Dubai: After powering their way back to the top of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East standings, Al Nabooda Racing aim to reinforce their bid for a third successive team title on home territory in Dubai.
Clemens Schmid and Ahmad Al Harthy combined well at Qatar’s Losail International Circuit last weekend to regain the lead for the defending team champions in the 2014-15 title race.
Now, drivers’ championship leader Schmid and Al Harthy will be looking to build on their eight-point cushion over Skydive Dubai Falcons in the penultimate race weekend of the season at Dubai Autodrome on February 27 and 28.
“We knew it was going to be tough in Qatar, especially after Clemens won the previous two rounds there to make it five wins in the first six races,” said Vijay Rao, the Al Nabooda Racing team manager. “His level of performance is raising everyone else’s and there’s tremendous competition now both in practice and qualifying as well as the actual races.
“But we came through a big test at Losail, and what was most satisfying was the way that Clemens and Ahmad worked together to get the best out of each other and take the team back to the top of the standings.”
Schmid was frustrated in his bid for victory in round seven, when his power steering broke, giving a big edge to Kuwait’s Zaid Ashkanani, who scored successive wins in Qatar.
But both the Austrian driver and Al Harthy produced battling performances over the two days, Schmid taking two runners-up spots and his Omani teammate grabbing vital team points with two eighth place finishes. Together they turned a nine-point deficit into an eight-point advantage, which they now want to increase significantly at Dubai Autodrome.
“It’s our home circuit and we obviously want to put on a good show there,” said Rao. “We’ll have a lot of home support and both Clemens and Ahmad know the track well so we have high hopes that we can improve our grip on the championship.”
