Karim Al Azhari, Al Naboodah Racing last season at Reem Circuit, KSA
Dubai, UAE, October 9, 2012: Al Nabooda Racing will make a powerful two-car assault on the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East next season in pursuit of team honours in the Middle East’s headline motor racing series.
Porsche Centre Dubai, Al Nabooda Automobiles, the authorised Porsche dealer in Dubai and Northern Emirates, announced today that Karim Al Azhari, one of the UAE’s top circuit racing drivers, will be joined by young Austrian star Clemens Schmid in the 2012-13 team line-up.
The two drivers will take the wheel of identical brand new 2013 Porsche GT3 Cup Cars in the 12-round one-make series which launches its fourth season in November.
Al Nabooda Racing contested the Porsche GT3 Cup series for the first time last season, and former UAE GT champion Al Azhari made an immediate impression, grabbing two podium finishes in quick succession after entering the championship at the half way point.
Also making his debut in the series last season, Schmid finished third overall despite missing three of the 12 rounds, scoring six race victories and claiming pole position in each of the nine rounds he contested.
From left to right: Karim Al Azhari, Mr. K. Rajaram, Vijay Rao, and Clemens Schimd
“As the largest single Porsche dealership in the world, we are committed to promoting the brand’s powerful link with motor racing and its long and successful history in the sport,” said Mr. K. Rajaram, CEO, Al Nabooda Automobiles, at an official press conference today. We established Al Nabooda Racing seven years ago to underline this commitment, and the entry of a two-car team in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East next season is a further statement of intent by the company to reinforce our partnership with Porsche, and build on our presence in motor sport. Our aim is to become the leading team in the GT3 Cup series, and in order to do that it is vital that we have the right combination of drivers based on experience, capability and a dedication to help Al Nabooda Racing achieve its objectives.”
Vijay Rao, Team Manager and General Manager, Porsche Centre Dubai, Al Nabooda Automobiles, said: “We’re delighted to have two such capable drivers on board. Karim has had a long and successful association with Al Nabooda Racing and is a Porsche driver through and through, on and off the track.
“Clemens impressed us tremendously with his performances in the Porsche GT3 Cup series last season, both with his driving, and with the way he conducts himself outside the cockpit. He gets on very well with Karim, and together they now form a formidable partnership for Al Nabooda Racing.”
Al Azhari, who is President of the Porsche Club in the UAE, will be aiming to extend a highly successful partnership with Al Nabooda Racing, which saw him win the Gulf Radical Championship in 2005 and 2006, followed by successive UAE GT racing titles in 2007 and 2008.
“I have a fantastic relationship with Al Nabooda Automobiles and I’m looking forward to much more success with Al Nabooda Racing,” said Al Azhari. “I thoroughly enjoyed my first half season in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East which is the most professional series in the region, and allows me to drive the amazing GT3 Cup car.
“Both Clemens and I look forward to driving the 2013 model soon in preparation for the new season. He’s a very talented young driver and will be a credit to Al Nabooda Racing.”
Schmid said: “It’s a great honour for me to be given to the opportunity to join Al Nabooda Racing, and I am very happy to have Karim as my new team-mate.”
“I was very impressed with the high standard of organisation in the GT3 Cup series last season, and by the level of competition, and I’m excited to be joining forces with Karim to bring more success to Al Nabooda Racing.”
The 2012-13 race calendar for the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East will be announced in due course, and as in the previous three seasons racing will take place over six race weekends at the region’s top international circuits.
