane in 6th close to the maximum speed of the Porsche GT3 (version 997). The straight narrows as you approach the braking zone which makes overtaking tricky. Stay tight through the right section to get a clean line and exit through the left which takes you onto another long straight.

Della Rogia
The approach to this awkward chicane is again very fast. Unlike the Retafilio, where its is important to be smooth, you must ride the high kerbs which upsets the car but allows you to "straight line" the corner. Nice to watch, horrible for the car!

Lesmos
Two nice 3 rd gear right handers make a welcome change to the 2 previous chicanes. The first (lesmo 1 ) is the most difficult - slightly banked and the exit is blind on entry so its difficult to know when to apply the power. The tighter Lesmo 2 requires a clean and smooth exit to allow for maximum speed for the following straight.

Ascari
If only all chicanes were like this, although a fast sweeping "s" would describe it better. Brake, 5th, 4th, 3rd, keep tight round the left, accelerate around the right, up to fourth, hold the wheel tight and keep the car stable and then flat (just) through the left taking kerb on the inside and exit.

Parabolica
Strangely not as challenging and breathtaking as it appears but nonetheless a very important corner for a good lap of Monza. Do not brake too late for this 3rd gear corner, as a messy entry will not allow you to get on the power early which is critical for the speed for the following straight. Use all the road and more for the exit which seems to last for ever and then over the line for another lap.
 

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The Prince and the Royal Park

The final of the 2008 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup on the high-speed circuit of Monza (Italy) is particularly auspicious. For the first time, Jeroen Bleekemolen fights for victory for his Jetstream Motorsport PZ Essen team as the newly-crowned champion. As another premiere in the Royal Park, Albert II, Prince of Thurn and Taxis (Germany) mans the 420 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

The head of the Thurn and Taxis family takes up the challenge in Italy as a star guest. Invited by Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, he pilots the number 40 Porsche GT3 Cup, which is raced at selected rounds for prominent guest drivers. Albert II, Prince of Thurn and Taxis adds his name to a long list of VIP pilots, which includes such personalities as the double Formula 1 world champion Mika Hà¤kkinen (Finland), five-time Le Mans winner Frank Biela (Germany) and Bruno Senna (Brazil), nephew of the late Ayrton Senna, triple Formula 1 world champion.

After sampling the VIP-911, Prince Albert II was impressed with the car. 'Alone, just the look of the 911 is a feast for the eyes," said the 25-year-old about the race car, which in its 2008-spec features a tailor-made, matt-white Porsche Design. The ambitious private race driver was particularly fascinated by the handling of the 911: 'The car is convincing in all respects. It feels light and responsive, is very powerful and well balanced," said the Prince. 'To reach the car's limit you need a huge amount of experience. The race in Monza is a challenge, but one I'm very much looking forward to."

As the only son of Johannes, Prince of Thurn and Taxis and Mariae Gloria, nee Countess of Schà¶nburg-Glauchau, Prince Albert II is the hereditary head of the Thurn and Taxis family. Last season, the ambitious private race driver contested the ADAC GT Masters, achieving four victories and concluding the season as vice-champion.

At the final in Italy the fight for the vice-championship in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is still open. One of the favourites is Damien Faulkner (Ireland), who with 116 points currently ranks second ahead of Chris Mamerow (Germany) and the four-time Supercup champion Patrick Huisman (Netherlands), both with 98 points. Faulkner, however, could lose 18 points due to an alleged regulation infringement at the Monaco round. The final decision of the sports council has not yet been made.

The 5.79 kilometre Grand Prix circuit in Monza is the ideal location for the final spurt of the world's fastest international one-make series. As one of the last true high-speed tracks, it places high demands on drivers and technology. In particular, the combination of long straights and slow chicanes puts high stresses on the Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake PCCB, which is used exclusively in the Supercup. Especially challenging is the Variante Rettifilo, a tight chicane directly after the finish straight. The Porsche pilots approach this extremely slow corner at over 270 kph.

