Sun, Oct 6th 2013, Donington – Early race contact during the final round of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship at Donington Park Grand Prix Circuit on Sunday, 6th October, wrecked Ahmad Al Harthy’s hopes of challenging for the 2013 title – the Oman Air Motorbase driver instead having to settle for fifth in the standings.
Going into the last race of his maiden season in endurance racing with a very realistic chance of battling for the coveted championship with team-mate Michael Caine, the 32-year-old Omani was confident of a strong conclusion to the campaign.
Contact not of his making though, little more than 20 minutes into the two-hour encounter, led to an enforced spin at the Melbourne Hairpin from which there was no way back into title contention for the Oman Air, Oman Ministry of Sports Affairs, Oman Ministry of Tourism, Nawras, National Bank of Oman and Muscat Eye Laser Center-liveried Porsche 997 GT3R.
Even so, the team-mates each mounted a stellar charge in their respective stints to end the race in 12th position and they round-off the year with heads held high after a tremendously successful season which delivered two race wins and points finishes in all but the final race.
“We ended the race in a strong position, we moved up from where we qualified and, as ever, the team did a fantastic job”, reflected Ahmad, “There was absolutely no blame on us when we were hit in my stint and that put us a long way down in terms of positions and the gap to the lead cars. I did my best to bring it back, I did bring the gap down, and I was happy with my performance.
“Looking back over the season as a whole, it’s been great for Oman Air Motorbase. We’ve had two wins, lots of points finishes and even though we had the weight penalty in the car all year we still managed to arrive at Donington with a chance of the title. The guy who hit us did get penalised, so justice was done there, but it didn’t help us.”
Beginning round 10 from 18th position on the grid, Ahmad made a clean getaway from the rolling start and quickly gained a position before mounting a challenge for 16th on the Barwell Motorsport Aston Martin of Mark Poole. On lap three, with Poole defending hard and the mid-pack closing up at Melbourne Hairpin, it all got a bit scrappy but Ahmad managed to emerge in 16th place.
Taking 15th on the next tour, he was nudged back again on lap five before regaining the position on lap nine following a spin for the Porsche of David Ashburn on the run to Coppice. Following a brief Safety Car period, racing resumed on lap 12 and Ahmad again searched for a way past Poole’s Aston but just one lap later the Omani’s hopes were in tatters.
As he turned in for the tight right-hander at Melbourne, Ahmad’s Porsche was unceremoniously tagged from behind after the Preci-Spark Mercedes AMG SLS of David Jones tangled with Steve Tandy’s BMW Z4. The resulting spin, and subsequent delay in being able to get going again, dropped Ahmad out of the top 20 but he fought back tenaciously.
Climbing back into 15th position prior to the pit window opening, he remained on track until the end of lap 37 when he handed the car over to Caine from second – a placing gained as a result of the majority of front-runners having already served their mandatory pit-stops. Rejoining in 14th position, Caine elevated the team into the top 12 before the chequered flag on lap 76.
“We battled hard all year and I’m very happy with how my first season in endurance racing has gone”, said Ahmad, “We had incredible support throughout and this weekend a lot of Omani students from all over the UK – from Cardiff, from Norwich, from Leicester – all came to support us which was great. I’m really grateful to them and to my amazing sponsors for a great season.”
Final 2013 Avon Tyres British GT Championship Standings:
5th Ahmad Al Harthy/Michael Caine, 97pts
Final 2013 Avon Tyres British GT Championship Team Standings:
6th Oman Air Motorbase, 100pts
