Qatar-based Charlie Frijns delivered a sensational display to finish in third place in Race 2 of Round 3 of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East at Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi throwing himself back into championship contention as the series reaches the halfway stage.
Round 3 marked the region’s leading one-make race series’ long-awaited return to Yas Marina Circuit after a three year absence from the famed home of the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The stunning track is known for its technical turns and long straights which allow for plenty of overtaking opportunities but it was more of the same from championship leader Jeffrey Schmidt who delivered a masterclass across the round to take two pole positions and two wins from the races. Race 2 saw an Al Nabooda Racing one-two with Zaid Ashkanani joining his teammate on the podium ahead of Frijns.
For the Doha-based youngster, the result shows a return to form and will be a huge boost of confidence as the series moves into its second half. A strong qualifying for Race 2 gave Frijns a good platform but with plenty of hard work required to turn it into the eventual result; third place on the podium.
Speaking after victory in Race 2 of Round 3 Charlie Frijns said: “Race 2 was a lot better and we had to forget about Race 1. I made a very good start but then made one big mistake in lap two and the wheels locked on me so I was worried I had ruined the race, thankfully the car was still ok and I managed to carry on and finish the race in third place. Sometimes you have to take chances when the time is right and today paid off for me and I am very happy to be back on the podium! Hopefully I can push on from here and it’s positive for me that Round 4 is just next weekend. That should allow me to keep my momentum and get more success.”
It was more of the same in Race 2 from championship leader Jeffrey Schmidt who powered to his sixth consecutive victory of Season 7 of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East with yet another pole-to-chequered flag victory. Building a reputation as the best starter in the series Schmidt’s rivals were unable to make any ground on the UAE resident in an opening lap which saw little movement on the tight track aside from the progress of Ryan Cullen, the Irishman missing qualifying two after a clutch problem earlier in the day. Starting from the back of the pack Cullen soared up an impressive six places in the early stages at the expense of Bandar Alesayi, Magnus Ohman, Wolfgang Triller and Saud al-Faisal who was forced from the track, costing him three places.
The early drama was exceeded as a thrilling bumper to bumper contest played out between Charlie Frijns and Abdulaziz al-Faisal, with the Qatari-based driver pressuring hard from fourth as Schmidt and Ashkanani extending their leads in first and second position respectively. With just four laps to go Frijns finally found a way past the former champion and into the podium spot, finishing the weekend of racing on a sensational high.
Regarded as the purest form of racing with all drivers competing in identical fifth generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cups, the unique one-make series consists of 12 races between November 2015 and March 2016.
The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East now heads to Dubai for two rounds across January and February, closely followed by the return to Bahrain in early March which is set to be a thrilling end to Season 7.