Dubai: Clemens Schmid and Oman’s Ahmad Al Harthy, one of the region’s most experienced circuit racing drivers, have teamed up for Al Nabooda Racing for the 2014-15 season as they look to complete a hat-trick of team titles in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East.
Al Nabooda Racing secured a second successive team title in the Porsche GT3 Cup series last season, finishing with a 65-point margin over the runners-up Saudi Falcons. They won the team prize outright in seven of 12 rounds, sharing top place on another occasion and finishing runners-up twice.
Al Harthy, who replaces Karim Al Azhari in the Al Nabooda Racing team, will be returning to the Porsche GT3 Cup series in which he finished sixth overall in the 2011-12 season despite making only a limited number of appearances. He scored his maiden race win in the series that season at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit.
“We’re very pleased to welcome Ahmad to the team and to pair him with Clemens for the first time,” said K. Rajaram, CEO, Al Nabooda Automobiles. “We believe this is a combination which can help us secure the team championship for a third year.
“I’d like to place on record our sincere thanks to Karim Al Azhari, who has given Al Nabooda Racing great service since 2005, and played an important part in establishing the team as the No.1 in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East over the last two seasons.
“We now look forward to the new season with great optimism. We take great pride in the opportunity we have, as the largest single Porsche dealership in the world, to continue promoting the brand’s strong link with motor racing, and its long and successful record in the sport.”
Schmid and Al Harthy will take the wheel of identical brand new 2015 Porsche GT3 Cup Cars when the 12-round, one-make series enters its sixth season, with the first two rounds taking place at Bahrain International Circuit on November 14-15.
