MEDIA INFORMATION
PORSCHE BWT GT3 CUP CHALLENGE MIDDLE EAST
Rounds 12-14 – Bahrain, March 8-9, 2019
For immediate release
Tuesday, March 5th, 2019
OMAN’S AL-ZUBAIR AND AL-WAHAIBI HEAD TO BAHRAIN AIMING
FOR FURTHER SUCCESS IN PORSCHE BWT GT3 CUP CHALLENGE
· Team Oman looks to seal prestigious Team Championship title in Bahrain
SAKHIR (BAHRAIN): Good performances and championship points will be the target for both Oman’s Al-Faisal Al-Zubair and Khalid Al-Wahaibi when the Porsche BWT GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East resumes with three races at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain this weekend (March 8-9).
Both drivers are running under the Walter Lechner Racing banner and both have ambitions to succeed in the highest echelon of circuit racing.
Al-Zubair heads back to Bahrain with a 41-point lead over Turkey’s Berkay Besler in the Drivers’ Championship after dominating several of the races this season. He knows that three good race results in Bahrain would all but confirm a second successful regional Porsche title.
Al-Wahaibi has shown big improvements himself this season and now wants to consistently convert race pace and qualifying performances into top-flight results.
His consistency and the string of wins for Al-Zubair have catapulted Team Oman into a massive lead of 189 points over Team Sweden in the Team Championship and one of the goals this weekend will be to clinch that title.
Al-Wahaibi currently lies fifth in the Drivers’ Championship, a mere four points behind American driver Michael de Quesada and five behind the Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer. One of his aims will be to displace those two drivers before the final race meeting at the end of the month.
Al-Zubair said: “I am very excited for Bahrain. We have three races this weekend. It’s a track I really love. Obviously I have the championship in my mind at this stage. As many points as possible would be good, as the championship is my priority.”
Al-Wahaibi added: “I’m looking forward to the race in Bahrain. We have the final two rounds coming up this month and I want to put in strong results. I want to be consistent. We know we have the pace now from Dubai and Abu Dhabi. So I am looking to convert that into results in Bahrain. Hopefully we can come back with good results.”
The weekend’s action gets underway with two qualifying sessions at 10.10hrs and 11.40hrs and this precedes the first 14-lap race which takes centre stage on the Sakhir circuit at 14.00hrs after the first of the races for BIC 2000cc competitors.
Saturday’s race action begins with the third of the Porsche qualifying sessions from 11.30hrs and races two and three, each of 14 laps, follow at 13.25hrs and 16.35hrs.
Porsche BWT GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East – positions after round 4:
1. Al-Faisal Al-Zubair (OMN) 263pts
2. Berkay Besler (TUR) 222pts
3. J.B. Simmenauer (FRA) 178pts
4. Michael de Quesada (USA) 177pts
5. Khalid Al-Wahaibi (OMN) 173pts
6. Saul Hack (RSA) 164pts
7. Leon Koehler (DEU) 131pts
8. Christoffer Bergström (SWE) 129pts
9. Isa Al-Khalifa (BAH) 119pts
10. Magnus Oehman (SWE) 118pts, etc
Team Championship – positions after round 4:
1. Team Oman 436pts
2. Team Sweden 247pts
3. Team Bahrain 218pts
Ends
For further information:
Firas Nimri, Tel: + 962 7 7728 2000, E-mail: nimrifiras@yahoo.com.
Twitter: @FZRacingOman
You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4nVWoO10jwWCwmgVHur2xw