Maiden Supercup win for Porsche Junior Jaminet

In front of packed grandstands, the pilots of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup took off into round seven of the championship on Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps circuit on Sunday. Fans at the sold-out Formula 1 event witnessed an action-packed race, which the Porsche Junior Mathieu Jaminet (Martinet by Almeras) won. This marked the first victory for 21-year-old Frenchman in his rookie season of the Supercup. “I’m absolutely thrilled with my win. As I stood on the podium and heard the French national anthem I simply had to sing along, because some the lyrics portrayed perfectly how I felt. To win on one of the best racetracks in the world is a fantastic feeling,” said an ecstatic Jaminet. The German Porsche Junior Sven Müller (Lechner MSG Racing Team) finished on second place, followed in third by Porsche Junior Matteo Cairoli (Fach Auto Tech) from Italy. Dr. Michael Steiner, Member of the Executive Board for Research and Development, witnessed the race live from the racetrack on Sunday and handed the winners their trophies at the podium ceremony. 

After the close competition in qualifying amongst the 30-strong field, the tension in the paddock before the start of the race was palpable. At a lap length of seven kilometres, only 55-thousandths of a second lay between the fastest and second fastest qualifiers. It also became evident in the race that it would be a very close call between the front-runners. Pole-setter Müller got away well at the start, but after a brief safety car phase his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup swerved slightly off the racing line, the pursuing Frenchman immediately grabbed his chance and swept past him. After eleven laps Jaminet beat Müller by 1.1-seconds. Müller still ranks first in the overall standings. “My start was great, but I got a bit of a shock a little later to see Mathieu right behind me. I attempted to pull ahead but he hung in my slipstream. Doing 240 kph I turned-in a half a metre too late, Mathieu made the most of my mistake and overtook me. Still, I’m satisfied because I’ve extended my lead in the overall classification. It was unbelievable to see the full grandstands during the formation lap. I found that incredibly motivating,” said Müller.

Cairoli was handed a one-second penalty

Christian Engelhart (D/MRS GT-Racing) took up the race from the third grid spot, with Cairoli alongside him on fourth. When the two drove side-by-side up the Eau Rouge passage in their Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars, Cairoli pulled out and overtook Engelhart. Cairoli saw the chequered flag as third, with Engelhart crossing the finish line behind him in fourth. This result was changed retroactively, as Cairoli was handed a one-second penalty for overtaking outside the track boundary and was ultimately classified as fourth. Engelhart was moved up the rankings into third place. “It was a complicated weekend for me. I set the fastest time in qualifying but I was only allowed to start from the fourth grid spot due to an incident in free practice. I finished the race on the podium. Even though I find it difficult I have to accept the deferred penalty,” said Cairoli. 

Michael Ammermüller (D/Lechner MSG Racing Team) concluded the seventh of ten championship races on fifth, with Robert Lukas (PL/Förch Racing by Lukas Motorsport) scoring sixth. Guest driver Klaus Bachler (race: pro motorsport) occupied seventh. Clinching an impressive eighth place, the young 19-year-old Dutchman Larry ten Voorde celebrated his debut Supercup race. 

Round eight of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup will be contested this coming weekend (2 to 4 September) on the high-speed racetrack at Monza/Italy. Monza is the home race for Porsche Junior Cairoli, whose hometown of Como is just 25 minutes by car from the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza. “It’s my home track and I know the circuit extremely well. It is always something very special for me to race at Monza, because you literally feel how much the people in the grandstands love motorsport. I’m very much looking forward to the race and of course I want to win,” said Cairoli.