Motorsport: Bamber seals Porsche title in Texas

Earl Bamber has claimed the title Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup title in Austin, Texas.

Earl Bamber is the new Porsche champion

In the final round of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season Earl Bamber added another jewel to his crown, becoming series champion at the race in Austin, Texas.

The 24 year old scored second place at round ten which earned him the points he needed to take home the Supercup trophy. The Porsche International Cup Scholarship driver pumped his fist on the way to celebrating his triumph. "I'm the happiest guy on earth right now. It was a fantastic Supercup year topped off with a nerve-racking race at the end. This title means so much to me," explained the ecstatic Bamber.

At the wheel of his 460 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, which is based on the seventh generation of the 911, Michael Ammermüller was the actual winner of the action-packed tenth round ahead of Bamber and Philipp Eng.

Bamber took up the race from pole position, but in the second of 14 laps had to relinquish the lead to Austria's Eng. The tension in the trailing pack was almost palpable with the front-runners constantly swapping positions with spectacular manoeuvres. Ammermüller got off the mark from second but became caught in a tussle with his Lechner teammate Nicki Thiim starting from third. Thiim spun on the track and had to slot back in down the field. In the meantime Bamber had fallen back to third.

All eyes, however, were not glued on Bamber but on his hottest rival for the championship title Kuba Giermaziak. Giermaziak was unable to hang on to his fifth starting position and was at times down to eighth to ultimately take the flag in seventh. This was not enough for the title. "Of course I would rather have won the championship, but at least it's enough for the team title. I'll be back next year," said the somewhat crestfallen Giermaziak.

After ten rounds, the victorious Bamber earned 155 points ahead of Giermaziak on 132 points. Bamber is the first race driver from New Zealand to pocket the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup title. Bamber also claims the honour of being the first rookie to take the series title.

Bamber adds the Supercup trophy to that of this year's Porsche Carrera Cup Asia which he also won this year.