Saudi Arabia's Bandar Alesayi rocketed to a sensational second place in Race 1 of Round 3 of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East at Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, with his fellow countrymen and brothers Abdulaziz Al-Faisal and Saud Al-Faisal finishing in fourth and sixth place respectively. Despite the Saudi domination, occupying three of the top six places in the driver's standings, there was no stopping this season's runaway leader Jeffrey Schmidt, who cruised into his fifth consecutive win and reaffirmed Al-Nabooda Racing's domination in the team competition in what was a vintage high-octane start to the spectacle in the UAE capital. Round 3 marked the region's leading one-make race series' long-awaited return to Yas Marina Circuit after a three year absence from the famed home of the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The stunning track is known for its technical turns and long straights which allow for plenty of overtaking opportunities. Bandar Alesayi, a legendary driver within the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East series having featured in every season since its inception in 2008, made his first start in the 2015-16 edition here at Yas Marina Circuit, and instantly found his groove. Speaking after his imposing comeback race, Alesayi said: "The race started very well for me, I lost second position but managed to regain it again after being heavily challenged. It was a strong battle throughout the race but thankfully I was able to hold onto my position. I felt it was a strong performance for my first time out this season and it will be hard to top that in Race 2, but I'll definitely give it a good go." For his countryman Abdulaziz Al-Faisal, another Saudi racing legend, Race 1 culminated in a respectable fourth place after a tight contest for positions: "The first race was a great fight, there was a lot of action and it was a really competitive race. During the race we were very close at the front, I tried to overtake Zaid (Ashkanani) but I just couldn't as the pace was very high and I didn't want to make any mistakes as Ryan Cullen was following closely behind me. I am looking forward to the next race, and hope to challenge for the podium," Al-Faisal said. After securing pole position with the fastest lap in qualifying Al-Nabooda Racing's Jeffrey Schmidt showed all his class to hold off the challenges of an experienced pack in a blistering start, the UAE-resident leading into turn one with the pack as they were when the lights went out. Lap one saw much of the action with Zaid Ashkanani staking a claim for a higher podium spot as he squeezed past Bandar Alesayi into second while Abdulaziz Al-Faisal also managed to get the better of a slightly out of sorts Ryan Cullen to take fourth. A challenging opening saw Charlie Frijns and Wolfgang Triller lose out with Magnus Ohman and KSA's Saud Al-Faisal, the Saudi driver looking to extend his lead in the silver category. As the drivers reached the middle stages of the race KSA's Alesayi managed to claim back second forcing Ashkanani down to third while Charlie Frijns mounted a recovery at the expense of Ohman with the Qatari resident back up eighth. As Cullen desperately battled to gain on Abdulaziz Al-Faisal in the middle of the pack only Frijns was able to move up, this time to seventh, one place behind his starting position, P6. As the closing stages approached the drivers resisted any desperate attempts and the final laps were seen out with no changes in position. Regarded as the purest form of racing with all drivers competing in identical fifth generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cups, the unique one-make series consists of 12 races between November 2015 and March 2016. The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East now heads to Dubai for two rounds across January and February, closely followed by the return to Bahrain in early March which is set to be a thrilling end to Season 7. — SG
