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Sean Edwards fastest through the twisty labyrinth of Monte Carlo

Britain's Sean Edwards is the man of the moment in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. After clinching the season-opener in Barcelona, last year's Monaco winner also secured Sunday's prestigious race driving for Allyouneed by Project 1 on the challenging street circuit in Monaco. With the new 460 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, based on the seventh generation of the 911, he found the fastest race line through the twisting labyrinth between skyscrapers and luxury boutiques and celebrated a commanding lights-to-flag victory.

While he was able to pull clear of his rivals in the first lap after getting away well from pole position, a fierce battle for second was played out in his slipstream, particularly in the closing phase of the race. Poland's Kuba Giermaziak (VERVA Racing Team) came out on top in this spectacular duel set against the picture postcard backdrop of the Principality on the Cote d'Azur, successfully fending off all attacks from Germany's Michael Ammermüller. Like in Barcelona, the Lechner Racing Team pilot brought home third and with Kuba Giermaziak is one of the strongest contenders in the bid for the title against Sean Edwards.

Jeroen Bleekemolen's dream of scoring his third Supercup win in Monaco did not come true. Driving for the Lechner Racing team, the double Supercup winner from the Netherlands returned in Monaco to the flagship series of Porsche's 20 one-make championships worldwide and narrowly missed out on a podium spot with fourth. Behind Christian Engelhart (FACH AUTO TECH) and the Frenchman Kévin Estre (Attempto Racing), New Zealander Richie Stanaway (DAMS) snatched seventh place as the best newcomer. This puts him at the head of the rookie classification. Denmark's Nicki Thiim (Attempto Racing), who made a promising start to the season with second place at round one in Barcelona, had to settle for eighth in Monaco. Behind the best rookie of 2012, two other Supercup fledglings rounded off the top ten: Ben Barker (Great Britain) from Team Bleekemolen and Porsche Junior Klaus Bachler (Austria) driving for FÖRCH Racing. Frenchman Jean-Karl Vernay (MRS GT-Racing), the winner of the 2012 International Cup Scholarship, finished in eleventh place. Bad luck for the Porsche Junior Michael Christensen from Denmark: After yielding a strong fifth in Barcelona, the DAMS squad pilot became entangled in a collision early on in the race and found himself shuffled to the back of the pack.

One of the highlights of the Supercup guest performance in the millionaires' playground was the duel of the rally stars: Manning the VIP car fielded by Porsche AG, the nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb from France brought home 16th place from his second Supercup race. His compatriot Sébastien Ogier, the current leader in the WRC, celebrated his debut in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup as a guest driver for the Allyouneed by Project 1 team and received the flag in 13th.

Sean Edwards (winner): "That was the perfect conclusion to a fabulous week. On Monday I won the Nürburgring 24 hour race, and now my second triumph here in Monaco - it doesn't get better than that. Like in the qualifying session my car was simply perfect. I was so much quicker than my pursuers that I didn't have to take any risks. This win also belongs to my team."

Kuba Giermaziak (second): "Finally I was able to match my good qualifying result in the race. At the moment Sean is driving in a completely different league. I didn't have the slightest chance of overtaking him. Still we are very satisfied with how we've started our season. There are some tracks coming up that suit us better. And that's where we'll strike."

Michael Ammermüller (third): "My start wasn't great, but I was able to hold on to my position. Towards the end I was a little faster than Kuba, but you couldn't entertain trying to pass on this track. I didn't take any risks and instead just concentrated on bringing home third place."

Klaus Bachler (Porsche Junior, tenth): "I'd actually expected to do a bit better. My start was good, but I encountered so much traffic in the first corner that I lost a place. At the same time I sustained a hit to the right front wheel and from then on the suspension was slightly bent."

Jean-Karl Vernay (Winner International Cup Scholarship, eleventh): "Even though I was eleventh as well in Barcelona I still have the feeling we are progressing. Particularly in qualifying, we were much better in Monaco. We will continue working hard and I hope that I can finish somewhere near the top five in the next races."

Sébastien Loeb (Guest driver Porsche AG, 16th): "I really enjoyed the two Supercup races in Barcelona and Monaco. I want to thank Porsche again for entrusting me with the VIP car. Of course I was hoping for a better result, but I also knew that it would be really tough against the Supercup specialists and that you can only overtake in Monaco when the guy in front of you makes a mistake. Who knows, perhaps I'll return to this great series someday."

Michael Christensen (Porsche Junior, 25th): "Today was not my day. In the chicane a competitor made a hopeless braking manoeuvre and pushed me into a spin, then suddenly I had the entire field in front of me. Under normal circumstances you can't overtake in Monaco, so my race was practically over."

Race results
1. Sean Edwards (GB), Team Allyouneed by Project 1, 26:03.584 minutes
2. Kuba Giermaziak (PL), VERVA Racing Team, + 20.323 seconds
3. Michael Ammermüller (D), Lechner Racing Team, + 20.931
4. Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), Lechner Racing Team, + 22.317
5. Christian Engelhart (D), FACH AUTO TECH, + 22.819
6. Kévin Estre (F), Attempto Racing, + 23.353
10. Klaus Bachler (A), FÖRCH Racing, + 27.561
11. Jean-Karl Vernay (F), MRS GT-Racing, + 30.509
13. Sébastien Ogier (F), Team Allyouneed by Project 1, + 31.637
16. Sébastien Loeb (F), Porsche AG, + 42.235
25. Michael Christensen (DK), DAMS, + 67.315

Points' standings after 2 of 9 races
Drivers
1. Sean Edwards (GB), Team Allyouneed by Project 1, 40 points
2. Michael Ammermüller (D), Lechner Racing Team, 32
Kuba Giermaziak (PL), VERVA Racing Team, 32
4. Nicki Thiim (DK), Attempto Racing, 26
5. Richie Stanaway (NZL), DAMS, 16
6. Klaus Bachler (A), FÖRCH Racing, 15

Rookie classification
1. Richie Stanaway (NZL), DAMS, 16 points
2. Klaus Bachler (A), FÖRCH Racing, 15
3. Ben Barker (GB), Team Bleekemolen, 13

Silverstone: Preview to the 3rd of 9 races on 30 June
The Silverstone circuit is a favourite amongst many of the Supercup pilots. With legendary corners like Copse, Stowe and Brooklands, the storied track in the British Midlands poses a unique challenge. It is a special race for Britain's Sean Edwards, the clear leader of the championship. After winning the race in his adopted home of Monaco, he is now eager to win again at his second home race in Silverstone. TV stations Eurosport and Sky broadcast round three live.