UAE gets first 24 Hour of Le Mans competitor

Abu Dhabi: Strong rivals when competing against each other but close friends off the track — the UAE’s Khalid Al Qubaisi and Saudi Arabia’s Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Turki Al Faisal will team up to form a strong Gulf team at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans later this month.

While Al Faisal will be making his third appearance, the Emirati will make his debut in the ultimate endurance race. With Italian Andrea Bertolini as the third driver, the team will be racing for JMW Motorsport, supported by Abu Dhabi Racing and sponsored by Emirates Aluminium (EMAL).

Le Mans will mark its 90th anniversary when it is held at the Circuit de la Sarthe in France on June 22 and 23.

“It is an honour and a privilege to be the first from the UAE and hopefully not the last. The most important thing is that this sets a trend positively. It shows we can be at any top race — when there is intent and when we get support and there is a capability, we can do it,” Al Qubaisi, who had his first test on Sunday, said at a press conference in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

Commenting on his partnership with Al Faisal, he added: “He is very fast and highly skilled. He has a lot of experience, in fact more than me in racing. Hopefully we can put that together. We both have much to contribute and hopefully it will be a positive outcome.”

“And [Andrea Bertolini] has won GT One. He is currently a Formula One test driver. He has a lot of experience in this car — he raced it in Silverstone and finished ahead by a huge gap.”

Saudi ace Al Faisal is keen to register his first finish this year. “We both have a lot of experience in 24 hours, in Dubai especially. We have experience in the Porsche Middle East GT3 Cup — I have won it four times and Khalid has won it twice. It is about combining our expertise, our talent, our knowledge and know-how,” he said.

“Me and Khalid have always competed on the track, but outside have always been friends. A friend is a friend and to do something with a friend is easier than to do it along with someone you don’t know, it makes life much easier.

“Le Mans is the toughest 24-hour race out there. You have the best teams, you have the best drivers and you really, really have to perform. The ultimate we can reach is Le Mans and to race there is great. It is the ultimate goal for GT racing, or for those who started racing late like the two of us.

“Le Mans has very high speeds, it has one of the most difficult corners, the ‘Porsche corner’, and if you make a mistake there then you are in the wall — a mistake in Le Mans is very costly.”

Saeed Fadhel Al Mazroui, President and CEO of EMAL, said: “This comes within the framework of the 2030 Vision and our support is for the youth and the new generation. It is our aim to tap a new type of race and to help support a team to help them reach the target of number one.”