Rene Rast made the perfect start to the 2010 Porsche Supercup season with a dominant double-victory in Bahrain.
The 2009 series runner-up, who made the switch to Al Faisal Lechner Racing during the winter, took lights-to-flag victories in both races in Sakhir to take an early 12-point lead in the championship standings.
“Before the weekend I didn’t dare to dream about such a perfect start to the new season,” Rast said. “It’s a great success for me and my new team. I am really satisfied.”
Lechner Racing scored 1-2 finishes in both races thanks to Stefan Rosina and Jeroen Bleekemolen.
Last season’s top rookie, Rosina, finished right on Rast’s tail in the opening race after making a superb start from fourth on the grid. The Slovakian beat both Bleekemolen and front-row starter Nick Tandy off the line and was just 0.3 seconds adrift of Rast at the chequered flag.
Jay Seyffarth grabbed the final podium spot on the penultimate lap by passing Tandy, having also got past double-champion Bleekemolen earlier in the race.
Tandy settled for fourth, with Bleekemolen fifth, while Christian Engelhart led home a closely fought five-car battle to take sixth ahead of Sascha Maassen. Sean Edwards and Alessandro Zampedri. Polish driver Robert Lukas completed the top ten.
Bleekemolen was second in race 2, but rarely threatened Rast out front. After making another slow start from the front row, Tandy fought back and pinched third on the final lap from Rosina, with Norbert Siedler fifth ahead of Matt Halliday and Zampedri.
Bridgman won a thrilling race-long battle for eighth that also involved Sebastian Bleekemolen, Sascha Maassen, Seyffarth, Patrick Huisman and guest driver Salman Al Khalifa.
Maassen finished ninth, while Seyffarth, who lost a hatful of places after being punted into a spin by Siso Cunill early in the race, pinched tenth on the line from Sebastien Bleekemolen.
Porsche Supercup results – Rounds 1 & 2, Bahrain
Round 1
1 Rene Rast, Al Faisal Lechner Racing, 10 laps
2 Stefan Rosina, Lechner Racing, +0.331
3 Jan Seyffarth, Veltins MRS Racing, +2.536
4 Nick Tandy, Konrad Motorsport, +4.623
5 Jeroen Bleekemolen, Al Faisal Lechner Racing, +7.788
6 Christian Engelhart, Sanitec / Giltrap Racing, +12.089
7 Sascha Maassen, Team Abu Dhabi by tolmit, +13.383
8 Sean Edwards, Team Abu Dhabi by tolmit, +15.737
9 Alessandro Zampedri, Lechner Racing, +17.034
10 Robert Lukas, Verva Racing, +17.497
11 Tim Bridgman, Schnabl Engineering Team Parker Racing, +22.697
12 Kuba Giermaziak, Verva Racing, +27.378
13 Salman Al Khalifa, Lechner Racing, +30.422
14 Siso Cunill, Konrad Motorsport, +31.792
15 Abdulaziz Al Faisal, Al Faisal Lechner Racing, +32.372
16 William Langhorne, Sanitec / Giltrap Racing, +38.796
17 Sebastian Bleekemolen, Bleekemolen Harders Plaza, +39.716
18 Niall Breen, Schnabl Engineering Team Parker Racing, +42.004
19 Patrick Huisman, Konrad Motorsport, +44.593
20 Khaled Al Qubaisi, Team Abu Dhabi by tolmit, +45.094
21 Bandar Alesayi, GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East, +48.181
22 Fahad Algosaibi, GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East, +2:03.142
23 Norbert Siedler, Veltins MRS Racing, +2:10.856
Not classified
Matt Halliday, Sanitec / Giltrap Racing, 2 laps
Robert van den Berg, Bleekemolen Harders Plaza, 0 laps
Round 2
1 Rene Rast, Al Faisal Lechner Racing, 10 laps
2 Jeroen Bleekemolen, Al Faisal Lechner Racing, +2.171
3 Nick Tandy, Konrad Motorsport, +4.494
4 Stefan Rosina, Lechner Racing, +7.029
5 Norbert Siedler, Veltins MRS Racing, +9.067
6 Matt Halliday, Sanitec / Giltrap Racing, +9.561
7 Alessandro Zampedri, Lechner Racing, +19.634
8 Tim Bridgman, Schnabl Engineering Team Parker Racing, +28.672
9 Sascha Maassen, Team Abu Dhabi by tolmit, +30.733
10 Sebastian Bleekemolen, Bleekemolen Harders Plaza, +33.215
11 Jan Seyffarth, Veltins MRS Racing, +34.490
12 Patrick Huisman, Konrad Motorsport, +34.531
13 Salman Al Khalifa, Lechner Racing, +35.123
14 Kuba Giermaziak, Verva Racing, +36.033
15 Sean Edwards, Team Abu Dhabi by tolmit, +37.574
16 William Langhorne, Sanitec / Giltrap Racing, +40.222
17 Abdulaziz Al Faisal, Al Faisal Lechner Racing, +45.979
18 Robert van den Berg, Bleekemolen Harders Plaza, +49.417
19 Bandar Alesayi, GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East, +51.412
20 Robert Lukas, Verva Racing, +58.063
21 Khaled Al Qubaisi, Team Abu Dhabi by tolmit, +1:00.097
22 Fahad Algosaibi, GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East, +1:08.134
23 Christian Engelhart, Sanitec / Giltrap Racing, +1 lap
Not classified
Niall Breen, Schnabl Engineering Team Parker Racing, 1 lap
Siso Cunill, Konrad Motorsport, 0 laps
Championship Standings (after 2 rounds)
1 Rene Rast – 44pts
2 Stefan Rosina – 32
3 Jeroen Bleekemolen – 30
4 Nick Tandy – 30
5 Jan Seyffarth – 21
6 Sascha Maassen – 16
7 Alessandro Zampedri – 16
8 Tim Bridgman – 13
9 Norbert Siedler – 12
10 Christian Engelhart – 10
Next round: 8/9 May, Barcelona
Watch highlights of the opening round of the Porsche Supercup from Bahrain on Motors TV (Sky Channel 413, Virgin Media 545) on Saturday 10 Apil at 7.30pm (BST).
Andy Wilkinson
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