Saturday 27 / April / 2024
Muscat: Omani racer Al Faisal Al Zubair has been reflecting on his season of competition in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East, as he looks to learnings from previous rounds as the key to his success in the upcoming finale of Season 8.
After ten races across six months and three of the region’s most famous racing circuits, the final round of Season 8 is closing in and the Middle East’s top motor racers have their sights firmly set on the championship silverware.
For Al Faisal Al Zubair the upcoming weekend will be a huge occasion on top of what has been one of the most competitive editions of the series ever, especially in his silver category.
Across the weekend of April 15 and 16, the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge will power into Bahrain where Round 6 will take on the role of support race for the 2017 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix weekend.
The added theatre, excitement and attention of Formula 1 is something Al Zubair hopes to use as motivation for success rather than a distraction.
“I’m really excited about racing as part of the Bahrain Formula 1 weekend. This whole season has been full of new experiences for me, and to top it off with being able to compete on the world stage of motorsport is just a dream come true,” he said.
Al Faisal Al Zubair had a great start to his debut season in Bahrain back in November, finishing second in the silver category in his first ever race in the championship.
Al Zubair (156 points) has featured on the podium in the silver category in almost every race this season, an impressive feat for a young driver in his debut championship year. Consistently strong performances throughout the season have seen the Omani climb to sixth place in the overall standings and second in the silver category, just one point behind Saudi driver Bandar Alesayi.
A point penalty in Round 5 saw the Omani driver lose the top spot in the silver category, a position he had quite incredibly held across the season.
The competition between Al Zubair and Alesayi has delivered some thrilling results across the previous five rounds with expectations high that Round 6, in the cauldron of a Formula 1 weekend, could be the spectacular conclusion regional racing fans have been hoping for.
For Al Faisal the chance of a first place finish in the silver category won’t be his only Round 6 goal. Currently sitting 42 points away from an overall third place finish in the championship, and with a maximum of 50 points available in Round 6, there is hope for the Omani racer to secure not only a win in his category, but a landmark top three finish in what will top off an unbelievable debut season.
Al Faisal Al Zubair said: “I came into the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East hoping to gain experience in the Porsche GT3 Cup car, and get used to competing in a professional series amongst top quality drivers from around the region and the world.
“I managed to secure some strong results early on in the season, and automatically set the bar high for my championship dreams. I have been taking each race as it comes, learning from my team and improving on areas where I can. I would love to be able to win the silver category in my first year of competition, and what better way to do it than at a Formula 1 weekend.”
“I am so excited about Round 6 for so many different reasons. The stage is set not only for some of the biggest drivers in world motorsport but also for the final round of what has been an amazing season of Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge action,” he added.
Drivers spanning more than ten nations, including host nation Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are expected to line up next month and enjoy the racing experience of a lifetime as part of the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend.
Competing across multiple categories and over the challenging 5.4km GP circuit at Sakhir, the Middle East’s top drivers will line up in front of passionate racing fans, and from behind the wheel of the powerful Porsche 911 GT3 Cup for what is set to be a thrilling conclusion to Season 8 of the series.
The involvement of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East in the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend is a huge boost for local motorsport with some of the best regional drivers being given a rare opportunity to showcase their talents while sharing the stage with the current stars of Formula 1.
The race not only sees an emotional return for competitors to the Bahrain International Circuit, the home base for Lechner Racing, but also the region’s top drivers playing a leading role in one of Middle East motorsport’s biggest events.
Championship standings (after Round 5 of 6):
1. Ryan Cullen IRE Gold 238
2. Charlie Frijns QATGold 205
3. Tom Oliphant GBR Gold 198
4. Dylan Pereira LUX Gold 169
5. Bander Alesayi KSA Silver 157
6. Al Faisal Al Zubair OMN Silver 156
Silver standings (after Round 5 of 6):
1. Bander Alesayi KSA Silver 157
2. Al Faisal Al Zubair OMN Silver 156
3. Wolfgang Triller GER Silver 130
4. Bashar Mardini UAE Silver 95
