Omani driver Ahmad al Harthy produced an impressive performance on his full-time return to the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup, helping Oman Racing by Century Motorsport secure sixth place in the Bronze Cup during the season-opening six-hour race at Circuit Paul Ricard in France on Saturday.
The opening round of the 2026 campaign began at 6 pm local time, with Al Harthy taking the start in the No.42 BMW M4 GT3 EVO alongside new team-mates Javier Sagrera and Calan Williams. The team started ninth in the Bronze Cup after recording an average lap time of 1m55.217s in qualifying.
Al Harthy made an immediate impact in the opening stint, avoiding early drama and climbing steadily through the field. After an early Safety Car period following a first-lap collision, he continued to gain ground, moving into fourth in class by lap nine and then into the top three before the end of the opening hour.
A strong first pit stop by Oman Racing by Century Motorsport allowed Al Harthy to remain in the car for a double stint, and he soon resumed his charge. Around 20 minutes into the second hour, he passed the No.991 BMW to move into second in Bronze, and shortly afterwards inherited the class lead when the leading Mercedes-AMG pitted.
Al Harthy stayed at the front for a significant spell, delivering an outstanding double stint and handling traffic well as conditions grew darker. He eventually handed over from the Bronze Cup lead with just under four hours remaining.
Sagrera took over and briefly retained the class lead before slipping back in a tightly contested battle, while Williams completed the final phase of the race and brought the car home in sixth place in class at the chequered flag.
Al Harthy said the team could be pleased with its performance in the opening race of the season.
“It was a really good start to the race and I was very happy with the pace of the car. To move from P9 to the lead was very promising,” he said. “The team did a great job and we had a strong car throughout the race.
“P6 was the best we could do in the end. We had to serve some longer pit stops due to blue flag issues under the new system, but overall it is a very respectable result. Thanks to the team and all our partners for their support.”
Al Harthy is backed by OQ, Omantel, Oman LNG, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, and BMW Oman back Al Harthy.
The second round of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup will take place at Monza, Italy, with testing and free practice scheduled from May 28 to 30 and the three-hour race on May 31.
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