Television stations 'Premiere" and 'Eurosport" broadcast the race in the Royal Park of Monza on Sunday (14th September) live from 11.40 hours. Additionally, 'Eurosport" televises highlights on Sunday evening in its 'Motorsports Weekend" programme.


Drivers' classification after eleven of twelve rounds:

1. Jeroen Bleekemolen (Netherlands), 176 points
2. Damien Faulkner (Ireland), 116 points
3. Chris Mamerow (Germany), 98 points
4. Patrick Huisman (Netherlands), 98 points
5. Jaap van Lagen (Netherlands), 93 points
 

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Results 1. free practice Monza 12.09.2008

Pos. Car no. Driver / Team Training time Gap

1 10 NED Bleekemolen, Jeroen Jetstream Motorsport 1:53.192 + 0:00.000
2 11 POR Petiz, Pedro Racing Team Jetstream 1:53.421 + 0:00.229
3 20 IRL Faulkner, Damien SAS-Lechner Racing 1:53.572 + 0:00.380
4 14 GER Rast, René VELTINS MRS Racing 1:53.775 + 0:00.583
5 28 AUT Ragginger, Martin UPS Porsche Junior Team 1:53.820 + 0:00.628
6 24 GER Mamerow, Chris DAMAC Kadach Racing 1:53.831 + 0:00.639
7 21 GBR Watts, Danny SAS-Lechner Racing 1:53.865 + 0:00.673
8 25 NED van Lagen, Jaap DAMAC Kadach Racing 1:53.865 + 0:00.673
9 26 BEL Saelens, David IRWIN Racing 1:53.946 + 0:00.754
10 9 SWE Danielsson, Alx Jetstream Motorsport 1:53.986 + 0:00.794
11 3 GER Seyffarth, Jan tolimit 1:53.987 + 0:00.795
12 2 SVK Rosina, Stefan Lechner Racing Bahrain 1:54.119 + 0:00.927
13 29 GER Holzer, Marco UPS Porsche Junior Team 1:54.189 + 0:00.997
14 5 SUI Benz, Marc SPS automotive-performance 1:54.256 + 0:01.064
15 22 GBR Edwards, Sean Konrad Motorsport 1:54.342 + 0:01.150
16 1 ITA Zampedri, Alessandro Lechner Racing Bahrain 1:54.354 + 0:01.162
17 7 NED Bleekemolen, Sebastiaan Bleekemolen Race Planet 1:54.442 + 0:01.250
18 17 GER Hardt, Jà¶rg Schnabl Engineering 1:54.453 + 0:01.261
19 16 HKG O'Young, Darryl Schnabl Engineering 1:54.529 + 0:01.337
20 23 FRA Armindo, Nicolas Konrad Motorsport 1:54.578 + 0:01.386
21 6 GER Arnold, Lance David SPS automotive-performance 1:54.616 + 0:01.424
22 8 NED Buijs, Tim Bleekemolen Race Planet 1:54.636 + 0:01.444
23 33 USA Langhorne, William VELTINS MRS Racing 1:54.727 + 0:01.535
24 19 NED van Splunteren, Paul HSF Porsche Eindhoven 1:54.783 + 0:01.591
25 27 NED Huisman, Patrick IRWIN Racing 1:54.926 + 0:01.734
26 12 NED Bleekemolen, Michael Racing Team Jetstream 1:55.378 + 0:02.186
27 4 IRL Cregan, Robert tolimit 1:55.645 + 0:02.453
28 15 AUT Siedler, Norbert VELTINS MRS Racing 1:55.664 + 0:02.472
29 18 NED Frederiks, Simon HSF Porsche Eindhoven 1:55.755 + 0:02.563
30 40 GER von Thurn und Taxis, Albert II. Porsche AG 1:55.779 + 0:02.587
 

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Final pole goes to Rast

René Rast clinches the final pole position of the 2008 Supercup season in the royal parc at Monza. Best time is 2:07.965 minutes on a drying track at the end of the 45- minutes session. With his fourth pole the MRS-pilot clinches the 2008 season record. Porsche Junior Martin Ragginger second in front of Damien Faulkner.

