Nasser bin Saleh Al Attiyah of Qatar in action in Round 5 of Porsche GT3 Cup Middle East Challenge at Dubai Autodrome.
DOHA: Qatar’s racing hero Nasser bin Saleh Al Attiyah continued his dream start to a newfound track career when he claimed a silver category win on his UAE debut race in the Porsche GT3 Cup Middle East Challenge.
The proud Team QMMF (Qatar Motor and Motorcycling Federation) driver made it three podiums and three silver category trophies in as many races, delivering on his promise to use his natural racing instinct during Round 5 of the championship at Dubai Autodrome.
It was a deserved result for Al Attiyah, who finished 10th overall, having put in long hours to get as familiar as possible with his Porsche GT3 Cup car and the challenging 5.39km Grand Prix Circuit layout in Dubai in recent days.
Speaking after his hat-trick of silver categories, Al Attiyah said: “Overall I am very happy. Today was my first race on a track outside Losail in Qatar and I managed to secure a win in my category and get back on the podium. This track is technical and requires a lot of experience. I’m still learning with each lap. I’m getting more comfortable in the car but I felt I had good pace.
“I had a few mistakes out there as this is still completely new to me, but I will now sit with my mechanics and figure out what is the best set-up for the car. There is a lot of work to be done for race two tomorrow. It’s a new race and a new day, so I’ll try for a strong qualifying position.”
He added: “The Dubai Autodrome circuit is a one-way track. Everyone is fighting to stay on the perfect line as you cannot use the second line much. Overtaking is not easy here. But with the right preparations I hope to get even higher in the race positions.”
The overall race result saw Saudi Falcons Abdulaziz Al Faisal (1st) and Skydive Dubai Falcons Saeed Al Mehairi (2nd) steal the show to take the gold category podium places alongside Saudi driver Fahad Algosaibi (3rd).
In a memorable race in front of thousands of Porsche fans, Al Faisal recorded his first win of the fifth season, overtaking local favourite Al Mehairi with one lap to go in a gripping encounter that was filled with excitement on every lap.
Round 5 had been billed as a defining moment in the championship and it didn’t disappoint. Right from the start the action came fast and furious as the man to beat, Dubai-based Clemens Schmid, was forced to withdraw. The championship leader and defending champion had a day to forget after a second lap collision gave his rivals the opportunity to take full advantage and narrow the gap.
The gap between Al Nabooda’s Schmid and his rivals is expected to be reduced further after Race 2 in Dubai on the news that Schmid faces a one-race ban and will not feature again in Round 5. Officials declared in the track incident involving Saudi’s Bandar Alesayi on the second lap that Schmid “caused an accident through dangerous driving.”
As a result the race for the driver’s title has been thrown wide open in spectacular fashion. It’s a huge boost for current second placed driver of the Saudi Falcons, Abdulaziz Al Faisal, and third placed Zaid Ashkanani of Kuwait, who both know that finishing in the top two positions in Race 2 will see them leapfrog Schmid with only one round to go in Bahrain. The intriguing three-way fight for the championship has had a dramatic twist in Dubai.
A slight collision with Al Faisal and then a second red flag incident involving Bandar Alesayi ended the race for Schmid and led to a restart. Once under way for the second time, Al Mehairi was aggressive and seized control of the race from the front, despite constant pressure from Al Faisal
With an unlikely victory in sight, Al Mehairi made a minor mistake on worn tires at the end of the back straight with one lap to go and provided an opening for Al Faisal. It was the gap former champion Al Faisal had been waiting for and he instantly slipped past Al Mehairi to take the chequered flag.
Having claimed the top step of the podium, Al Faisal said: “It was a very tough race and very satisfying at the same time. At this point in the season there is a lot of tension and the grid this year is very tight, with little between the drivers. There was quite a bit of contact at the start and we lost a couple of drivers, but that’s racing. I managed to keep myself safe. Today I just stayed patient and it paid off. This result could be crucial come the end of the season.”
The result sees the gap at the top of the overall standings narrow to just 19 points as Al Faisal (177) moves into second place ahead of Zaid Ashkanani (174), who is 22 points behind Schmid (196), with 75 points on offer and three races of the season left.
Elsewhere, Al Nabooda Racing’s Karim Al Azhari, who started ninth on the grid, improved by two places to claim important points in his team’s quest to defend the team title as Al Nabooda continue out front.
The region’s most professional racing series continued at the Dubai Autodrome with the second race of Round 5 yesterday.
THE PENINSULA
