Schmid, Al Azhari aim to increase their championship grip at Dubai Autodrome

Al Nabooda Racing target record-breaking Porsche GT3 Cup title success

Dubai. The Middle East’s top motor racing series reaches a critical stage at Dubai Autodrome this weekend with Al Nabooda Racing firmly in the driving seat and targeting a record-breaking team title success.

The pairing of Clemens Schmid and Karim Al Azhari head into the penultimate race weekend in the 2013-14 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East with their sights fixed on a  best ever team championship points total and winning margin.

“It’s not going to be easy, but these are the two targets we have set ourselves with four rounds remaining,” said Vijay Rao, Team Manager of Al Nabooda Racing.

“We have a 51-point lead in the team championship, which is ten points more than our eventual winning margin last season. But rather than relax and take things a little easier, we want to keep up the pace we’ve set from the start of this campaign.

“We’re currently six points behind our points tally at the same stage last season, but we hope a big weekend on our home circuit in Dubai, and another strong showing in the final two rounds in Bahrain, can help us set two new records.”

Reigning individual champion Schmid is already 18 points up on his tally after eight rounds last season, and on course to eclipse his eventual total of 276 points, as well as his six-point winning margin.
The fact that Al Nabooda Racing have it within their power to set a series of new records is made even more impressive by the fact that competition in the Porsche GT3 Cup series is now more intense than in any of the four previous seasons.

“This GT3 Cup series is such a strong championship now, and this is what we want to see,” said Al Azhari. “In all top level racing, the slightest improvement in performance by one team sees it suddenly jump up the rankings. Then a race later, another team finds some magic and they jump ahead.

“This is the way it should be. When you have an extremely competitive environment like the one we have now, this is motor sport at its best. We enjoy being part of it at Al Nabooda Racing. In this kind of environment hard work pays off, and we feel we’ve worked harder than everyone else.”

While the team title remains the top priority, Al Azhari, currently lying fifth in the drivers’ standings, has another personal target as he aims to wipe out the eight-point gap to the UAE’s Hasher Al Maktoum just ahead of him.

“The Autodrome circuit is one of the most technical in our calendar,” he says. “We have extreme high-speed sections, but there’s often a lot of sand off the racing line which makes overtaking a bit more challenging and exciting

“I really enjoy racing there, and this weekend my main target is to make sure Al Nabooda Racing increases its grip on the team championship. Apart from that, I’m also looking to retain fourth spot in the drivers’ standings on my home circuit.”

Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East, team standings after 8 rounds:

1. Al Nabooda Racing 314pts
2. Saudi Falcons 263pts
3. SKY DIVE Dubai Falcons 234pts
4. Team Bahrain 167pts
5. BuZaid GT (KUW) 121pts
6. milon Racing (GER) 93pts
Drivers’ championship:

1. Clemens Schmid (Al Nabooda Racing) 196pts
2. Zaid Ashkanani (KUW) 157pts
3. Abdulaziz Al Faisal (KSA) 152pts
4. Hasher Al Maktoum (UAE) 130pts
5. Karim Al Azhari (UAE) 122pts
6. Saeed Al Mehairi (UAE) 107pts