Saturday 16 / November / 2024
Manama: The opening race of Season 8 of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East at the Bahrain International Circuit will welcome one of the largest grids in the history of the series and an exciting new title, The GCC Porsche Rookie Championship.
In a response to the growing strength of championship and the influx of emerging racing talent from the GCC region making their debut, including 18-year old Omani driver Al Faisal Al Zubair, organisers have introduced a new category to inspire rookie drivers.
The new category will see four young racing prodigies pitted against each other for the title over the 12 race season between November 2016 and April 2017.
Newcomer Al Zubair will be joined in a quest for silverware by Mohammed Al Saud of Saudi Arabia and the teenage Bahraini duo of Isa A. Al Khalifa and Isa S. Al Khalifa.
After strong showings in practice and a solid performance in qualifying, Al Zubair will start from 7th position on the grid in the first race of the season.
Speaking ahead of his debut Al Zubair said: “I have high hopes for the opening weekend. There are some really quick drivers but I think I can definitely put them under some pressure and get a good result.”
“For me the new category is really good, I think this will encourage more young GCC drivers to join as they know there is a category in which they can get more podiums in. Coming in to the championship and driving these cars for the first time can be challenging, so competing against the experienced drivers sometimes isn’t a realistic goal.”
Walter Lechner, the owner of Lechner Racing, and founder and manager of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East added: “From the very start our vision was to build a platform to fuel passions of young and talented regional drivers and for dreams of a racing career to come true. With the introduction of such promising young local drivers this season we wanted to support those making their debuts. To have all the young drivers compete for this new title will help them learn how to win, how to manage a race and how to manage their emotions. For us it’s an important addition which is bound to spark even more excitement throughout the grid.”
Season 8 is predicted to be one of the most open in the history of the series due to a truly international grid featuring an impressive 17 cars with drivers representing 12 different countries. A fact that underlines the global status and increasing appeal of the most professional motorsport championship in the Middle East.
Almost half of the drivers to line up will be completely new to the grid with many travelling from across Europe for the opportunity to challenge the best racing talent in the region. The diverse grid comprises of professional, amateurs and rookies from Ireland, Norway, Germany, Luxenberg, Sweden and Turkey will face stiff opposition from local drivers representing the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
Lechner, added: “This is the type of grid we always wanted. One that is full of promise and a next generation of drivers from this region, racing against quality international drivers. I think we are at the start of a very special journey for motorsport in the Middle East. It has taken years of commitment, effort and support from many people to get this far but it’s worth it when you see the sheer excitement in eyes of our drivers and such a strong line-up.”
The opening round of the six-round championship will feature two races this upcoming weekend. The first race will take place on Friday night, 18th November, under the lights at Sakhir in Bahrain, adding further to the drama of the occasion. The second race is scheduled on Saturday, 19th November.
With all drivers competing in identical Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars, the one-make series will race at the Bahrain International Circuit, Dubai Autodrome and Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.
