Team Bahrain shine in GT3
Manama : Qatar-based driver Charlie Frijns claimed a sweet victory in the second race of Round 2 of Season 8 of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East at the Dubai Autodrome as Bahrain’s Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa continues to impress in his debut season, finishing off his Dubai race weekend with yet another podium finish.
After the second race, Shaikh Isa said, “I am really pleased with my performance after an amazing start to the race and managed to move up after the first turn and was leading my category. I kept on pushing but made a few small mistakes later on, which saw me drop a position. I had an ongoing fight with one of the Swedish drivers but just couldn’t get past him in the end.”
Finishing third in the Bronze and second in GCC Rookie category was another strong result for Shaikh Isa bin Salman as he keeps on progressing.
Teammate Shaikh Isa bin Abdulla Al Khalifa had a frustrating finish to the weekend being forced to retire after the first lap.
Team Bahrain will look forward to returning to the track in the New Year for round 3 of the championship.
At the front of the grid, and after waiting three years to win his first race, Frijns returned to top the podium for the second time in the opening four races. The Doha-resident started in race from pole position and dominated from the front of the grid to cross the line and take the chequered flag by 6.137 seconds ahead of runner-up, Britain’s Tom Oliphant.
Championship contender and winner of the previous day’s race in Dubai, Ryan Cullen of Ireland finished third, managing to keep rival Dylan Pereira of Luxembourg at bay who finished fourth with UAE-based driver Bashar Mardini continuing to improve in his debut season in eighth position.
The second race was clean and showcased Porsche GT3 Cup racing at its very best, delivering for fans the high-octane action that the region’s most professional series has become known for, featuring 16 drivers from 12 countries.
Just outside the main podium the top six positions were completed by Pereira fourth, Saudi Arabia’s Bandar Alesayi in fifth and rookie star Al Faisal Al Zubair of Oman in sixth.
Championship standings after Race 4 (of 12 races):
1) Charlie Frijns (QAT, Gold, 90 points), 2) Ryan Cullen (IRL, Gold, 90), 3) Tom Oliphant (GBR, Gold, 80), 4) Dylan Pereira (LUX, Gold, 65), 5) Al Faisal Al Zubair (OMA, Silver, 62), 6) Bander Alesayi (KSA, Silver, 59).
GCC Rookie Championship standings: 1) Al Faisal Al Zubair (OMA, Silver, 62), 2) Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa (BRN, Bronze, 40), 3) Shaikh Isa bin Abdulla Al Khalifa (BRN, Silver, 35), 4) Mohammad Al Saud (KSA, Bronze, 30).
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