Saudi Arabia’s two front running Princes plan a cautious approach to the next leg of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East which sees them protecting an impressive early championship lead on home territory this week.
When the new one-make race series got under way at Bahrain’s Grand Prix circuit last month, Prince Abdulaziz Al Faisal and his cousin, Prince Khalid Al Faisal, were in dominant form, scoring a double one-two success in the first two rounds.
But after that perfect start for the Al Faisal Racing team-mates which left them with a ten-point series lead, they are keeping their feet firmly on the ground and will take no risks in the third and fourth rounds taking place at Reem International Circuit outside Riyadh on Wednesday and Thursday (January 6-7).
“The result in Bahrain was the best we could have achieved and it’s given us a good lead in the championship,” said round two winner Prince Khalid. “It’s also given us a lot of confidence, but our strategy this week is now totally different.
“Our goal is to take the title, and so we won’t be pushing hard to win here. We’d like to do that, but we don’t want to take risks and throw away the lead we’ve got. ”
Sponsored by Michelin and Mobil 1, the 12-round series is giving a world competitive debut to the 2010 model Porsche GT3 Cup cars, which share the Reem stage with the Chevrolet Supercars Middle East Championship during the circuit’s first of its kind “Speed Weekend.”
Third placed Bandar Alireza and his Bison Reem Racing team-mates, Bandar Alesayi, Raed Abuzenadah and Faisal Binladen, are determined to make the most of their superior local knowledge of the demanding new circuit which is getting its first taste of international race action this week.
Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman bin Rahid Al Khalifa, teenage star Fahad Al Gosaibi, and UAE driver Khaled Al Qubaisi, will also be aiming for better fortunes at Reem after suffering disappointments in Bahrain.
“The Reem team definitely have an advantage because this is their home circuit and they’ve done a lot of testing here,” confessed Prince Khalid. “But we’ve driven here quite a few times so we’re familiar with the circuit as well and we’ll have an advantage over Sheikh Salman and some of the other drivers.
“The Reem circuit is more demanding and more technical than Bahrain because of the undulations and the variations which put more pressure on the driver and the car. You’re always working hard.”
After a double twist of fate in Bahrain, Prince Khalid is even more acutely aware of how the unexpected can influence results in motor racing. “In the first round I hit Sheikh Salman and he went out of the race. Then in round two I was hit and almost knocked off the track, but I managed to recover my position and go on and win the race,” he said.
“You never know what’s going to happen in racing. You just accept these things. It’s very early in the championship and we’ll try to drive safely and keep picking up enough points to win it.”
The Porsche GT3 Cup drivers will have four 30 minute test sessions as well as a free practice session tomorrow (Tuesday) before the more serious business gets under way on Wednesday morning when another practice session will be followed by mid-day qualifying for the third round of the series starting at 3.05pm.
