Clemens Schmid is confident he can retain his Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East title when the new season begins in Sakhir, Bahain this weekend.
The Austrian driver enjoyed a dominant 2012/13 campaign as he won nine out of the 12 races, and he expects to be at the front at the Bahrain International Circuit this weekend.
New cars, with different style gearboxes, will be used this season, and the Al Nabooda Racing driver said the fact he has already driven the new vehicle in this year’s international Porsche Supercup series will help give him an edge in the races on Friday and Saturday.
“I had a full season with the new car in the Supercup so I am aware how it drives,” Schmid said. “It is a very fast car but we need to find the right balance for it in Bahrain.”
As to his chances of repeating last season’s double triumph in the two races in Bahrain, he said: “I’m feeling very optimistic ahead of the opening round.
“We will work on a couple of strategies through the week that we can also implement. Hopefully they will come off and I can get my title defence off to a winning start.”
Schmid was second fastest in pre-season testing behind Saudi Arabia’s Abdulaziz Al Faisal, who was Schmid’s championship rival last season and has won the title twice in the past.
Al Nabooda are also defending the team title, and Vijay Rao, the team manager, said they were focused on repeating that success with Schmid and Emirati driver Karim Al Azhari behind the wheel.
“It was a fantastic effort by Clemens and Karim, and while we’re proud of what we achieved last season we’re not taking anything for granted this time,” Rao said.
“We worked very hard to become the top team in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East, and we’re going to work even harder to hold on to the No 1 position.”
Al Azhari won the final race of last season in Bahrain for his first triumph in the series, and he shares the confidence of his team manager and Schmid that they will be competitive this weekend.
“It’s been a very happy hunting ground for the both of us, and we’re looking to keep the run going to give us a strong start to the season,” he said.
“It’s a circuit we both know well and feel comfortable with, especially after our results there last season. We know it’s not going to be easy and that we’re the ones to beat after our success last season.
“But we’ve prepared well for the new season and can’t wait for it to get under way.”
Skydive Dubai Falcons are among Al Nabooda’s rivals, and Sheikh Hasher Al Maktoum is confident the new cars will improve the racing.
“The new paddle system makes shifting much quicker and gives us more time to focus on the driving techniques such as maximising grip and sticking to the racing lines.
“This feature is sure to make the battle between the drivers even more exciting for the fans.”
Follow us on twitter at @SprtNationalUAE