Season record - fourth pole for Rast

The youth dominated the first row of the starting grid for the final round of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in Monza. With his fourth best time in the current season the 21-year-old Supercup Rookie René Rast driving for the MRS team not only set the season record but also a clear lead of 3/10 of a second on his only 20-years-old pursuer Martin Ragginger on the UPS-Porsche. On a wet track during the 45 minutes Rast and Ragginger belonged to the dominating drivers during the whole session. 'Finally I could prove that we are quick in the rain, too", Rast proudly comments on his fourth Supercup pole position, which brought him two additional championship points in the driver standings. '"In both brands cups (Carrera Cup and Supercup) it is even pole position number seven so far, and now my aim for the race tomorrow is to convert it into a victory." With this word's the German gives a hint on the fact that he only clinched one win so far. Rast set his best time already in the first half of the qualifying session. 'After that the track got to worse to improve times", he says.

Altogether, seven different drivers claimed a pole position in the twelve qualifying sessions of the 2008 Supercup season. By exactly 3/10 of a second UPS-Porsche-Junior Martin Ragginger missed his first best time. Finishing second he claimed his second start from the fir row of the grid this season. 'The same like in Barcelona but hopefully I am able to win this time", hopes the Austrian of the team managed by Olaf Manthey. 'However, I am convinced that it will become a hard piece of work tomorrow."

The second row is covered by two experienced drivers. Lechner pilot Damien Faulkner, who actually ranks second in the driver standings of the championship, shares the role of the pursuers with Schnabl Engineering pilot Jà¶rg Hardt. The two old hands are separated by only 1/10 of a second. "Because of the weather the qualifying was a kind of a roller coaster", summarizes the Irishman. "I permanently went up and down with positions. However, third rank is not bad. At the end of a so far moderate season I will try to say thanks to the team with a reasonable result." After some problems in the initial phase of the session Jà¶rg Hardt with the Schnabl Porsche was able to take the place beside the Irishman in the second row. "I am quite content with that", says the German. "I wonder I this result stays until tomorrow, or if it is corrected. Unlike me some of my driver colleagues have massively cut the chicanes."

Row three in the grid of the thirty cars goes to the fourfold Supercup champion Patrick Huisman and SPS pilot Lance David Arnold. 'It' a gleam of hope at the end of the year. It really went fine for me and the team and that's good for the final round of the year", Arnold is pleased. 'We actually had a dry setup which also worked in the wet." Also Partick Huisman, driving the Irwin Porsche, feels content. At the beginning of the session he ranked in the back third of the results but than could improve with a small trick. "When it started to rain slightly I decided to go out on the track, because the rain tyres work better than on a damp track. After a small mistake the best of the tyres was gone, but I finally managed a good lap, tough. I am pleased."

The fourth start row goes to Stefan Rosina and the new champion Jeroen Bleekemolen. 'My car was not the best and we have to find out the reason for it now", says Bleekemolen, who together with Chris Mamerow an David Sealens completes the Top-10 of the qualifying in Monza. Both, Barcelona winner Jan Seyffarth (place 15) and Spa winner Sean Edwards (place 16) do not belong to the candidates for a podium finish. Guest driver prince Albert of Thurn and Taxis driving the VIP Carrera of the Porsche AG ranks on position 27.
 

