Difference between success and failure is in the blink of an eye

It was a simple, if not typical, predicament, with an archetypal solution. But the process of actually accomplishing the goal was, well, a complex mix of technique, experience and luck. And nearly halfway through his first Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season, Darryl O'Young was staring at the answer: two-tenths of a second.

'Going just two-tenths slower makes a big difference,' O'Young said.

During May's race at Monaco, O'Young qualified a disappointing 18th, but had he been just two-tenths of a second faster than his 1:39.583 qualifying time, he would have started in 10th or 11th position. In O'Young's previous racing series, the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia (where he was the 2006 champion), those extra tenths of a second may not have meant as much as they do in the PMSC series, where the competition is greatly elevated.

That lost time was particularly significant at a circuit like Monaco, where there are few passing opportunities and a strong qualifying session is even more important. The podium finishers came within a second of each other; O'Young (pictured), who managed to finish 15th, was 40 seconds behind.

His experiences through four races (where he managed 10th, DNF, 20th and 15th) have demonstrated a steep learning curve, stiff competition and the importance of realistic expectations.

'To say he would be a regular podium finisher, that would be overly optimistic and not very realistic,' said Robby Niermann, the general manager at the Porsche Centre Hong Kong and Macau. 'We cannot seamlessly continue with the same success we had in Asia. The first year is a learning year.'