AL FAISAL bags podium double

Omani ni SAKHIR SAKHIR, B BAHRAIN: AHRAIN: T Two wo Oma ubair teenager racer s — Al F aisal al Z the and Khalid al Wahaibi — celebrated came 47th National Day in sty le as t hey in t he up with impressive performances first r ound o f t he hig hly-competitive East Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle circuit series at the Sakhir Formula One in Bahrain on Saturday. The 19-year-old Al F aisal showcased odium his met tle a nd p icked u p tw o p Friday finishes in both the races, held on and Saturday. ho For t he 17-y ear-old K halid, w t he is makin g his deb ut in t he s eries, a GT3 transition from Formula 4 ca r to rookie car was s eemingly smooth as t he Bronze driver claimed the top spot in the stint category in both the races. His debut in t he also earned him t he top honours overall GCC Rookie category and came he first ninth and tenth respectively, in t r ound and s econd race o f t he o pening that comprised a grid of 17 drivers. aid Al F aisal shado wed K uwait’s Z Ashkanani and England’s Tom Oliphant ne a nd to t he c hequered flag in race o finished in a similarposition in a thrilling on lap second race, where he was passed eight b y Oli phant, w ho als o o vertook la p t o Ashkanani o n t he p enultimate snatch the victory. on The twothird places put Al Faisal in t he second position behind Oliphant competing in the theh same race at a regional level level. “Al F aisal’s p resence is a mo tivation for the for me. He is racing in t he series I second time a nd with his exp erience, said amsureitwillbehelpfulforme,” Khalid. hts On F riday, racin g under t he lig Al at B ahrain I nternational Cir cuit, osition Faisal b egan f rom f ourth p Frijns behind Ashkanani, Oli phant and t he and q uickly ma naged to o verhaul H e Dutchman t o ga in t hird p lace. final reached t he c hequered flag in the behind podium position, 6.675 s econds the winner. ood “It was a g ood start for me in a g race, where I started fourth and finished I could in third,” said Al Faisal. “I thought go for the lead at the start, but I decided points to avoid risks and opted to get the t hing for t he c hampionship. It’s a g ood that Z aid w on, b ecause he is a guest y tw o driver a nd t ook p oints f rom m main rivals, Oliphant and Frijns.” Khalid did not make the best of start race after q ualifying 14t h f or t he first w hich earlier. Clo cking s ome fast la ps, Khalid included his fastest of 2m:05.852s, did some sensible driving and overtook three rivals on his way to ninth place. Khalid said, “I am happy that I could It is end up among t he t op-ten drivers. y e arly a g ood st art f or me desp ite m struggle in the race. to “Thequalifying sessions did not go tyres my expectations t ti as I struggled with were and even in the race, the initial laps challenging.” art Thesecond race had Al F aisal st his behind A shkanani a nd ma intained with position through the opening turns, passed Frijns in third place until Oliphant him. The Omani b egan t o p ressurise laps, as Ashkanani through the next few Oliphant set a fastest lap. By la p f our, t he le ading tr io was and locked together in a t hrilling tussle p laces Oliphant a nd Al F aisal swa pped his briefly b efore t he Oma ni r egained position. The en thralling t hree-way ound a tussle co ntinued b ut Oli phant f sna tch way t o o vertake Al F aisal a nd second place on lap eight. two Khalid had qualified 12th in race race to and came up with another decent end up tenth. “Theexperience in my maiden races t hat has been good and I a m confident m uch as t he s eries moves on, I ca n do a ny better. I st arted t he races wi thout faith in pressure. I have the passion and to my racing abilities and I look forward a good season,” said Khalid. ge The Porsche GT3 C up Challen ounds Middle E ast no w mo ves o n to r three and four at the Dubai Autodrome on December 7-9.