The Al Manar Racing Team duo—Omani driver Al-Faisal Al-Zubair and German teammate Jens Klingmann from the WRT team—are heading into the final round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup powered by AWS at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain this weekend.
Confidence High After Previous Victory at Nürburgring
The drivers are full of confidence in their BMW M4 GT3 Evo after their stunning Gold Cup class win in the penultimate round of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup held at Nürburgring in late August.
They also showcased strong pace in the previous Sprint Cup round at Magny-Cours (France) in early August, finishing second and fourth in the two races, respectively, and currently holding fifth place in both the teams’ and drivers’ standings.
Al-Zubair: “Excited to Fight for a Strong Finish”
Omani driver Al-Faisal Al-Zubair commented:
“I’m very excited to continue competing and to participate in the final round of the Sprint Cup, which is also the penultimate round of the overall GT World Challenge Europe season. We’re in a strong position, especially after our recent win at the Nürburgring, and the momentum is high heading into the last two rounds of the 2025 season.”
He added:
“I hope we can finish both the Sprint and Endurance Cups in the best way possible. The team is growing stronger all the time, and I hope this is reflected in strong results and more podiums this weekend. Our goal is to score as many points as possible.”
Valencia to Decide Titles Across All Four Sprint Cup Classes
The Valencia round will witness the championship battles conclude across all four Sprint Cup classes, with 40 cars participating.
In the Gold Cup standings, Emil Frey Racing’s Chris Lulham and Thierry Vermeulen lead with 90 points, ahead of Saintéloc Racing (87.5 points) and Garage 59 (80 points). Tresor Attempto Racing holds fourth place with 73 points, just ahead of Al Manar Racing (WRT) in fifth with 68.5 points.
Fourth Visit to Circuit Ricardo Tormo for the GT World Challenge
This marks the fourth visit of the GT World Challenge to the Valencia circuit, following races in 2021, 2022, and 2023. The 4.005 km track, inaugurated in 1999, is named after Spanish double motorcycle world champion Ricardo Tormo, and is widely known for hosting rounds of the MotoGP World Championship.
Support Series and Schedule for the Weekend
The weekend will also include support races such as the GT2 European Series (Pirelli), Porsche Carrera Cup France, and the Clio Cup.
Private testing is allowed on Thursday, while official practice starts on Friday, September 19, at 9:40 AM local time (11:40 AM Muscat time). The qualifying pre-session will follow at 3:00 PM (5:00 PM Muscat time).
Saturday’s schedule includes qualifying for Race 1 at 9:00 AM (11:00 AM Muscat time) and the race itself at 2:00 PM (4:00 PM Muscat time).
The same schedule applies for Sunday, which will host the final Sprint Cup race of the 2025 season.
Current Gold Cup Sprint Standings – Teams
- Emil Frey Racing – 90 points
- Saintéloc Racing – 87.5 points
- Garage 59 – 80 points
- Tresor Attempto Racing – 73 points
- Al Manar Racing (WRT) – 68.5 points
- Barwell Motorsport – 15 points
- CSA Racing – 9 points
Current Gold Cup Sprint Standings – Drivers
- Chris Lulham / Thierry Vermeulen – 90 points
- Gilles Magnus / Paul Evrard – 87.5 points
- Louis Prette – 80 points
- Sebastian Øgaard / Leonardo Moncini – 73 points
- Al-Faisal Al-Zubair / Jens Klingmann – 68.5 points
- Thomas Fleming – 54.5 points
- Adam Smalley – 25.5 points
- Bijoy Garg / Ricky Collard – 15 points
- Arthur Rougier / James Kell – 9 points
