Kuwaiti driver stuns champion Schmid in Porsche GT3 race

Sheikh Hasher Al Maktoum takes fourth for Skydive Dubai Falcons

Kuwaiti teenage driver Zaid Ashkanani stunned champion Clemens Schmid at the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East race at Dubai Autodrome on Friday. Courtesy Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge

The Kuwaiti Zaid Ashkanani fought off repeated challenges from champion Clemens Schmid to secure his first victory in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East on Friday at the Dubai Autodrome.

Ashkanani, 19, started out first in the 16-car field and won by 0.913 seconds in what was the most compelling race so far this season.

“It was a tough race and I was concentrating as hard as I could right until the very end,” Ashkanani said. “I learnt a lot from Thursday’s sessions, but the pressure I felt today was huge.

“I feel I can take a lot from this race, and I’m looking forward to building some momentum in the January round in Qatar.”

Schmid, the Austrian driver for Al Nabooda Racing, nearly passed Ashkanani on the final lap, but the Kuwaiti closed the door on the champion.

“I was disappointed with the result,” Schmid said. “We obviously wanted to come first, but Zaid was quick and I didn’t get past him. I feel we did everything right in the race, but I admit that the result could have been worse.”

Abdulaziz Al Faisal of Saudi Arabia was third and Sheikh Hasher Al Maktoum was fourth for the Skydive Dubai Falcons team.

“I have to be satisfied with the result,” Sheikh Hasher said. “I moved up two places from sixth to fourth, but by the time I’d done that the first three were out of reach.”

Christina Nielsen, the Dane, was fifth and Salman bin Rashid of Bahrain was sixth.

The next stop of the season is in Qatar next month.

Earlier, in the NGK competition, Shannon Ward, Rupesh Channake and Alexandros Annivas each won twice in their classes.

Ward was an easy winner in the first Class 1 race, but he was chased home in the second race by Costas Papantonis.

Channake was the victor in Class 2, with Abdullah Al Hammadi and Jonathan Mullen taking turns finishing second and third.

Annivas claimed both Clio Class victories, with Simon Dennis and Peter England second and third twice, respectively.

Abdulaziz Binladen, who was riding a Kawasaki for the Saudi Falcons team, added two more victories on Friday to leave him unbeaten in five starts this season in the motorcycle 600 Class. He won the first race by 15 seconds and claimed the second by 12 seconds.

“Everything is going really well,” Binladen said. “I am going out there and riding as hard as I can, so taking two wins is very pleasing. I love riding this circuit.”

Gautham Mayilvagnan took second place in Race 1 and Mahmoud Tannir was runner-up in the second race.

Allan Boyter gave Kawasaki another winner by winning twice in the 1000 Class, with the Suzuki rider Benterki Walid second twice. In the Rookie Cup, Michael Collins achieved a double on his Yamaha.