Last night saw the end of 6hrs Silverstone , first round of World Endurance Championship, 25 minutes short of its original duration due to heavy rains that called on the safety car try out the condition of the British Circuit, and resulted in the decision to wave the red flag and terminate the race in a drawback for the Proton Competition Team who bears the Abu Dhabi Racing emblem, forcing them to suffice in fourth position in the LMGTE AM class just when the opportunity to snatch 3rd was at bay for Khaled Al Qubaisi and teammates Klaus Bachler and Christian Ried.
Despite it being an endurance race of 6hrs, not 12 or 24hrs, the first round of World Endurance Championship season was long and exciting for all, with fierce battles raging amongst all participants in all classes! Halfway through the 6hrs Silverstone Race, eyes were drawn to the heavy-weight rumbling of colossal car makers Toyota, Porsche, and Audi in the LMP1 class, and to the performance of privately owned teams competing in the LMGTE AM class, the likes of Proton Competition, which bears the colors of Abu Dhabi Racing lead by drivers Khaled Al Qubaisi (Supported by Emirates Global Aluminium), Klaus Bachler, and Christian Ried, in a temperamental dry to rainy weather conditions that did little to leash the fierceness of the battle in that category.
The race was off to a sturdy start in dry weather which allowed Klaus Bachler to fetch three positions 12 laps after he took off in 6th and kept momentum an hour later where Khaled Al Qubaisi took turn under rainy skies that were fast to clear and dry the circuit, which forced Al Qubaisi to opt for driving on wet weather tyres to gain momentum that would have otherwise been lost at the pit. “I was driving on tyres unfit for the dry surface”, said Al Qubaisi, noting: “I was in an uneasy situation pushing myself to the extreme to harness the fastest times my wet weather tyres would allow during which the circuit was taking on its natural dry surface. I had to adapt to the pressing situation to save us precious minutes we may have lost driving to the pit”.
An hour and a half later Al Qubaisi yielded the Porsche 911 RSR to team owner, Christian Ried, who was fast in taking turn to keep pressure before returning to the pit an hour and a half before the end of the race to hand over the car to Klaus Bachler who was deputized to fight and finish the race in 3rd position, a mission that saw its doom due to the heavy rains that flooded the British circuit and drowned with it the hopes of car No. 88 drivers Al Qubaisi, Bachler and Ried who ended up tailing the safety car after the red flag was waved to end the race 25 minutes short of its duration.
The second round of FIA World Endurance Championship will be held on 3rd May 2014 at Spa-Francorchamps Circuit in Belgium, which is considered one of the most regal and elegant circuits of the world, and Proton Competition-Abu Dhabi Racing Team is busy preparing to compete for the title at the 6hrs of Spa in the LMTGE AM class.