Saudi Arabia’s Prince Abdulaziz Al Faisal, the first ever winner of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East, says he expects a tough battle to hold on to his title right from the start of the next championship in Abu Dhabi.

Prince Abdulaziz dominated the inaugural edition of the new one-make Porsche series which concluded earlier this month, winning nine out of 12 rounds.

After collecting his trophy during the official prize giving at Bahrain International Circuit last night he said: “It was a fantastic first season and it means a lot to me to be the first Porsche GT3 Cup champion in the Middle East.

“This is a very exciting series which is going to go from strength to strength and I’m already looking forward to the new season, but I know it’s going to be much tougher for me to defend my title.”

He expects a particularly strong challenge from Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman Bin Rashid Al Khalifa, runner up in the 2009-2010 series, and from fellow-Saudi driver Fahad Algosaibi who became the youngest ever winner in the history of Porsche one-make racing with his victory in Round 10 last month.

“Fahad showed just how talented he is in that race and I will definitely have to look out for him,” said Prince Abdulaziz. “Salman will definitely be looking to go one better next season, especially after taking pole position seven times, and with one or two new drivers likely it’s going to be much more difficult to win races.”

Sponsored by Michelin and Mobil 1, the inaugural Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East featured race action at Bahrain International Circuit, Reem International Circuit outside Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Yas Marin Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

The same three venues all feature in the 2010-2011 series which gets under way in the UAE capital on November 13-14, with the first two rounds forming part of the race support programme for Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix.

Among the other prize winners in Bahrain last night, Saudi’s Faisal Binladen collected the Mobil 1 Trophy after 11 out of 12 wins in the class for rookies and senior amateur drivers