[gallery td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="40417,40416"] BAHRAIN — Al-Faisal Racing capped off a successful Season 7 of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East with strong performances from both Saudi drivers in their respective categories in what was the final race of a thrilling edition at Bahrain International Circuit recently. Abdulaziz Al-Faisal started from sixth on the grid following a qualifying session on old tires, but with a fresh set on for Race 2, the former champion flew off the starting grid to secure a spot in the top three. Al-Faisal then managed to maneuver his way past a wary Jeffery Schmidt on the opening corner to take second. After stating that only a win would be good enough for the Saudi driver in Race 2 of Round 6 in Bahrain, Abdulaziz applied the pressure on Irishman Cullen who stood between himself and a top three finish in the overall driver's standings. Al-Faisal did everything in his power to get close enough to the frontman for an opportunity to overtake but Cullen had his own thoughts of how the day would end, ultimately with Al-Faisal in second place. Crossing the finish line as runner-up in Race 2 of Round 6 and pleased with his performance, Abdulaziz said: "It feels good to finish in second place for the last race of the season. I had a poor qualifying which saw me start in sixth place on the grid, but we gambled with the strategy and we went with the used tires for qualifying and used the new set for the race, which seemed to have paid off. "I wanted to win here but I am happy with second place and a performance that I am proud of to cap off the season." Brother and teammate, Saud Al-Faisal made it four podiums out of a possible four in Bahrain for Season 7 and a second place finish in his class saw the young driver take the driver's title for the silver category, a huge accomplishment for the aspiring talent in his debut season of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East. Speaking after Race 2, the silver category champion Saud said: "I really couldn't have wanted any more for my first season in the championship. It has been an amazing experience to not only drive alongside my brother Abdulaziz but to compete against such talented drivers from across the Middle East and Europe." Al Nabooda's Racing star Jeffrey Schmidt won the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East Season 7 courtesy of a fourth place finish in the final race. After dominating the season the deserved victory in the championship capped a wonderful weekend of racing for the UAE team. Zaid Ashkanani joined teammate Schmidt on the podium as he finished the series second in the driver's standings with Ireland's Ryan Cullen third at the end of a pulsating season. The final race was won by Ryan Cullen of Ireland, who was closely followed over the line by Saudi Arabia's Abdulaziz in second and Qatar-based emerging star Charlie Frijns in third. Regarded as the purest form of racing, every lap and every corner of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East counts. Qualifying is split by hundredths of seconds and racing is pushed to the limits with driver talent and race craft the difference between winning and losing as all drivers competing in identical fifth generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cups.
