News

Two weekends of exciting back to back racing in the UAE could be pivotal in the final outcome of the highly competitive team championship of the region’s Porsche GT3 Challenge Middle East with two local UAE teams chasing glory.

Following a short winter break the Dubai-based teams of Al Nabooda Racing and Skydive Dubai Falcons will head to the capital’s Yas Marina Circuit for two races this Friday in Round 3 of the six round series. After the opening two rounds Al Nabooda Racing lead the team standings by forty-five points over their UAE rivals Skydive Dubai Falcons.

For first placed team Al Nabooda Racing the dominant performances of Jeffrey Schmidt have acted as a strong springboard on their quest for victory over defending champions and second placed Skydive Dubai Falcons. Four straight race wins in the first four races of Season 7 sees debutant Schmidt clear by fourteen points in the driver’s championship yet it’s the team title that Schmidt is honing in on first and foremost this weekend.

Speaking ahead of this week’s return to the track Schmidt said: “I can’t wait to get to Yas Marina Circuit. We’d real momentum in the first part of the season to open up a decent gap but it’s vital we continue where we left off. The team spirit and determination in the Al Nabooda camp has been fantastic and it’s great to have a teammate like Zaid [Ashkanani] alongside me to push hard. We race for the team as a team.

“We have put ourselves in a strong position but we’re only approaching the half way stage. We’re definitely not complacent as I know Skydive Dubai Falcons will come back fresh and hungry especially when also racing in their home nation.”

Round 3 marks the region’s leading one-make race series’ long-awaited return to Yas Marina Circuit after a three year absence from the famed home of the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The stunning track is known for its technical turns and long straights which allow for plenty of overtaking opportunities. The Al Nabooda Racing team will look to utilize the speed and experience of Kuwait star Ashkanani who featured the last time the championship raced at the capital’s marina circuit.

For the Skydive Dubai Falcons it’s experience of a different kind they will turn to in the hope to close the gap on the team title leaders. Driver Saeed Al Mehairi knows every detail of the Yas Marina Circuit having worked for the complex for a number of years.

Skydive Dubai Falcons driver Al Mehairi said: “Al Nabooda Racing have had a flying start to the season and when you’re up against strong drivers such Jeffrey and Zaid it’s always going to be tough. But for me it will be special to return to a place that I know so well. I’ve spent some time out on the track in different cars however getting in the Porsche GT3 Cup will be a unique experience.”

“I’ll look to spend as much time as possible on the circuit across the practice days at the end of this week and share my track knowledge with my teammate Hasher (Maktoum). We’ve two races this weekend that hopefully can turn our season around as we really need to step it up a gear in defence of our title. I’m confident we can feature on the podium in Abu Dhabi before heading to our home circuit of the Dubai Autodrome in two weeks. It’s all to race for.”

The return to Abu Dhabi of the high-speed spectacle will serve as a timely reminder of the UAE’s domination of the team title so far this season. However, with the new series only midway through, it is likely to be make or break for teams in pursuit, such as Saudi Arabia’s AlFaisal Racing, Qatar’s Frijns Structural Steel ME, and Team Bahrain.

Regarded as the purest form of racing with all drivers competing in identical fifth generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cups, the unique one-make series consists of 12 races between November 2015 and March 2016.

The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East now heads to the UAE for three rounds in a row to kick start the New Year across January and February, closely followed by the return to Bahrain in early March which is set to be a thrilling end to Season 7.

Round 3 takes place on Friday 22nd January at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

1st #1,#2 Al Nabooda Racing UAE 182
2nd #9,#11 Skydive Dubai Falcons UAE 137
3rd #7,#73 AlFaisal Racing KSA 112
4th #14, #15 Frijns Structural Steel ME NED 69
5th #5, #33 Team Bahrain BAH 64

Round 3
Race 1 – 22nd Jan 2016
Race 2 - 22nd Jan 2016
Yas Marina Circuit, UAE
Round 4
Race 1- 29th Jan 2016
Race 2- 30th Jan 2016
Dubai Autodrome, UAE
Round 5
Race 1 - 19th Feb 2016
Race 2 - 19th Feb 2016
Dubai Autodrome, UAE
Round 6
Race 1 - 4th March 2016
Race 2 - 5th March 2016
Bahrain International Circuit, Bahrain