PATRICK SAVOURS ABU DHABI SHOWDOWN, FINISHES FOURTH IN THE STANDINGS
ABU DHABI, NOVEMBER 01 2009 – Even though his results didn’t match his efforts, Patrick Huisman thoroughly enjoyed the Mobil 1 Porsche Supercup’s season final in Abu Dhabi this weekend. Due to his weight handicap (because of his above-average length) the SPS Performance driver had a hard time at the two long straights, but still savored the technical character of the 5.550 kilometer long Yas Marina Circuit. By finishing the two final races of this season in respectively 7th and 12th position, Huisman scored 18 valuable points which was enough to secure fourth position in the final driver standings.FREE PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING
All Mobil 1 Porsche Supercup drivers and teams agreed anonymously that the newly build Yas Marina Circuit definitely sets the standard for new racing tracks worldwide. With its breathtaking architecture, the Yas Marina harbor and a very challenging track lay-out, Patrick Huisman was also very eager to get to action on Friday morning. Even though the Dutch ace immediately set encouraging sector times in the second and third part of the circuit, it was inevitable that he lost valuable time at the two long straights because of his extra weight due to his above-average length. After finishing Friday’s free practice session in 8th position, Huisman improved his lap times by merely two seconds in Saturday’s qualifying (as the grip level increased massively throughout the weekend), but still had to settle for 13th and 11th position on the grid for Saturday’s and Sunday’s races.
RACE 01 + 02
In the start of Saturday’s penultimate round, Huisman initially lost some positions as Damien Faulkner spun right in front of him and the four-times champion had to make an outflanking move in order not to run into Faulkner’s car. In the course of the 13 lap race, Huisman however charged hard to work his way up to seventh position at the finish, just behind Stefan Rosina, his main opponent for 3rd place in the championship standings.
In Sunday’s season showdown, Huisman enjoyed a great start to jump from 11th position at the grid to P6 in just two laps time. An attempt to overtake Thomas Jäger for fifth position didn’t work out as planned however, as Huisman spun in Turn 18 and stalled his engine. After having lost 12 seconds while trying to restart his Porsche 911 GT3 and getting back on track, Huisman found himself at the back of the field, in last position. Another hard-charging drive earned him a respectable 12th position at the finish. By scoring another eight points in this race, Huisman has collected 148 points this season in total, handing him fourth position in the final driver standings.
PATRICK HUISMAN: “I’ve really enjoyed racing at this unique track, even though it didn’t bring me the results I had hoped of before the start of this weekend. I’m still pleased with finishing in fourth position overall though, especially as we drove a very consistent season. It’s a shame we lost out on some good points halfway the season, otherwise we could have even challenged for a better position in the standings. I would like to thank everyone at Tudor and SPS Performance for a great year together and give all my personal sponsors a big ‘thank you’ as well. With the arrival of a new car next year, I’m very positive about our chances for 2010.”
RACE RESULTS ROUND 12 MOBIL 1 PORSCHE SUPERCUP – ABU DHABI, 31.10.2009
01. René Rast (GER), Veltins MRS Racing, 13 laps, 30:46.632
02. Nick Tandy (GBR), Konrad Motorsport, + 07.432s
03. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), Konrad Motorsport, + 07.908s
07. Patrick Huisman (NED), SPS Performance, + 17.996
RACE RESULTS ROUND 13 MOBIL 1 PORSCHE SUPERCUP – ABU DHABI, 01.11.2009
01. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), Konrad Motorsport, 14 laps, 31:36.448
02. René Rast (GER), Veltins MRS Racing, + 00.157s
03. Richard Westbrook (GBR), Porsche Cars Great Britain, + 00.507s
12. Patrick Huisman (NED), SPS Performance, + 28.690s
FINAL MOBIL 1 PORSCHE SUPERCUP CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 13 ROUNDS
01. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED), Konrad Motorsport, 254 points
02. René Rast (GER), Veltins MRS Racing, 207 points
03. Stefan Rosina (SLO), Walter Lechner Racing School, 164 points
04. Patrick Huisman (NED), SPS Performance, 148 points