Saudi brothers and teammates Abdulaziz Al-Faisal and Saud Al-Faisal produced battling performances in the opening race of the final round of Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East Season 7 at the Bahrain International Circuit Saturday. With the outcome of titles for both drivers still to be determined, experienced Abdulaziz Al-Faisal came into the final instalment of the season with a series of podium finishes. The former champion knew that a good result could potentially reduce the gap between himself and the drivers sitting in the top three places of the overall driver's standings. After qualifying fourth on the grid, Abdulaziz knew it would be a tough challenge to close in on nearest rival Ryan Cullen. After a continuous battle with the Irishman, and some impressive defending to keep him from overtaking, Abdulaziz made a small mistake late on in the race to allow Cullen to get ahead of him. The elder Al-Faisal had to settle for fifth place after an intense encounter. The result means Abdulaziz is still only 13 points behind third place Cullen in the driver's standings with one race remaining in the season. Saud Al-Faisal also found himself fighting hard after he fell to the back of the pack following a slight collision with rival Magnus Ohman on the opening turn. The determined driving of the young protégé, a trait witnessed throughout the season saw Saud climb back into the points and hot on the heels of category rival Wolfgang Triller. As the race wore on Saud took to the task admirably and fought hard to earn an overtaking opportunity. Eventually he seized his chance to cross the line in ahead of Triller on the last lap and claim first in the silver category, sixth overall. Back at the front of the race, Al Nabooda Racing of Dubai dominated the top two steps on the podium at the Bahrain International Circuit in the opening race of the final round of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East Season 7. The complete podium saw Zaid Ashkanani win from teammate Jeffrey Schmidt second and Qatar's Charlie Frijns in third. Saturday's result means that Schmidt will be crowned champion Sunday regardless of what happens ahead of him if he can avoid disaster and finish anywhere in the points in the final race.
