Second Round at the Spanish Grand Prix

Stephane Ortelli Wins, Zampedri Takes Over the Points Lead

Stuttgart/Barcelona. Stephane Ortelli from Monaco won the second round of the Porsche Michelin Supercup on the Circuito de Catalunya near Barcelona. Starting from pole the 32-year-old lost a position in the sprint to the first corner against his front row rival Marco Werner (Germany). As Werner slid from the track in thesecond lap after hitting oil, Ortelli took over the lead. Alessandro Zampedri (Italy) and Wolf Henzler (Germany) battled over the entire 14 lap race distance for second and third place, with Zampedri holding off a determined but fair attack from Henzler to take second. With his best Supercup result to date Zampedri takes over the points lead ahead of Stephane Ortelli and Wolf Henzler. After missing out on points at the season-opener two weeks ago in Imola, Philipp Peter pocketed fourth place, whilst Porsche Michelin Supercup newcomer Marcel Tiemann (both Monaco) secured fifth place after starting from 13th. After spinning from the circuit in the second lap, Marco Werner was able to take up the race again to cross the finish line sixth. Christophe Bouchut, who travelled to Barcelona leading the points, retired from the race in the first lap after an accident.

Alex Davison from Melbourne (AUS) was plagued with bad luck today. After the warm-up lap his drive shaft broke leaving him stranded on the grid. Stephane Ortelli (winner): "My start wasn't so good but I stayed cool and kept in control. In the second lap Marco Werner slid on oil and left the track - the marshalls hadn't forewarned us. I took a different line and took the lead. When I saw how Zampedri and Henzler duelled behind me I could breath easier. But I felt safe anyway, as my car and my tyres would have allowed an even higher speed."

Alessandro Zampedri (second): "I experienced too much wheelspin at the start and lost a place. Then I saw Marco slide in front of me and I swerved to avoid the oil patch. My fight with Wolf was tough but fair. I now lead the points table so I'm a happy man."

Wolf Henzler (third): "My start was fantastic and I was able to shoot from fourth to second. At the beginning of the third lap Zampedri gave me a nudge, I went sideways and Alex passed me. I chased him hard until the chequered flag. I drew alongside twice but I pulled back because we+d agreed during the drivers' briefing on no crashes. Afterall, this is not a stock car race."

Philipp Peter (fourth): "I'm mad. I could have fought for third had I not had trouble overtaking one of the back-markers. They should really look in the rear vision mirror!"

Marcel Tiemann (fifth): "That was a real lesson in express tempo! At last I managed an entire race distance, and I even outbraked Marco Werner one lap before the finish. The Porsche is not easy to drive, you really have to be an absolute professional."

Race Result: 1 S. Ortelli (MC), Kadach Tuning 26:40.160 2 A. Zampedri (I), PZ Rhein-Oberberg + 3.669 3 W. Henzler (D), Kadach Tuning 3.712 4 P. Peter (MC), Infineon-Team 5.084 5 M. Tiemann (MC), Manthey Racing 9.820 6 M. Werner (D), Infineon-Team 11.390 7 M. Seefried (D), Kadach Tuning 15.948 8 E. Collard (F), Kwikpower XS Racing 18.706 9 T. Bernhard (D), PZ Rhein-Oberberg 31.963 10 E. de Villota (E), Porsche AG 42.067

Drivers' standings

1 Zampedri      36
2 Ortelli       32
3 Henzler       30
4 Bernhard      23
5 Bouchut       20
6 Werner        18
7 Seefried      15
8 Peter         14
9 Tiemann       12
10 Bleiner      11