Dubai: Saudi Arabia's Bandar Al Esayi is targeting a pair of podium finishes at Bahrain International Circuit this weekend to end the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East season on a positive note.
Al Esayi said at the start of the 2011-12 season that he felt confident of mounting a serious title bid, and he looked well on course when he won round three at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit after a third and second place in Dubai.
But in seven races since then he has managed just three podium places and his challenge finally disintegrated at Qatar's Losail International Circuit last month, when he had a non-finish in round ten after a disappointing fifth place 24 hours earlier.
"Initially I was going very well and after I won the third round in Abu Dhabi I thought I could go on and win more races," said Al Esayi, whose problems in Qatar led to fellow Saudi Abdul Aziz Al Faisal clinching his second Porsche GT3 Cup title in three years.
"But I'm not really satisfied with my performances for the rest of the season. Maybe I just wasn't able to focus well enough at times. I was right up there with Abdul Aziz in qualifying early in the season and it was very close between us. But after that my pace was never as good and it's really down to me.
"Abdul Aziz is a great driver, but apart from that he's much better than myself at getting the set-up of the car right and that's so important. I'm not confident of beating him in Bahrain, but I'd like to get two podiums and make sure of finishing runner-up in the championship."
To do that he must avoid a repeat of his disaster in Qatar, where he went out of the race on the first corner.