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Qualifying quotes

Position 3, Damien Faulkner, SAS-Lechner Racing

Position 5, Patrick Huisman, IRWIN Racing

Position 11, Danny Watts, SAS-Lechner Racing

Position 16, Sean Edwards, Konrad Motorsport

Position 17, Alessandro Zampedri, Lechner Racing Bahrain

Results qualifying Monza 13.09.2008

Pos. Car no. Driver / Team Qualifying time Gap
1 14 GER Rast, René VELTINS MRS Racing 2:07.965 + 0:00.000
2 28 AUT Ragginger, Martin UPS Porsche Junior Team 2:08.265 + 0:00.300
3 20 IRL Faulkner, Damien SAS-Lechner Racing 2:08.456 + 0:00.491
4 17 GER Hardt, Jà¶rg Schnabl Engineering 2:08.534 + 0:00.569
5 27 NED Huisman, Patrick IRWIN Racing 2:08.746 + 0:00.781
6 6 GER Arnold, Lance David SPS automotive-performance 2:08.860 + 0:00.895
7 2 SVK Rosina, Stefan Lechner Racing Bahrain 2:08.970 + 0:01.005
8 10 NED Bleekemolen, Jeroen Jetstream Motorsport 2:09.019 + 0:01.054
9 24 GER Mamerow, Chris DAMAC Kadach Racing 2:09.121 + 0:01.156
10 26 BEL Saelens, David IRWIN Racing 2:09.382 + 0:01.417
11 21 GBR Watts, Danny SAS-Lechner Racing 2:09.383 + 0:01.418
12 23 FRA Armindo, Nicolas Konrad Motorsport 2:09.460 + 0:01.495
13 9 SWE Danielsson, Alx Jetstream Motorsport 2:09.484 + 0:01.519
14 11 POR Petiz, Pedro Racing Team Jetstream 2:09.583 + 0:01.618
15 3 GER Seyffarth, Jan tolimit 2:09.713 + 0:01.748
16 22 GBR Edwards, Sean Konrad Motorsport 2:09.762 + 0:01.797
17 1 ITA Zampedri, Alessandro Lechner Racing Bahrain 2:09.794 + 0:01.829
18 29 GER Holzer, Marco UPS Porsche Junior Team 2:09.811 + 0:01.846
19 25 NED van Lagen, Jaap DAMAC Kadach Racing 2:09.922 + 0:01.957
20 19 NED van Splunteren, Paul HSF Porsche Eindhoven 2:10.372 + 0:02.407
21 7 NED Bleekemolen, Sebastiaan Bleekemolen Race Planet 2:10.551 + 0:02.586
22 5 SUI Benz, Marc SPS automotive-performance 2:10.968 + 0:03.003
23 15 AUT Siedler, Norbert VELTINS MRS Racing 2:11.598 + 0:03.633
24 4 IRL Cregan, Robert tolimit 2:11.634 + 0:03.669
25 16 HKG O'Young, Darryl Schnabl Engineering 2:11.744 + 0:03.779
26 12 NED Bleekemolen, Michael Racing Team Jetstream 2:11.813 + 0:03.848
27 40 GER von Thurn und Taxis, Albert II. Porsche AG 2:12.148 + 0:04.183
28 18 NED Frederiks, Simon HSF Porsche Eindhoven 2:12.590 + 0:04.625
29 33 USA Langhorne, William VELTINS MRS Racing 2:12.844 + 0:04.879
30 8 NED Buijs, Tim Bleekemolen Race Planet n/a. + n/a
 

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Awesome final race of the season which was on Eurosport 1 (rather than E2) with 6-8 cars battling for the lead within a second of each other for almost the entire race, a bit of bumping, a few shortcuts, a few spins and so many changes in the lead!

