Muscat: Championship winning Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Endurance Cup racer Ahmad Al Harthy will make a welcome return to the ultra-competitive GT3 category this weekend, 4th/5th September, for the penultimate event of the season at the Nurburgring in Germany.
Oman Racing’s Al Harthy, a double Pro-Am class title winner in the huge pan-European series, will appear in GT World Challenge Europe for the first time since wrapping-up his second championship victory in the category back in September 2019.
For the coming weekend’s three-hour race at the Nurburgring, the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 driver will be partnered by Northern Ireland’s Charlie Eastwood – with whom Al Harthy won the 2019 Pro-Am crown – and Italian racer Giacomo Petrobelli.
Fresh from podium success in the recent Road To Le Mans races, as support to the world-renowned Le Mans 24 Hours in France, and race victory in the Intelligent Money British GT Championship in August, Al Harthy cannot now wait to be back in GT World Challenge Europe Endurance.
“I’m really looking forward to coming back to the championship previously known as Blancpain, where we had so much success and such great achievements in the past”, said Al Harthy, “I’m also looking forward to coming back into GT World Challenge Europe Endurance with our fantastic new look and livery and, of course, our wonderful new partnerships.
“It’s one of the strongest GT3 championships in the world and I’m really looking forward to teaming with Giacomo for the first time and also reuniting with Charlie, back racing at this level as part of a category Oman Racing has won twice before in the Pro-Am class.”
He added: “It’s a very strong field, it always is in this championship, but we’re aiming to make a strong and competitive challenge as we always do. Nurburgring is a very special circuit and Oman Racing is delighted to be back racing in Germany for the first time since 2016. Hopefully Charlie, Giacomo and I, and the TF Sport guys who prepare the car, can enjoy a successful weekend.”
Supported by partners Omantel, OQ and the Oman Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, Al Harthy’s return to action in GT World Challenge is something he is relishing as he seeks to once again proudly fly the flag of Oman in competition against the premier drivers and teams in Europe.
Following testing at the Nurburgring on Friday, 3rd September, additional free practice will be held on Saturday, 4th September, ahead of pre-qualifying at 12.55 local time. Final qualifying is set to get underway at 08.30 local time on Sunday, 5th September, with the three-hour race following at 14.45 local time.
