Porsche - Press Releases

Press Releases

Team Jebsen Celebrates Podium Success in ZhuhaiTeam Jebsen, 2014 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, Rounds 4&5, Zhuhai International Circuit, China - Roundup


Team Jebsen and driver Rodolfo Avila of Macau celebrated their first Porsche Carrera Cup Asia podium of their tenth season at the Zhuhai International Circuit at the weekend, claiming a well-deserved third place in Round 4 to promote them four places up the 2014 championship leaderboard.

Despite atrocious weather conditions throughout the weekend, which eventually forced the cancellation of Round 5 on Sunday, Team Jebsen were lightning-quick from the start, setting the fastest time in the opening free practice and following up by dominating the single qualifying session to set the first and second fastest times. That secured pole position for the Team Jebsen Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 991) pole position for both races.

With unremitting torrential rain massively reducing visibility, Round 4 got underway behind the Safety Car and, when racing got underway at the start of Lap 3 of the 12-lap race, Avila immediately began fighting to pull away from the chasing pack but came under ferocious attack from behind. In a thrilling high-speed duel, Avila battled to hold his lead but was forced to relinquish it when the pair made contact.  He then came under fierce attack from behind, but defended superbly.

The Safety Car collected the field at the start of Lap 6 while cars which had fallen victim to the treacherous conditions were cleared, closing up the field. At the restart, Avila had to concede another position after contact with his rival. Determined to claim the final podium place, Avila steadfastly resisted any further challenges as tyre grip deteriorated in the closing stages to cross the line in third.

With no let-up in the rain on Sunday, and the track transformed into a river, organisers took the decision to cancel Round 5 in the interests of safety.  Team Jebsen and the rest of the 28-strong Porsche Carrera Cup Asia field will have to wait until next month to resume the battle for the 2014 championship when the series makes its debut in Japan at the Fuji International Speedway.

Quotes from Team Jebsen
Rodolfo Avila

“It was fantastic to take our first podium in the fourth race of the season. Team Jebsen gave me a brilliant car this weekend, but perhaps I was a little more conservative in the race so we could collect the points. When the racing is this close and this passionate, you have to consider how much you are prepared to risk when a split second can see you lose everything, particularly in these conditions.

“It would have been good to have some dry racing, but that wasn’t to be this time. I’m feeling more confident with the brakes, but I still need to optimise this area of my driving. Everyone is getting quicker in the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 991), but this weekend we proved we can be the fastest on track.”

2014 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia

Provisional Race Calendar

Date Circuit, Country Event Round(s)
March 28 – 30 Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia Formula 1 Support Race Round 1
April 18 – 20 Shanghai International Circuit, China Formula 1 Support Race Round 2&3
May 09 – 11 Zhuhai International Circuit, China China Touring Car Championship Round 4&5
June 06 – 08 Fuji International Speedway, Japan One Make Series Festival Round 6&7
August 15 – 17 Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia Asian Festival of Speed Round 8&9
September 19 – 21 Marina Bay Circuit, Singapore Formula 1 Support Race Round 10
October 17 – 19 Shanghai International Circuit, China Sportscar Champions Festival Round 11&12

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 and ending the season second runner up. Avila joined Team Jebsen for the 2010 season and in 2011 was just two points away from winning the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia title. He has continued his impressive consistency amongst and increasingly-competitive field, raising his game to secure the second runner-up position in 2012 and 2013.

About Team Jebsen
This year marks the tenth full Porsche Carrera Cup Asia season for Team Jebsen, having taken the championship title in 2006 and 2008. Along the way, the team has earned 18 race victories together with 67 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.

5/14/2014