Al Harthy ends bruising Abu Dhabi ALMS finale in third
Abu Dhabi, UAE - Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit witnessed a frustrating end to an otherwise sparkling Asian Le Mans Series campaign for Ahmad al Harthy on Sunday as the Omani and 99 Racing team-mate Louis Deletraz concluded the five-round season third in the LMP2 title battle.
Going into the final event of the campaign leading the standings by 20 points, Al Harthy got things off to a perfect start in the No.99 Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 car by dominating qualifying, 0.8 seconds faster than anyone to secure a double pole position for rounds four and five.
Race one was nothing short of luckless, with surprising lap one contact spinning Al Harthy out of the lead. Mounting a rousing recovery, more dramas then undid the Omani’s stirring drive and heavy damage sustained during an incident behind the Safety Car led to a devastating retirement.
Following incredible work by 99 Racing overnight and throughout Sunday morning, and thanks to the AF Corse team from whom a new Oreca tub was acquired, Al Harthy lined-up on pole position for round five – he and Deletraz now three points adrift in the title battle.
Even though having to serve a debatable drive-through penalty early on, ordered by officials as a result of the race-ending incident the day prior, Al Harthy performed strongly in the opening stint. In the end, though, the car couldn’t deliver the performance required and Al Harthy, Deletraz and Filipe Albuquerque – standing in for the unwell Nikita Mazepin – finished in 11th position.
“What an unbelievable turn of events this weekend”, said a shocked Al Harthy, “After qualifying, where I was so happy with the car and my performance, we really were in a strong position and in the perfect place to try and maximise our potential. What happened in the two races was quite incredible, but we still end the season P3 in the championship and with a couple of wins as well.”
“The guys at the team worked so, so hard this weekend and the effort everyone put in overnight to make sure we could even get onto the grid for Sunday’s race was amazing AHMAD AL HARTHY
Having performed so faultlessly in qualifying on Saturday morning, Al Harthy relished the opening race later in the day and the team had a genuine chance of wrapping-up the ALMS title with one round to spare. Unfortunately, his fortunes changed dramatically.
“The guys at the team worked so, so hard this weekend and the effort everyone put in overnight on Saturday to make sure we could even get onto the grid for Sunday’s race was amazing”, reflected Al Harthy, “Huge thank you to everyone and, of course, to Louis, Filipe and Nikita who have been great to work with. Abu Dhabi wasn’t the weekend we wanted, to say the least, but we can still be proud of all we’ve achieved in the ALMS.”