Sunday 19 / May / 2024
Dubai: Oman Racing’s Ahmad Al Harthy concluded the 2022 Asian Le Mans Series just shy of a maiden category podium at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, 20th February, racing to a pleasing top four result in the final race of the campaign.
Partnering Sam De Haan and Charlie Eastwood, Al Harthy and his team-mates went on to finish fifth in the GT class championship standings – with Oman Racing also the highest placed Aston Martin entry in the points table – to cap a strong and successful ALMS challenge.
“I’m really glad to end the season with the highest result so far, P4, in a very tough and respectable championship like the ALMS”, said Al Harthy, “We’ve all driven extremely well and the team keep doing the best they can. It was great for me to be able to push as hard as I did and it was great to have been able to play with the strategy in my stint, where I went longer.
“I was very happy with my pace and the team were extremely happy with the pace. This is a great warm-up for what we hope to announce in the coming months for our main season, what we have done in the ALMS will make us stronger – I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of 2022.”
Eastwood qualified the No.69 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 sixth fastest in the GT class for the fourth and final race of the ALMS season, although De Haan took the opening stint – as he did during the previous day’s encounter.
Although losing ground early on during some robust action and slipping to eighth, De Haan moved back up to seventh around the half-hour mark before then being passed by the No.17 Ferrari. In eighth when a Full Course Yellow cautionary period was called just prior to the end of hour one, De Haan pitted to hand over the car to Al Harthy.
Threading back into the race in eighth position, the Oman Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, Omantel, OQ and MHD-ITICS supported driver then served another pit-stop just 15 minutes or so later when another FCY was declared – taking the opportunity to refuel.
Pushing hard and lapping very consistently when racing resumed, with the order shaken up due to a wide range of strategies playing out, the Omani set his sights on climbing through and he kept Oman Racing firmly in contention for a strong result – and a potential podium.
Around one hour 50 minutes into the race there was another FCY and Al Harthy continued to impress during a long stint, eventually handing over the Aston Martin to Eastwood with roughly 90 minutes to go.
Holding eighth place initially, Eastwood ran as high as second in GT with 50 minutes remaining, as silverware remained tantalisingly within reach, but following the team’s final pit-stop of the race he was back down to seventh.
Charging through during the closing stages, the Aston Martin works driver gained three positions before the conclusion to take the chequered flag at the end of four hours just half-a-minute shy of a maiden ALMS podium for Oman Racing.
Al Harthy, Oman’s number one racing driver, will officially announce his plans for the main 2022 motor racing season in due course.
