LE CASTELLET, FRANCE – Ahmad Al Harthy‘s comeback to the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup produced a strong first statement at the season-opening six-hour race at Circuit Paul Ricard, where the No.42 Oman Racing by Century Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO led the Bronze Cup before finishing sixth in class.
From ninth to the lead
The trio of Al Harthy, Calan Williams and Javier Sagrera qualified ninth in Bronze. Al Harthy took the start at 6pm local time and, after an early Safety Car for a first-lap collision, climbed to fourth by lap nine and into the top three before the first hour was out.
A quick first stop let him stay in for a double stint. Early in hour two he passed the No.991 BMW for second, then inherited the class lead when the leading Mercedes-AMG pitted, holding it through traffic as night fell before handing over with just under four hours to go.
Sagrera briefly kept the car in front before losing ground in a tight fight, and Williams brought it home sixth. Longer pit stops caused by blue-flag penalties under the series’ new system cost the team time.
Al Harthy said the car’s pace was encouraging and that rising from ninth to the lead was a promising sign, adding that sixth was a fair outcome given the penalties. Round 2 followed at Monza on 31 May.
Photo: Oman Observer
Sources: Oman Observer, Oman Observer (preview)