IF ONLY F1 WAS LIKE THIS :D :D
 
Race quotes

Position 4, Stefan Rosina, Lechner Racing Bahrain

Position 6, Sean Edwards, Konrad Motorsport

Position 8, Alessandro Zampedri, Lechner Racing Bahrain

Position 19, Jaap van Lagen, DAMAC Kadach Racing

Race results Porsche Supercup Monza 14.09.2008

Pos. Car no. Driver / Competitor Laps Time Gap km/h Fastest lap
1 23 FRA Armindo, Nicolas Konrad Motorsport 14 28:46.149 + 0:00.000 169.144 1:58.525
2 17 GER Hardt, Jà¶rg Schnabl Engineering 14 28:47.421 + 0:01.272 169.019 1:59.303
3 10 NED Bleekemolen, Jeroen Jetstream Motorsport 14 28:47.767 + 0:01.618 168.985 1:59.017
4 2 SVK Rosina, Stefan Lechner Racing Bahrain 14 28:48.115 + 0:01.966 168.951 1:58.935
5 11 POR Petiz, Pedro Racing Team Jetstream 14 28:48.760 + 0:02.611 168.888 1:58.853
6 22 GBR Edwards, Sean Konrad Motorsport 14 28:49.436 + 0:03.287 168.822 1:58.399
7 6 GER Arnold, Lance David SPS automotive-performance 14 28:50.057 + 0:03.908 168.762 1:59.224
8 1 ITA Zampedri, Alessandro Lechner Racing Bahrain 14 28:53.669 + 0:07.520 168.410 1:59.051
9 14 GER Rast, René VELTINS MRS Racing 14 28:56.368 + 0:10.219 168.148 1:59.298
10 21 GBR Watts, Danny SAS-Lechner Racing 14 28:58.225 + 0:12.076 167.969 1:57.682
11 15 AUT Siedler, Norbert VELTINS MRS Racing 14 29:10.951 + 0:24.802 166.748 1:58.712
12 20 IRL Faulkner, Damien SAS-Lechner Racing 14 29:24.772 + 0:38.623 165.442 1:59.264
13 33 USA Langhorne, William VELTINS MRS Racing 14 29:32.074 + 0:45.925 164.760 2:00.667
14 8 NED Buijs, Tim Bleekemolen Race Planet 14 29:32.299 + 0:46.150 164.739 2:00.493
15 12 NED Bleekemolen, Michael Racing Team Jetstream 14 29:46.529 + 1:00.380 163.427 2:02.154
16 4 IRL Cregan, Robert tolimit 14 29:46.939 + 1:00.790 163.390 2:03.600
17 27 NED Huisman, Patrick IRWIN Racing 14 30:02.726 + 1:16.577 161.959 1:58.527
18 40 GER von Thurn und Taxis, Albert II. Porsche AG 14 30:09.073 + 1:22.924 161.391 2:04.715
19 25 NED van Lagen, Jaap DAMAC Kadach Racing 14 30:15.447 + 1:29.298 160.824 2:05.817
20 26 BEL Saelens, David IRWIN Racing 14 30:15.662 + 1:29.513 160.805 2:06.230
21 29 GER Holzer, Marco UPS Porsche Junior Team 14 30:18.724 + 1:32.575 160.534 2:06.577
22 28 AUT Ragginger, Martin UPS Porsche Junior Team 14 30:30.102 + 1:43.953 159.536 2:07.065
23 5 SUI Benz, Marc SPS automotive-performance 14 30:36.171 + 1:50.022 159.009 2:09.202
24 9 SWE Danielsson, Alx Jetstream Motorsport 14 30:45.660 + 1:59.511 158.191 2:08.765
25 7 NED Bleekemolen, Sebastiaan Bleekemolen Race Planet 14 30:52.812 + 2:06.663 157.581 2:09.315
26 19 NED van Splunteren, Paul HSF Porsche Eindhoven 14 30:55.162 + 2:09.013 157.381 2:10.112
27 16 HKG O'Young, Darryl Schnabl Engineering 13 29:00.213 + 1 Lap 155.793 2:09.590
28 18 NED Frederiks, Simon HSF Porsche Eindhoven 13 29:26.863 + 1 Lap 153.443 2:13.178
29 3 GER Seyffarth, Jan tolimit 12 24:41.084 + 2 Laps 168.969 1:57.502
30 24 GER Mamerow, Chris DAMAC Kadach Racing 12 24:43.355 + 2 Laps 168.711 1:58.606
 

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Position 1, Nicolas Armindo, Konrad Motorsport

Position 10, Danny Watts, SAS-Lechner Racing

Race of the year!

