Qatar resident Charlie Frijns has set his sights on even greater racing success after a strong performance in the Porsche support races at the Bahrain Grand Prix in the last few days.
The Middle East’s leading racers were back on the track for the special Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East showdown this past weekend, as the series took on the role of official support race for the 2016 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.
Frijns built on the success of his season in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East with another strong display in both of the races against a field which boast drivers from eleven countries, including host nation Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Frijns finished third in both the races.
The racers enjoyed the motor sport experience of a lifetime competing across three categories and over the challenging 5.4km GP circuit at Sakhir, in front the region’s passionate fans and from behind the wheel of the stunning Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.
For Frijns, the task at hand is now to take his strong season of performances and continues progression in the Middle East into Europe this summer and he has high hopes of delivering similar results.
A huge opportunity for developing drivers, continental competitions such as the Porsche Supercup have been the breeding ground for future Porsche professional drivers. After competing with some of Europe’s and the region’s top talent in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East Frijns is hoping to continue his own career development and also demonstrate how fellow young drivers can follow his path to success.
Speaking after the Bahrain F1 support race weekend, he said: “The weekend went really well, I was very motivated going into the weekend and coming off the back of a strong season in the Porsche GT3 Cup Middle East, I had a strong practice and qualifying, and managed to start both races in third position on the grid.
“In the races I started really well and then after a couple of mistakes lost a few positions. I continued to fight at the front of the pack and it was great for all the fans to see. It was an amazing atmosphere and a really strong grid with some of the Porsche junior drivers making it a tough race at the front. Overall I was happy with my performances and I continued to show I have the speed and the consistency to improve my driving.
“This weekend was really important for me, as now I will be taking my car to Europe to compete in the Porsche Supercup and Carrera cup and I can continue to build on my successful progress this year in the Middle East and continue to improve my racing career.”