British driver Tom Oliphant took the second race of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East Season 9 in one of the most intense battles for first place ever seen in the
series.
Starting from fourth on the grid at Bahrain International Circuit today, Oliphant delivered a masterclass in overtaking as he passed all three drivers ahead of him in a show of persistence and patience.
The British driver successfully challenged Charlie Frijns of Qatar at the first turn while simultaneously fending off Saudi driver Fahad Algosaibi. He then took off in pursuit of Al Faisal Al Zubair of Oman in second and Zaid Ashkanani of Kuwait in first.
Clocking the fastest laps of the race early on, Oliphant ended up bumper-to-bumper with the top two for five solid laps before he took advantage of mistakes made by both on the exact same corner.
Qatar-residents, Charlie and Rob Frijns were among the 17-strong grid for Race 2. The father and son team, who have featured in the championship for more than five consecutive seasons, had a tough weekend on the track.
Charlie started from third on the grid in Race 1 and 2, but struggled to start well and keep that podium place. Father Rob saw his second race take him to third spot on the Bronze category podium.
Commenting on his first win in the championship, Tom Oliphant said: “That is my first win ever in a Porsche, so to say I’m over the moon is an understatement. I woke up this morning feeling confident, like this was more of a race that I could win than the one last night.
“I don’t know why, but I knew that the extra heat during the day would help the tyres and I would be quick. I let Al Faisal and Ashkanani fight ahead of me as I knew I had to be patient before I made my move. It feels great to take first and second place this weekend and puts me in a strong position going into Round 2 in
Dubai.”
Speaking after Race 2, Charlie Frijns of Qatar said: “This weekend was not my weekend unfortunately. I had another slow start today and was having problems getting into my usual rhythm. I always knew that it was going to be tough coming up against the drivers in the Gold category this season, who have been performing well and driving across the summer. Fortunately for me we have another 10 races so there is plenty of time to put this right. I am happy for my father who finished on the podium in the Bronze category – he drove well and collected some vital points for our team.”
After the race Walter Lechner, the owner of Lechner Racing, and founder and manager of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East said: “It has been an action-packed weekend here in Bahrain and the perfect way to launch the new season and new Porsche GT3 Cup car to the Middle East. This weekend’s races have shown that there are many different drivers able to challenge for the podium in each category, and that is exactly what we want.
“Both races were intense, but remained clean and fair throughout which is a testament to the level of skill these drivers have. Myself and the team are happy to have Season 9 of the championship underway and look forward to resuming the action in Dubai on the 8th and 9th December.”
Season 9 sees drivers hailing from Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Sweden as well as returning and new local stars from the Middle East region representing Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and
Kuwait.
The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East consists of six race weekends with 12 races over a period of six months.
The championship will resume at the Dubai Autodrome on December 8 and 9.