MEDIA INFORMATION
PORSCHE MOBIL 1 SUPER CUP
Round 5 – Hockenheim, July 19-22, 2018
For immediate release
Sunday, July 22nd, 2018
OMAN’S AL-ZUBAIR AND AL-WAHAIBI CLIMB BACK THROUGH
THE HOCKENHEIM FIELD AFTER QUALIFYING DISAPPOINTMENT
· Yelloly holds off Drudi and Ammermüller to win race from pole position
HOCKENHEIM (GERMANY): Oman’s Al-Faisal Al-Zubair and Khalid Al-Wahaibi fought their way back from lowly qualifying positions because of a team tyre choice error to finish the fifth round of the Porsche Mobil 1 Super Cup in 17th and 24th positions at the Hockenheim Grand Prix Circuit on Sunday.
Al-Zubair of the Lechner Racing Team Middle East team passed several drivers in an impressive run through the tail end of the field and managed to make up nine places from his original starting position in just 14 laps.
Al-Wahaibi also passed several back-markers early in the race before losing a couple of positions near the end after tackling much of the race with a slow puncture that hampered his progress.
England’s Nick Yelloly took full advantage of his pole position to lead the processional race at the front from start-to-finish. Mattia Drudi finished second and defending champion Michael Ammermüller moved up from fifth to round off the podium places.
Al-Zubair said: “It was a good race. It was unfortunate that I started in 26th but I had a lot of pace and we made up 10 positions. There were three guest drivers as well so we definitely made it into the points. We made a few good moves. It’s not the easiest track to overtake on either.”
Al-Wahaibi added: “It was quite a difficult race in terms of results. I started P29 due to the mistake we had in qualifying with the wet tyres. From then on I knew it was just about getting through the race and doing as much as I could and gaining as much experience as I could.
“I had a slow puncture, which made it difficult for me, but I managed to get up to P23 with the slow puncture that hampered me right through the race. I am happy I got it across the line in the end with the puncture. That’s what I told the team I would do. P24 is not too bad considering the circumstances with the qualifying mistake and the slow puncture in the race. This one happened from the start and it got worse as the race went on.”
Al-Zubair and Al-Wahaibi lined up in 26th and 29th after the team’s tyre choice error inn a drying qualifying session on Saturday afternoon. Nick Yelloly was on pole position for the 14-lap race from Mikael Pedersen, Mattia Drudi, Thomas Preining and Michael Ammermüller.
The leading quintet held station through the opening lap, but it was a good first lap for the Omani duo and they climbed to 22nd and 24th. Drudi managed to overtake Pedersen and snatch second place on lap three, where Al-Zubair climbed a further place to 21st and Al-Wahaibi retained 24th.
There were no changes at the top of the leader board through five laps, although Al-Zubair moved in front of Richard Heistand to snatch 20th overall. Al-Wahaibi was still running in 24th and then moved up to 23rd on the next lap.
Ammermüller made his move on the seventh lap and surged into third position behind Yelloly and Drudi and at the expense of Pedersen and Preining. The eighth lap was a good one for both Al-Zubair and Al-Wahaibi and the Omani duo continued their progression, with Al-Zubair moving up to 18th and Al-Wahaibi snatching 22nd. Al-Wahaibi then lost a place to Josh Webster on the 11th lap and slipped back to 23rd.
Al-Zubair climbed to 17th on the last lap, as Yelloly held on to confirm the win and Al-Wahaibi passed the chequered flag in 24th after losing a place to Heistand in the closing minutes with the puncture.
Action in the Porsche Mobil 1 Super Cup resumes in Hungary next weekend.
Ends
For further information:
Firas Nimri, Tel: + 962 7 7728 2000, E-mail: nimrifiras@yahoo.com.