Al Nabooda Racing of Dubai dominated 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, with Zaid Ashkanani edging teammate Jeffrey Schmidt for the top spot.
Qatar’s Charlie Frijns, who started the race on pole, finished a credible third after battling hard against the Al Nabooda duo.
In spite of some anxious moments as the two teammates battled for supremacy, it was exactly the outcome the team champions wanted. Both drivers eventually safely returned their cars ahead of rivals and Ashkanani claimed a well-deserved first race win.
Despite the slight disappointment of not adding another race victory to his tally, the result meant that Schmidt moves one step closer to the overall driver’s title.
With only one race remaining, the young driver in his debut season remains 24 points ahead of Ashkanani (224) with Ryan Cullen (210) third. Schmidt will now be crowned champion on Saturday as long as he can avoid disaster and finish anywhere in the points in the final race.
Entering the final weekend, Kuwaiti star Ashkanani held only a slim chance of overcoming Schmidt. But right from the opening corner, the former champion showed his fighting qualities.
After starting from second on the grid, he dived into the lead on the tight right-hand corner and proceeded to control the race despite Schmidt putting him under pressure.
Speaking after the win, Ashkanani said: “I am really happy with my performance today, it’s my first win of the season and it has felt like a long time coming. It was a very tough battle with my team mate Jeffery, he was really putting the pressure on me from behind.”
