U.S. GRAND PRIX (support): Bernd Maylander goes flag to flag in Porsche Pirelli race
24 September 2000
Porsche-Pirelli-Supercup: 11th Round at the US Grand Prix (Saturday Results)
Bernd Mayländer Goes Flag-to-Flag in Porsche to
Win First-Ever Indy Road Race
Indianapolis, IN - Sept. 23 - Pole-sitter Bernd Maylander from Germany, who needed a top finish to stay in contention for the Porsche-Pirelli-Supercup points championship, got a great start in his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car and pulled away from the 26-c
ar field to win the first-ever road race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Maylander, who won the previous round of the series last month in Hungary, needs a repeat performance and a little luck in the final round of the series here at Indy tomorrow to win his first Supercup championship. Dutchman Patrick Huisman, who leads the
points and is seeking his fourth straight Porsche-Pirelli-Supercup championship, finished third Saturday and needs a top six finish in the final race Sunday in order to clinch his title.
Once Maylander jumped into the lead, there was a five-way battle for second - seventh place, with Jorg Bergmeister, Patrick Huisman, Stephane Ortelli, Oliver Mathai, Sascha Maassen, Altfrid Heger, and Randy Pobst swapping positions for most of the 16-lap e
vent.
The key moment in the race occurred on lap #11 when third-place Bergmeister, trying to get by second-place Mathai, nudged Oliver's car on the infield road course. Mathai spun into the loose pea gravel, and was finished for the afternoon, while Jorg was bl
ack-flagged for the incident, putting him out of contention. It was especially costly for Mathai, who had a chance to contest the season championship with a top three finish.
Ortelli, the '98 Le Mans winner in a Porsche GT-1, finished second and Huisman was third. Sascha Maassen from Germany, leader in the American Le Mans Series GT classs, was fourth and ALMS contender Randy Pobst, from Melbourne, Florida - the highest finis
hing American - rounded out the top five.
Other American finishers included Darren Law from Phoenix, who was 14th despite a lap #10 spin; Mario Andretti, who finished 17th - up three positions from his grid position; Paul Gentilozzi, the current Trans-Am leader, was 18th; and Al Unser, Jr., who wa
s pushed off the track on the very first lap - came back to finish 20th.
Derek Hill, son of the first American F-1 champion Phil Hill, was moving up in the field when his car was forced out of the race with engine problems. His team expects Derek to return to competition for tomorrow's event.
The final round of the Porsche-Pirelli-Supercup will be held Sunday, September 24, at 9:20 AM, immediately preceeding the U.S. Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Besides being the first-ever road race on Indy's new infield course, Saturday's P
orsche-Pirelli-Supercup event contained the first standing start in the modern era at Indy. The Formula I drivers were watching closely to make sure the track afforded plenty of room for a clean start and first corner.
Here are some impressions from the top drivers:
Bernd Mayländer (Germany, winner): "Every lap was like a qualifying lap today. My car was perfect and once I´d pulled away from the others I could afford to just maintain the speed I´d found. Apart from that, I´ve been married for four weeks now and I´ve c
ontested and won two races. Thank you Marion. My first victory in America and it feels great!"
Stéphane Ortelli (Monaco, second): "Today was a great fight from start to finish. Indianapolis is a big name and a big place. I´ve won in Monaco, I´ve won Le Mans, and I´d love to add Indy to my list. For tomorrow´s second race I start from seventh, so I´v
e got nothing to lose."
Patrick Huisman (Netherlands, third): "I tried to get a tow from Stéphane but it didn´t work - he´s built like a jockey and is maybe 80 pounds lighter than me. Tomorrow is the deciding race for the trophy and I´m feeling very confident."
Randy Pobst (U.S.A., fifth): "I tried to pick my way past the guys in front of me one at a time, but this is a very talented field of drivers. I was pleased with my drive, and the car was much better than it had been in practice. This was great fun, and
I have the confidence to try for the podium tomorrow."
The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is a near-standard racing sport car based on the 911 GT3. Porsche AG sells these vehicles to customers ready-to-race. With 370 hp, the GT3 Cup is the most powerful racing car in the history of the world´s fastest international one-
make
series. It takes just under four seconds for the 2500 lb. racer to accelerate from standstill to 62 mph. Top speed is reached at over 170 mph.
The vehicle comprises 90 percent standard components. Apart from drastic weight reduction measures, the motorsport department concentrated on fine-tuning the suspension to suit slick tyres and to optimise racing characteristics.
All competing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup sportscars are technically identical. Porsche AG seals the engines and gearboxes. Engine Control Units are randomly distributed to each competitor at each round.
At the track, series partner Pirelli supplies each car with two sets of the identical slick tires per racing weekend. These tires may not be heated or chemically treated. Despite the restriction on the number of slick tires, the number of rain tires is unl
imited.
Highlights of the Porsche-Pirelli-Supercup races - one Saturday and one Sunday - will be televised on the Speedvision Network on Friday, November 17, at 10:30 PM EST. Speedvision will also televise a special program highlighting the entire 2000 Supercup s
eason on Monday, December 4, at 10:00 PM EST.
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Saturday's Race Results: 1. B. Mayländer (D, PZ Koblenz-PMC) 26:43.017s = 150.589 kph; 2. S. Ortelli (MC, PZRO) 5.173s; 3. P. Huisman (NL, both Eschmann-Manthey) 5.490s; 4. S. Maassen (D) 5.750; 5. Randy Pobst (USA, Porsche VIP driver) 6.092s; 6. A. Heger
(D, PZ München-Valier) 8.719s; 7. E. Bertaggia (MC, Carsport-AMAG) 9.380s; 8. M. Werner (D, Infineon Tech-Obermaier) 10.710s; 9. P. Couceiro (P, PZRO) 14.878s; 10. W. Henzler (D, Kadach Tuning) 20.688.
All driving Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars.
Point Standings with one event remaining: 1. P. Huisman 148 pts, 2. B. Mayländer 138; 3. S. Ortelli 136; 4. S. Maassen 116; 5. O. Mathai 110; 6. A. Heger 97.
Sunday Race Grid (based on Friday 2nd session qualifying): 1. J. Bergmeister, 1:37.035 mins. (=155,523 kph); 2. P. Huisman, 0.333 secs behind; 3. E. Bertaggia (MC, Carsport-AMAG), 0.465; 4. P. Couceiro (P, PZ Rhein-Oberberg), 0.692; 5. O. Mathai, 0.697; 6.
B. Mayländer, 0.803; 7. S. Ortelli, 0,818.
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