Dubai: Al Nabooda Racing’s Clemens Schmid led from start to finish in race one of round three of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East at Qatar’s Losail International Circuit on Friday to strengthen his position at the top of the drivers’ standings.
The UAE-based Austrian finished ahead of Saeed Al Mehairi of SkyDive Dubai Falcons in second, while series defending champion Zaid Ashkanani of Team BuZaid GT finished third. Schmid then went onto qualify in pole for the second race of round three, where he remains favourite.
“That race probably looked easier than it was,” he said. “I had a brilliant start and the guys behind me were fighting really hard for their positions so I immediately got away.
“For the first three laps I focused on saving the tyres. After that I began to feel more comfortable and it was an incredible performance by the car. I’ve never done a race where every lap was within two-tenths so I was really happy. It’s also great to get the 25 points in the bag, which moves me a little bit further ahead in the championship, but there’s a long way to go.”