Monza, Italy 14.09.2008

Coming from 12th position, Nicolas Armindo wins the final race of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in Monza in front of Jà¶rg Hardt and Jeroen Bleekemolen. It was the most thrilling race of the year with numerous changes at the lead. Faulkner claims runner-up. Konrad Motorsport clinched the title in the team standings.

cd4e75abed9f231c229c656a7d2a498b48cd0c5807b5f_armindo300.jpg

Returned to the Supercup with a win: Nicolas Armindo

Martin Ragginger stuck at the start as if he were glued to the tarmac. 'Waiting for such a long time in the grid was more an advantage for the cars with dry tyres mounted, than for my car with wet ones", the Austrian said after the race. Like a bullet Jà¶g Hard started from the second row and took over the lead. "My start was so good, I really thought it must be a jump start, because all other cars around me didn't get away – it was a dream of a start." With pole setter René Rast behind, the Schnabl Engineering pilot pulls away from the rest of the field and was able to lay a gap to the pursuers. Porsche-Junior Martin Ragginger on wet tyres didn't have a chance on the drying track. His tyres melt like ice in the sun as well as the ones of Sealens, Danielsson und Holzer, who also decided for the wet rubber. 'We had no chance with the wet's" , said David Saelens.

Instead it was the day for the pilots on the dry tyres, who delivered the best race of the season. It was pure action everywhere around. The lead changed almost every minute and the border between hero and zero was a very small one today. 'Coming from eighth position, I managed to be second in the first corner already, than I dropped back to seventh and finally I finished third. It was unbelievable", Supercup champion Jeroen Bleekemolen describes an eventful Sunday morning in the royal park of Monza. 'One thing is clear", he says, 'Monza was a rather dignified season final of the Porsche Supercup."

Polesitter René Rast and Jà¶rg Hardt could lay a gap to the pursuers only in the first laps, but than got under pressure massively. Stefan Rosina, Lance David Arnold and Jeroen Bleekemolen were the first drivers who closed the gap and when Supercup repatriate Nicolas Armindo, driving the Konrad Motorsport Porsche, appeared in the leading group, the race became a battle of about a dozen of drivers. One time it's Armindo who takes over the lead, than it's Hardt and Rast again and later it even looked as if Stefan Rosina could clinch the first victory of an east European driver.

At the end it was the Frenchman Nicolas Armindo, who with a courageous performance gained control over the action and at his return clinched his first Supercup success in the 2008 championship. "I know I am not Jesus and I know I cannot go over the water", he jokes, "However, I had a terrific car which enabled me to chase trough the field today. On Thursday evening at 18.00pm I didn't even know that I will compete in the final race of the season. I was prepared to watch the action on TV and now, all of a sudden, I am sitting in the car and take the victory here in Monza. It's really unbelievable!"

The race was characterized by numerous incidents on the damp road. About one third of the 30-cars of the grid were affected. Primarily Damien Faulkner, Jan Seyffarth, Patrick Huisman and Chris Mamerow dropped out of the leading group and with that the fight for the runner-up in the driver standings of the championship became a duel in the midfield. After 14 laps on the fastest circuit in the schedule of the Supercup it was Damien Faulkner who secured second rank in the championship with an advantage of 21 points on Patrick Huisman. "This was a real thriller today, I rarely experienced such a thrilling race", says his team manager Walter Lechner. 'Of course we are pleased about the success of Damien, but we also would have enjoyed the title in the team standings. Unfortunately our friend Franz Konrad had a better end and scraped the title with a little luck", Lechner bows in front of his compatriot Franz Konrad, who's team fetched the championship with an advantage of only two points.

With Armindos victory, eight different drivers could celebrate the wins in the twelve rounds of the season. With three wins the new champion Jeroen Bleekemolen is the most successful pilot of the series this year. Because of unresolved sports court proceedings the result of the 2008 Supercup remains unofficial, though.
 

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