• Al Wahaibi and Jon Lancaster to compete in a KTM GT2 during the final round of the 'GT Winter Series' at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this coming Saturday and Sunday.
• Lancaster has competed in numerous single-seater categories throughout his career, most notably the GP2 Series.
BARCELONA (Spain): Hamed al Wahaibi is preparing to record his first-ever appearance in GT racing as he competes in the final round of the GT Winter Series. The event will be hosted at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain from March 12 to 15, with the main competitive action taking place on Saturday and Sunday, March 14–15.
Despite Al Wahaibi’s extensive background in karting and motorcycle racing — a journey that began in California during his university studies and continued upon his return to the Sultanate — and despite a career filled with achievements in rallying and successes in the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, this marks his official debut in circuit racing.
The opportunity arose while the Omani driver was in Barcelona to test a 'Challenger' class KTM vehicle for the Baja World Cup to familiarise himself with its specifications. During those sessions, he also test-drove a KTM X-BOW. Impressed by his performance, KTM officials offered Hamed the chance to test the GT2-spec racing version of the car. Following the trials, KTM’s Managing Director reached out to invite him to participate in the final round of this season's GT Winter Series.
Joining him is teammate Jon Lancaster, who began his single-seater career in 2006 in Formula Renault 2.0, progressing through various championships before competing in the GP2 Series between 2012 and 2015.
Lancaster transitioned to GT sports car racing in 2021, achieving a series of strong results. He also previously served as a coach alongside Hamed al Wahaibi for emerging talents, including Shihab al Habsi, Khalid Ibrahim al Wahaibi, and several other distinguished Omani racers.
Throughout his career, Jon Lancaster won many races in GP2, Formula Renault 2.0, Formula 3 Euro Series, Formula Renault 3.5, in addition to clinching the title of the 2015 European Le Mans Series in LMP2, he also participated in the Le Mans 24 Hours multiple times, achieving a top 10 finish in LMP2 in 2014.
BEST OPPORTUNITY
Hamed al Wahaibi stated: "I am very happy for this opportunity to compete at the historic Barcelona circuit, which has hosted Formula 1 and MotoGP World Championships for decades and is one of the most famous tracks in the world. The goal is to gain experience in this type of racing and achieve the best possible result. However, my primary focus remains on the Challenger category of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, where I currently lead the standings."
He added: "I am also pleased to have my teammate, champion Jon Lancaster, join me. I trust he has the necessary experience to extract the maximum performance and the car’s technical potential. I hope we can achieve good results together."
The KTM X-BOW GT2 is a high-performance sports car weighing between 950 kg and 1,048 kg. It is powered by a 2.5-liter five-cylinder Audi turbocharged engine capable of producing 600hp.
The car features a carbon fiber chassis, while the design emphasises aerodynamic efficiency, high safety standards, and an ideal power-to-weight ratio, specifically engineered for circuit racing.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
