MANAMA — Saudi drivers enjoyed a remarkable day at the Bahrain International Circuit here claiming first and third places in the opening race of the final round of Season 6 in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge. A heroic performance from Bandar Alesayi saw the experienced driver improve from second on the grid to win for the first time this season. Fahad Algosaibi of Saudi Arabia was also equally impressive in reaching the podium, securing third place having only qualified in sixth position. The Saudi drivers chose their moment to hit the front with outstanding drives that no one could have predicted after Al-Nabooda Racing's championship leader Clemens Schmid was forced to retire in the opening lap of Race 1 along with his title rival Zaid Ashkanani. After the race win an ecstatic Alesayi said: “Everyone wants to taste victory here. It's at a critical time in the season and on the biggest stage of all. So, to win here as part of the F1 celebration is extra special. I never expected it but I'm very happy. I know I've got speed and can be quick but sometimes I'm not always consistent. In qualifying I put together a perfect lap with no mistakes. Then after an incident on the opening lap cleared the track of those around me forcing Ashkanani, Schmid and Frijns out, I took advantage of my position at the front. I was comfortable and managed to bring it home.” From the outset all eyes were on defending champion Zaid Ashkanani who started on pole with current championship leader Clemens Schmid fourth after a disappointing qualifying session. As the lights went green Schmid took advantage of a poor Ashkanani start and shot up to second place with his Kuwaiti rival dropping down to fourth. The drivers were not even halfway through the first lap when Ashkanani's wheels locked as he tried to squeeze past Schmid and Frijns into the notorious turn eight, the Kuwaiti knocked into Charlie Frijns with the two forced to retire. Schmid also suffered as he had to come to a complete halt to avoid any collision. The Al-Nabooda Racing driver re-joined in last position and as he tried to make his way through the pack came together with the car of Rob Frijns forcing him to retire from the race. The result means that neither the number one nor two driver scored any points with Schmid still ahead in the championship by 12 points. The UAE resident, however, still has a lot of work to do in Race 2 where he will start from seventh position with Ashkanani on pole once again. Whereas Schmid and his Al-Nabooda Racing team face their biggest challenge is in the team category with Skydive Dubai Falcons overtaking them into first. After avoiding the drama at the front Skydive Dubai's Sheikh Hasher Al-Maktoum worked his way up to second and was able to comfortably hold the position after the safety car was deployed while his teammate Saeed Al-Mehairi took fifth ahead. In addition to the thrilling climax to the season, this weekend also witnessed a hugely significant anniversary for motorsport in the Middle East as Porsche celebrated its tenth year of officially staging support races to Formula 1 in Bahrain. — SG
