The rush hits Bahrain

Team Bahrain is all set to compete in the opening round of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East Season 7 and share the limelight during a special weekend of celebration for Porsche, as Bahrain International Circuit plays host to FIA World Endurance Championship’s finale (WEC).

Led by Shaikh Jaber Al Khalifa, Team Bahrain is poised to return to racing and will join elite Porsche works drivers such as Brendon Hartley and Mark Webber, who have descended upon the desert Kingdom’s track at Sakhir.

The leading sports car manufacturer recently reinforced its credentials with further success on the race track at the highest level by clinching its first manufacturers’ world championship since 1986.

After securing the 2015 WEC constructors’ title in the LMP1 class following the penultimate round in Shanghai, Porsche now have sights on adding the drivers’ championship and a potential four titles in total across the WEC season. It is a fitting finale and the ultimate showpiece for endurance racers.

For Bahrain’s Shaikh Jaber to race against rivals such Schmidt, Ashkanani of Al Nabooda Racing and Abdulaziz Al Faisal, this weekend signals the start of a new challenge in the first race of the season and Porsche’s commitment to motorsport in the region.

“I’m so pleased to be back behind the wheel especially at Sakhir. I couldn’t think of a better way to amongst the action and excitement of the climax to the World Endurance Championship. Porsche have had an incredible season dominating from the front in the 919 Hybrids and getting a historic win at Le Mans. As someone who has raced in a Porsche series for several years, you can only take pride in those achievements and be inspired to push yourself,” said Shaikh Jaber.

Over the past seven seasons, the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East has developed into a proven pathway for regional drivers to accelerate their careers on to the biggest stages of racing through intense competition with global motorsport professionals. Much of its success as a standalone series is founded in the efforts of motorsport legend and manager of the Middle East championship, Walter Lechner of Lechner Racing.