Press Releases

Promising Season Start for Team Jebsen in Malaysia Team Jebsen, 2013 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, Roundup - Round 1, Sepang International Circuit, March 22-24, 2013

Team Jebsen and driver Rodolfo Avila got their 2013 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia campaign off to a promising start with a fifth place finish in the opening round in support of the 2013 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX. Although the weekend was not without challenges in the searing heat of the Sepang International Circuit, the 26-year-old Macau talent, working with new Team Jebsen engineer Ricki Martino for the first time, put in a strong performance amongst the formidable field, gaining two hard fought places from their starting grid position by the chequered flag.

With just a single practice session before qualifying giving limited track time, Team Jebsen knew they needed to nail the set-up of their “razzle dazzle” camouflage inspired Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car right from the moment they hit the track. Throughout the session, it became clear that more speed could be found, and so Team Jebsen headed back to the pits to pour over the data and make adjustments in time for Saturday’s qualifying session.

Saturday’s qualifying session was a challenging one, with Team Jebsen ultimately landing a place on the fourth row. After further set-up adjustments, the team headed into the season opener confident that they could perform better than the two previous sessions had demonstrated.

By the end of the first lap, Avila had moved up into sixth position and was on a charge. Setting his sights on the car ahead, he closed in, piling on the pressure and forcing his rival into an error to claim the position and cross the finish line fifth overall.

Racing against the toughest, most competitive field in the region, even the slightest error can mean the difference between tears and glory. As Team Jebsen heads home to Shanghai for a race in front of its fans in support of the FORMULA 1 UBS CHINESE GRAND PRIX in three weeks’ time, the team and Avila are already hard at work preparing for Round 2 of this demanding championship, and will be looking to build on their promising start to the season.

Quotes from Team Jebsen
Rodolfo Avila

“While there are many positives to take away from the weekend, we are honestly not satisfied with the result and know that we need to take steps as a team and as a driver to perform better, especially against such a competitive field. We have three weeks now to prepare for Shanghai and we won’t be wasting a minute of it as we’ll be in a similar situation with regards to track time.

Over the course of the weekend, I think Ricki and I found our groove as a team and he understands how I like to drive the car and I understand his thinking as well. That’s definitely a positive for us as it is so essential for Ricki and I to gel and be on the same page. I’m really looking forward to seeing what our partnership can achieve and that starts in Shanghai in front of all of our Team Jebsen supporters.”

Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 2013

Provisional Race Calendar

Date	Circuit, Country	Event	Round(s)
March 02 – 03	Sepang Intl. Circuit, Malaysia	Test Days
March 22 – 24	Sepang Intl. Circuit, Malaysia	Formula 1 Support Race	Round 1
April 12 – 14	Shanghai Intl. Circuit, China	Formula 1 Support Race	Round 2
May 03 – 05	Zhuhai Intl. Circuit, China	Asian Le Mans Series*	Round 3 & 4
July 05 – 07	Ordos Intl. Circuit, China	Asian Le Mans Series*	Round 5 & 6
August 02 – 04	Autopia Intl. Circuit, Korea	Asian Le Mans Series*	Round 7 & 8
September 20 – 22	Marina Bay Circuit, Singapore	Formula 1 Support Race	Round 9
October 25 – 27	Shanghai Intl. Circuit, China	Shanghai Sportscar Champions Festival	Round 10 & 11

About Rodolfo Avila
Car No: 20
Avila began his career in karts, attending the Macau Karting School at 14, and winning the Macau Karting International A (Group B) a year later. In 2002, he graduated to single seater racing, becoming the youngest driver ever to compete at the Macau Grand Prix, racing in the Formula Renault event.

He took the Asian Formula Renault Challenge championship title the following year, making his Formula 3 Grand Prix debut at Macau in 2004. His career continued its extraordinary ascent, with Rookie honours in the Asian Formula 3 Championship in 2005, finishing 5th overall. A season in the prestigious British Formula 3 Championship saw him end the year 4th in the National Class for newcomers.

Avila made the switch to sportscar racing in 2008, when he became the youngest ever Asian Supercar Challenge Champion. He made his Porsche Carrera Cup Asia debut in 2009, taking pole position and a podium finish in his very first race. In 2011, Avila was just two points away from winning the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia title, while last season he finished third in what was the strongest entry in the series’ history.

About Team Jebsen
For Team Jebsen, 2013 marks the ninth full season in the series, having taken the championship title in 2006 and 2008. Along the way, the team has earned 18 race wins together with 62 podiums.

Team Jebsen is backed by the Jebsen Group. Established in 1895 in Hong Kong, the Group has since expanded its activities into a comprehensive business network throughout China, Taiwan and South Korea. Today, the Jebsen Group is structured around four strategic business units targeting the consumer, industrial, beverage and luxury sectors.

Jebsen is a name synonymous with Porsche in the region, having first brought the marque to Hong Kong in 1955. Since then, the Jebsen Group has become the largest and longest-established Porsche dealer group in Asia. In addition to Porsche Centre Hong Kong, the group operates Porsche Centres in Macau, Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

3/28/2013