Abu Dhabi: Khalid Al Qubaisi came up with an impressive performance in the fourth round of the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, to finish on the podium in third place.
The Emirati champion, who is backed by Proton Competition, Emirates Global Aluminium and Abu Dhabi Racing, set some fast times to give the team a good lead in the LMGTE AM class.
Al Qubaisi and team Proton Competition had started the American race from sixth place but they climbed up the standings to fourth at the halfway mark in the six-hour race. The team of Christian Ried, Klaus Bachler and Al Qubaisi led the way for a while, but eventually had to settle for third.
The UAE driver had his night stints and managed to set some excellent laps behind the wheel of the Porsche 911 RSR to give his side a comfortable lead just two hours before the end.
“I didn’t know much about the circuit as I’ve never been there before, but I enjoyed the track and was very comfortable behind the wheel of our car. Initially we had some difficulties with the car setup but we ended up fighting for the top spot in class,” said Al Qubaisi.
“We always aim for the top results and we were able to show our capabilities of winning in Le Mans and here. Yes, we benefitted from the race circumstances, but we also showed how organised we are.
“Aston Martin enjoyed an advantage in terms of top speed. They fought hard towards the end of the race and we did our best.”
