Jeddah: The Saudi Motorsport Company (SMC) - Promoter of the Formula 1 STS Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2022 – has confirmed that the Porsche Sprint Cup Challenge Middle East will again compete at the Saudi Arabian F1 race weekend, taking its place once more alongside the FIA Formula 2 Championship on the support racing schedule when F1 returns to Jeddah on March 25th – 27th.
Bringing its signature brand of exhilarating motorsports competition to millions across the region and beyond, the Porsche Sprint Cup Challenge Middle East will again race on the world’s fastest and longest street circuit in the world – the Jeddah Corniche Circuit – after a successful debut at the Kingdom’s inaugural F1® weekend last December.
The Porsche Sprint Cup Challenge Middle East was founded in 2009 by the late Austrian racing veteran Walter Lechner, having been known as the ‘Porsche GT3 Challenge Middle East’ before it assumed its current title in 2020. The single-engine racing series is the longest running and most successful championship in the region, having staged nearly 150 races in the Middle East since its inception.
Male and female
The series sees a minimum of 16 cars line up on the grid to compete across different racetracks around the world annually. Saudi Arabia has a wealth of young race drivers, both male and female, and a considerable number of Saudi drivers are expected to compete as the actions returns to Jeddah.
Commenting on today’s announcement, Martin Whitaker, CEO of the Saudi Motorsport Company said: “We are delighted to confirm the return of the Porsche Sprint Cup Challenge Middle East to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix programme. As the premier sports car racing series in the region, its inclusion on our schedule alongside Formula 2 ensures that the second F1 race weekend in Saudi Arabia will once again showcase the greatest racing action on the planet each and every day. We can’t wait to welcome the world once more to Jeddah in March.”
Robert Lechner, Sporting Director of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East: “To be part of the first SAGP with the Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East was an incredibly emotional moment for all of us. The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is very impressive and a real challenge for the Porsche GT3 and GT4 race cars. The entire weekend was very exciting and an absolute highlight of the season. We are grateful for another invitation to race in Saudi Arabia and are very much looking forward to race in front of our enthusiastic, local friends and drivers.”
