Schmid 1st, Al Faisal 2nd, Pommer 3rd – Austrian secures double delight in Doha
Sat, 9th March, 2013 – Clemens Schmid of Al Nabooda Racing has won Round 10 of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East with yet another commanding display under the lights at Losail International Circuit to complete a memorable penultimate weekend of the season.
Starting in pole position on the grid, Schmid continued where he left off in Round 9, by producing another authoritative performance from the front to claim his second win of the weekend, seeing off challenges from Saudi Falcons Abdulaziz AlFaisal, second and Germany’s Markus Pommer in third.
The victory means Schmid now goes into the final two rounds on the last weekend of the fourth season in Bahrain leading the championship standings with a 10 points leads over closest rival Abdulaziz AlFaisal, with Al Nabooda racings Karim Al-Azhari in third.
Speaking after securing his victory in Round 10 by 1.941 seconds, Schmid is confident he can hold onto his slender lead. He added: “Today was a really hard race, tougher than yesterday. Abdulaziz didn’t make it easy and was close behind the hold race until he made one small mistake.
“I’m very happy to have pulled out a 10 points lead with only two rounds of racing left of the season. But the title is still not safe and it only takes one mistake. At least I know I don’t have to win the races, just stay ahead of Abdulaziz. So the pressure is on him now.”
Schmid leads in Doha's Losail circuit
The battle for the championship began with the two challengers starting first and second on the grid, with Lechner Racings Pommer in third position on the 15-car grid. Al-Azhari continued his quest to consolidate his third place in the standings by starting fourth, with Christina Nielsen in fifth and Faisal Binladen in sixth.
Reigning champion AlFaisal is confident he can defend his title going into the final weekend of the season. He added: “It was a tight race between me and Schmid. I pushed him all the way but he kept his composure throughout. I will be pushing him really hard in Bahrain and I don’t believe it is all over yet. I am taking one race at a time.”
In a thrilling race that was encapsulated by the rivalry between Schmid and AlFaisal, as looked for ascendency going into Rounds 11 and 12 in Bahrain, Schmid held onto his pole position lead throughout the 12-lap race on the 5.38km Losail track under the lights. AlFaisal continued to persist in overtaking his main rival, piling on the pressure, but the young Austrian held his nerve to claim his sixth victory in a row and his eight victory in the ten rounds completed in the season.
With the Losail floodlights providing a fantastic backdrop, the battle to finish in the top six was just as exciting as the two-horse race for the title. Lechner Racings Pommer, who started third on the grid, lost his position in the opening laps of the race to Al Nabooda Racings Karim Al-Azhari, but the young German showed his class and regained third spot a few laps later to finish in the final podium position.
With Al Nabooda Racings Al-Azhari finishing in forth, thus collecting valuable team points, the fight to finish in the top six was just as engrossing, with the Silver Michelin category contenders, Faisal Binladen, Zaid Ashkanani, Mohammed Mattar and Christina Nielsen battling it out to secure vital points.
The first female driver to race in the series, Nielsen held off the challenges of her Silver Michelin category rivals, especially BinLaden, who threatened to overtake her on the final lap. But the Dane held her nerve to edge out the Saudi Falcons driver to claim fifth position.
Christina Nielsen claimed fifth position
Christina Nielsen said after claiming fifth position: “Today I proved a lot to myself and to others. Qualifying and the race really went perfectly for me. It’s a satisfying feeling. Mentally my approach has developed throughout the season. I’ve learnt how to stay calm, focus and never give up.”
“I had set out with the aim this season of winning my category in a race and I’ve done that now. I’ve gained so much with this experience in the Middle East and I can take it with me now as I look to race in Europe. It’s been amazing.”
The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East championship standings after Round 10 are: 1st Clemens Schmid (228 points, 2nd Abdulaziz AlFaisal (218 points), 3rd Karim Al-Azhari (180 points).
The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East Team Standings after Round 10 are: 1st Al Nabooda (404 points) 2nd Saudi Falcons (379 points), 3rd Team Bahrain (311 points).
Schmid leads Al Faisal in Round 9
Round 8 Report
Al Nabooda’s Clemens Schmid wins Round 9 of Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East at Losail International Circuit
Clemens Schmid of Al Nabooda Racing has won Round 9 of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East at Losail International Circuit with a dazzling performance under the lights in a race packed with enthralling action featuring one of the strongest grids in the history of the leading one-make series.
After starting in pole position on the 15-car grid, Schmid once again produced a flawless race to claim his fifth win in a row and extend his lead by eight points over Saudi Falcons Abdulaziz AlFaisal in the overall championship standings.
The young Austrian grabbed maximum points on the 5.38km Losail International Circuit, defying challenges from adversary Abdulaziz, second and Germany’s newcomer to the series and former F2 driver Markus Pommer in third.
Speaking after winning his seventh round of the fourth season of the championship, Schmid said: “From pole my start was ok but I got into the important first corner still holding onto my lead and that was vital. Abdulaziz put me under real pressure the first few laps as his tires were new. I managed to hold him off and once my tires got up to racing speeds I pulled out a bit of lead. It went exactly as planned and I’m delighted to further my lead in the championship. Hopefully I can repeat it again in round 10 under the lights. It’s an incredible experience to race in the Porsche GT3 at night.”
The fight for supremacy began with the top two being separated by Lechner Racings Markus Pommer, who started second on the grid, while Abdulaziz began Round 9 third on the grid. Teenage rookie Charlie Frijns was the surprise package of the qualifying rounds as he started fourth on the grid, pushing Saudi Falcons Faisal Binladen into fifth with Kuwait’s Zaid Ashkanani in sixth.
An optimistic Abdulaziz said he is confident of success in Round 10 and putting pressure on Schmid. He added: “I am pretty happy with my performance. I started third on the grid and finished in second position. Obviously you want to win the race but there is plenty to play for in the coming rounds. I have the belief that I can turn things around, starting in Round 10.”
In an action-packed night-time race, where three drivers were forced out of the race in the first lap, Schmid was never threatened by Abdulaziz and Pommer as he accelerated his lead with each lap and marched on to claim his seventh victory in nine rounds by 7.815 seconds. With the top two sorting themselves out, Pommer and Saudi Falcons Faisal Binladen were engrossed in a battle to claim the third podium position.
Pommer and Saudi Falcons Faisal Binladen were engrossed in a battle to claim the third podium position
Starting second on the grid, Pommer lost his position in the early stages of the race to Binladen, but regained it at the halfway stage of the 12-lap race to claim third place. The battle to complete the top-six was just as pulsating with Al Nabooda Racings Karim Al-Azhari, Binladen, Bahrain’s Mohammed Mattar and Kuwait’s Zaid Ashkanani battling for positions.
UAE’s Al-Azhari produced a fantastic final lap to overtake Binladen and Ashkanani to claim fourth place, with Binladen seeing off the challenge of Ashkanani to finish fifth, while Mattar jostled with the Kuwaiti and piped him into sixth place.
A disappointed Binladen said: “For the first half of the race, I was in a perfect position to finish in the top three, but Pommer was far too quick for me and overtook me to claim third. Then I was involved in a midfield battle with Al-Azhari and Zaid. It was very tight between the three of us, and Karim used his experience to overtake us and claim fourth position. It was not what I expected in this race, so I am determined to produce the goods in Round 10.”
