Dubai: Jeffrey Schmidt will put the interests of Al Nabooda Racing ahead of his own record-breaking ambitions when the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East returns to action at Dubai Autodrome this week.
With seven victories to his credit in eight races so far this season and four starts remaining, the talented Swiss driver is on course to eclipse the previous best of nine wins recorded in a single GT3 Cup season.
The driver he replaced at Al Nabooda Racing, Austrian Clemens Schmid, achieved that feat on his way to securing the GT3 Cup drivers’ title in 2012-13, as did Saudi Arabia’s Abdul Aziz Al Faisal in the inaugural season.
While Schmidt would love to set a new standard, he will not take any unnecessary risks in pursuit of individual glory should it mean going against his team’s best interests as they pursue a third team title in four years in their 10th anniversary season.
Entering the previous race weekend in Dubai with a 100 per cent record, he was reminded of how quickly fortunes can change in racing when a first corner collision put him out of the race and dropped team-mate Zaid Ashkanani from contention.
“That was a complete accident and these kind of things can happen in racing,” said Schmidt. “It can be difficult if the two of you are at the front and competing for the race win. But if you drive clean, fair and sensible there should be no problem.
“Every driver wants to beat his team-mate, but at the same time he’s the last guy you want to fight with because you’re both working to get the best results for the team.
“Zaid and I are as hungry as any other driver to win, but we want to do the best we can for the team and at times that means one of us might have to give way to the other.”
Al Nabooda Racing head back to Dubai Autodrome for two back-to-back Porsche GT3 Cup races on Thursday week, February 19, holding a formidable 86-point lead in the team championship.
Schmidt, meanwhile, leads the team standings by five points from Irishman Ryan Cullen, with Ashkanani another nine points away in third. The Porsche GT3 Cup series reaches its conclusion with two final races at Bahrain International Circuit on March 4-5.
Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East – team standings
1. Al Nabooda Racing UAE 336pts
2. Al Faisal Racing KSA 250pts
3. Frijns Structural Steel ME NED 200pts
4. Sky Dive Dubai Falcons UAE 137pts
5. Team Bahrain BAH 110pts
Driver’s championship
1. Jeffrey Schmidt 175pts
2. Ryan Cullen 170pts
3. Zaid Ashkanani 161pts
4. Abdulaziz Al Faisal 138pts
5. Charlie Frijns 135pts
6. Saud Al Faisal 112pts
8. Wolfgang Triller 100pts
8. Jaber Al Khalifa 87pts
