2012 Supercup Korean Grand Prix

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Flag of South Korea.png   2012 Supercup Korean GP Grand Prix
Race details
2012 Supercup season
Korean International Circuit.png
Date June 13th, 2012
Official name 2012 Supercup Korean Grand Prix
Location Korean International Circuit
Yeongam, South Korea
Course Road Course
3.492 mi / 5.621 km
Distance 33 laps, 115.244 mi / 185.43 km
Weather Sunny
Pole position
Driver England Alex Cooper CSG Racing
Time 1:30.909
Fastest Lap
Driver Germany Martin Schumacher Innervision
Time 1:44.093
Podium
First England Alex Cooper CSG Racing
Second England Alex Cooper CSG Racing
Third England Adam Rouse Hawkeye Racing


The 2012 Supercup Korean Grand Prix - the 9th race of the season - took place on the Korean International Circuit in Korea, on the 13th of June. The event marked the first time the GPVWC had raced in Korea.

Report

Petter Kaasa returned to winning ways at the inaugural Supercup Korean Grand Prix. The Torrent Motorsports star had to bide his time before jumping championship rival Alex Cooper during the pit stops to take his fifth win of the season.

Cooper took pole position from debutant Martin Schumacher, who much like his namesake, made an immediate impact in the GPVWC by joining the battle at the front. Rickard Hellsten was again absent for Torrent with Mindaugas Klumbis of Lithuiana stepping in on this occasion for the Australian Grand Prix victor. The 2011 champion Bart de Vos returned to the Supercup grid, adding his name to the ever growing list of drivers piloting the second Halcyon car this season.

The race began in chaotic fashion with a start line pile up. While most would eventually make their way from the scene, several drivers would abandon their damaged cars around the track which forced the race director to display the red flag.

The second start was just as turbulent but the race continued. Philip Cullen proved that there was no sporting luck with any Irish competitor this week as he was caught up in both start-line incidents, yet again forcing the Halcyon ace to drive with a compromised race car.

As the leaders bolted, a second battle group forced with the Malta Force drivers, Muscat and Grech, Rouse, Cullen and Georgios Davakos. An internet disconnect would again haunt Muscat whilst the Maltese driver battled Davakos in the early stages. His disconnection would have further ramifications as his ‘ghost’ would collide with Cullen, causing heavy damage to his car.

Cooper’s early pace saw him build up what many considered a safe lead over his competitors. The English native seemingly looked odds on for victory but was surprisingly jumped by Kaasa during the pit stop phase. The pair stopped three laps apart but it was enough, coupled with the theory that Kaasa did not change his tires at the stop, for the Norwegian to snatch the lead. It was one he would not relinquish, despite Coopers best efforts.

Adam Rouse completed the podium after another great drive from the league veteran. After another early race tussle with Cullen, the Hawkeye pilot then set his sights on Grech. He steadily closed in on the Maltese driver before taking him on lap 16 into turn three. Rouse never looked back and drove a lonely race to third with Grech scoring yet another solid point’s finish in fourth position.

Davakos enjoyed his best race of the season to date, taking a struggling Schumacher late in the race to come home in 5th position. The result a welcome boost to Water Blue Racing after the team lost the services of race winner Andrew Morgan in the aftermath of his Canadian Grand Prix triumph.

Cullen’s adventurous day ended with a 6th place finish. After the ghost incident with Muscat, points looked improbable for Cullen who had to again fight through the pack to secure points. He took advantage of Schumacher’s troubles to pass the German on the final lap. The German ran strongly all day and looked set for a podium before a spin on lap 27 in the final section of the course caused heavy damage to the Innervision car. While he soldiered on, clearly there was more than cosmetic damage to the car and a severe drop in pace saw him fall down the pack.

Klumbis endured a difficult drive as he brought the second Torrent Motorsports entry home in 8th. The points a welcome finish for the Lithuanian after an early spin sent him out of the points. Klumbis had worked his way back up to as high as 7th place before a spectacular accident on the exit of the final corner cost him more time. He finished just ahead of NRT Racing’s Andrejs Pestovs and Kernow’s Wopke Hoekstra. Both drivers earned well earned points after solid drives that saw both stay within the top-10 for much of the day.

Results


Standings after the race

  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

External links

Preceded by:
2012 Supercup Canadian Grand Prix
2012 Supercup Korean Grand Prix
2012
Succeeded by:
2012 Supercup Turkish Grand Prix