After successfully racing for Aston Martin Racing at the penultimate round of the World Endurance Championship that took place in Bahrain last month, Abdulaziz Turki AlFaisal returned to the racing this weekend in Dubai.
AlFaisal took part in the second round of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East at the Dubai Autodrome in preparation for the arduous Dubai 24 Hours race that is scheduled on January 9, 2015.
The two-time Porsche GT3 CCME champion’s weekend got off to a good start as he lead the way on Wednesday’s test session before settling for P6 in Friday’s Qualifying 1.
AlFaisal made an excellent start to the Race 1 and moved up from sixth to fourth, where he eventually finished after a race-long battle for the final podium spot with Sheikh Hasher Al Maktoum.
Saturday’s Qualifying 2 saw ATF clock the third fastest lap, a great position to aim for a possible victories. However, worn tyres during the race killed his chance of a podium finish and the Saudi athlete slipped back to ultimately finish in sixth place.
Despite missing out on the podium in both races, it was still a positive and fruitful weekend for ATF, who took advantage of the Dubai round to collect important data for the incredibly difficult Dubai 24 Hours, which he will contest with Team Black Falcon in a Mercedes SLS AMG GT3.