Saturday 16 / November / 2024
Muscat: Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East rookie Al Faisal Al Zubair made an impressively strong start to the 2016-2017 season at Bahrain International Circuit on Friday, by winning the GCC Rookie class and taking second in the Silver class on his debut in round one of the campaign.
Making an excellent start to the season-opening race weekend, which forms part of the Bahrain Motorsport Festival featuring the finale of the FIA World Endurance Championship, Al Faisal lapped sixth fastest overall and the top ‘Silver’ class runner – as well as fastest rookie – in first practice.
He went on to conclude the subsequent second session as the quickest Silver driver and top rookie once more, inside the outright top eight, to prepare very well indeed for the all-important qualifying session at the 5.4-kilometre Sakhir circuit.
Continuing his tremendous form, the Omani teenager posted a superb time of two minutes and 05.774 seconds (154.9 km/h) – a full 0.7 seconds faster than his previous best – which secured seventh on the grid for Friday evening’s encounter, but a penalty for a rival elevated him into sixth.
Race one took place at 18.15 local time, and therefore under the Sakhir floodlights, and at the start Al Faisal put the 460bhp from his Porsche to good use by launching away well as he edged alongside British racer Tom Oliphant in a battle over fifth.
Although edged back to seventh soon after, during the second half of the opening lap Al Faisal closed right up on the sixth placed car and mounted a challenge into the second tour. Enjoying good drive out of the last corner, he moved alongside over the line into lap two and under braking for the right-hander at Turn One he sealed the pass to move into the top six again.
Holding position for the next couple of laps, Al Faisal was then nudged back to seventh once more and spent the remainder of the race there. Coming under some pressure late on, the 18-year-old from Muscat didn’t put a wheel wrong to secure the Rookie win and second in the Silver class.
“I’m very pleased with the result from race one,” said a delighted Al Faisal. “I had quite a good start actually, I went side-by-side with (Tom) Oliphant, and although I was then passed by another car I got the place back into Turn One at the start of the second lap.
“Unfortunately, I went back to seventh but then kept the place to the finish. We did have a minor gear-shift problem towards the end, but it was nothing too bad and the pace was still good. Bahrain is a very good circuit, I really enjoyed the race and the track provided a lot of close racing at the front. It’s great to start the season with the GCC Rookie win.”
