Tudor Motorsport Monaco summary

TUDOR SPONSORED KONRAD MOTORSPORT CONTINUES TO SHINE, DESPITE RAST DOMINATING THE FOURTH ROUND OF THE 2010 PORSCHE MOBIL 1 SUPERCUP

The thrilling fourth round of the TUDOR sponsored Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season took place as a support race for the 2010 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix. René Rast of Al Faisal Lechner Racing blistered across the finish line to claim victory and the prestigious Monaco round is the latest addition to a string of podium finishes for the experienced German competitor. TUDOR sponsored Konrad Motorsport also had a successful weekend, with Nicholas Tandy claiming the runner up position and the fastest lap of the race, whilst Patrick Huisman earned valuable points with a seventh place finish.

So far this year, Rast has put in a dominant display of driving in the early stages the championship and with a flawless performance at the historic Monaco street circuit, he now holds the lead in the championship on 60-points, 6-points from Nick Tandy and 8-points from Jeroen Bleekemolen.

Rast showed complete mastery of the track throughout the free practice, qualifying session and the official race, beating the rest of the pack to claim pole on the starting grid and then top of the podium in what could be regarded as the perfect racing weekend. He crossed the finish line following a stunning performance around the narrow, weaving circuit in 29:19:707, giving the Al Faisal Lechner Racing Team a solid victory and more important points in this year's championship.

Patrick Huisman, in the TUDOR sponsored car No.21, put in an impressive performance over the weekend too and got off to a good start when the Konrad Motorsport driver achieved a seventh in free practice followed by a top ten qualifying position, for a place towards the front of the 24-strong starting grid. Making the most of the technically challenging track layout, Huisman maintained his good form, improved on his starting position and took the checkered flag in 7th place.

Huisman did not have it all his own way. Despite ranking third fastest in the opening laps and feeling that he used every second of track time to his advantage, he suffered some early frustrations, "I wanted to finish on the podium, but it was a very messy start with lots of drivers cutting the chicane and some of them who were much further back were suddenly in front of me. I cannot believe that they will not be penalized as we were told in the drivers briefing not to cut the chicane! It took me several laps to recover and pass them again on this narrow track."

Wise enough to recognize his good fortune in finishing strongly, Huisman put a positive spin on the result, " at least it is a happy end. I have points and I finished in the top seven. See you in Valencia for the next race of the season!"

Every weekend of racing in the TUDOR sponsored Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is tough going. All sessions on the track are critical according to Huisman, "here the conditions were quite wet and slippery, but within the first few laps of the free practice session, I was confident that I should be able to achieve a top five finish. I knew my main opponents would be Rast, Siedler and Van Lagen and once we completed the free practice, we worked hard to make sure we were ready for the qualifying session."

"I was hoping to post quicker times in the last rounds of qualifying, but there was a lot of traffic," he added. "The team worked very hard. We tried many solutions and adjustments. At the end of the session, I was able to improve my time and we were in the top ten. What counts is qualifying well for a good race."

Rast, pole position starter and round winner, confirmed the difficulties of doing well on the Monaco track, "overtaking is so difficult here in Monaco. It was great to be starting from pole, but the qualifying session was problematic. I had better sector times with my last set of tyres. There was uninterrupted heavy traffic and I never had a clear lap, which was a problem. Overall my weekend remained perfect. I was lucky in the race and left all problems behind me as I focused on putting in a good performance. I controlled the race from start to finish and can even say I was a bit lonesome up front by myself!"

Nicholas Tandy, one of Huisman's colleagues at Konrad Motorsport, stated, "I am pleased with my second place on the podium. I have now forgotten all the basic problems that I had in the practice and qualifying sessions, including the yellow flags on the first set of tyres and the wrong timing for my outings. Today the car was just fantastic. I started from fifth and did not expect a podium. It is my first time on the Monaco podium. I am so happy. Already looking forward to Valencia, our next race."

-source: tudorporschemotorsport.com