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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Al Faisal aims podium finish, Khalid upbeat

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DUBAI (UAE): Al Faisal al Zubair and rookie Khalid al Wahaibi will represent Oman in the third and fourth races of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East at the Dubai Autodrome this weekend.


Both drivers have very different goals for the season, with Al Zubair aiming to finish at least inside the top three in the overall championship standings and Al Wahaibi aiming to build on a solid start to his first ever season of saloon car racing after top 10 finishes on his debut in Bahrain.


Al Zubair drives for the Lechner Racing Middle East team and shadowed Kuwait’s Zaid Ashkanani and England’s Tom Oliphant to the chequered flag in race one in Bahrain and a strong finish in the second race means that he holds second overall in the points’ standings behind Oliphant.


“I am very excited for this weekend because Dubai is a track that I like a lot,” said Al Zubair. “I did well here last year. I think I am way more prepared this time. My goal is to get one or more wins and as many points as I can in the championship. I need to keep focus and be consistent and think of the championship.”


Al Wahaibi is competing in his first season in saloon car racing and is entered in the bronze and rookie categories. The youngster said: “I am really looking forward to getting back into the car after a strong start in Bahrain. I want to keep making progress. With two top 10 finishes behind me at round one, I want to continue this form but also improve on it by moving up the field to achieve better results and close the gap on the leading pack.”


“Also, with more track time, I am looking forward to understanding the way the car and the tyres work and also to learn the Dubai Autodrome track, as it is my first visit here.”


Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East action gets underway at the Dubai Autodrome with two 30-minute test sessions on Thursday afternoon, starting at 14.25hrs and 16.25hrs. Official practice takes centre stage from 09.10hrs on Friday (December 8th) and first qualifying gets underway at 11.40hrs before the first of the weekend’s races roars into life at 15.10hrs. Further practice and qualifying takes place on Saturday (December 9th) from 09.40hrs and 11.55hrs and the second of the Dubai races gets the green light at 14.15hrs.


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