Abu Dhabi: Khalid Al Qubaisi and Saeed Al Muhairi have been handed a one-off opportunity to compete in the final leg of the Audi R8 LMS Cup at Yas Marina Circuit this weekend.
The one-make sprint race is being held in the UAE capital for the first time, while the TRD 86 Cup Gulf 12-hour race will be held simultaneously. Another Emirati, Farhan Al Bastaki, will compete in the latter under the sponsorship of KBS Communications and OBS Group.
Al Qubaisi and Al Muhairi will be sharing the Audi Middle East team car and will participate in a race each, with the first held on Friday and the second on Saturday. Their car number will be 43, in honour of the recent 43rd UAE National Day.
The 2014 season has already seen races in China, South Korea, Malaysia, Japan and a four-way battle is on for the top honours.
Malaysia’s Alex Yoong is leading the overall classification with 156 points, seven ahead of Adre Couto of Macau. Rahel Fery (121) of Switzerland and Cheng Cong Fu (112) of China also have a shot at the title.
In all, 51 points are up for grabs from the two races and Friday’s pole position run. The races will be run over two rounds of 15 laps each, with each team comprising two drivers.
Though this is a last-minute switch for Al Qubaisi and Al Muhairi, both Emirati divers were confident they can put up a good show in front of their home fans.
“We have a disadvantage maybe as we have not driven the car. But it handles really well, so it will be easy to adapt — maybe a good half an hour behind the wheel will ease things,” said Al Qubaisi, who was the first Emirati to be part of a winning team at the 24 Hours of Dubai.
“Home advantage is a huge plus and I feel that evens things out. Yes, our competitors have been racing the whole season, but I still feel knowing the track will help.”
Al Muhairi was confident he could make good use of his experience of racing similar cars.
“The car is somewhat similar to what was in America in the 24 Hours in 2012. The major advantage is that we know the track well and that is what we are looking to exploit. Once you are the race driver all you need is half an hour to get used to the car. From my side, I feel it will be okay,” he said.
Trevor Hill, Managing Director of Audi Middle East, said: “We are excited to announce the entry of these two successful Emirati racing drivers in the highly-contested Audi R8 LMS Cup this weekend. They are two of the finest racers in the Emirates.”
