Biggest event in global endurance racing awaits Oman's Al Harthy: The 24hrs of Le Mans
Global motorsport's greatest and most challenging race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the famous Circuit de la Sarthe in France, is mere days away for Oman's Ahmad Al Harthy who intends to mount a major bid for silverware with team-mates Valentino Rossi and Kelvin van der Linde.
Marking the halfway stage of the FIA World Endurance Championship season, round four of the 2025 campaign, this year's visit to Le Mans – the race begins on Saturday, 14th June – will be Al Harthy's third attempt at the endurance racing classic where he is a past podium finisher.
Memorably, of course, he made history on his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut back in 2023 when racing to a sensational second place result in the then GTE Am class – success which he happily dedicated to his Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq.
Now competing in LMGT3, the successor to GTE, the Omani's second season with Team WRT in the No.46 BMW M4 LMGT3 has been impacted by some misfortune but there has been celebration as well thanks to a fantastic second place – a mere 0.3 seconds shy of victory – at Imola in Italy in April.
Climbing to sixth in the LMGT3 standings at that point, having had to settle for 11th place during the season-opening event at Lusail in Qatar, a podium bid last time out at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium ultimately became ninth due to a pit-lane speed limiter glitch which resulted in a luckless penalty.
While there have been frustrations with some of the misfortune, the overall pace and performance across qualifying and race conditions from the Team WRT entry has been outstanding and Al Harthy himself has been extremely satisfied with the level of his own personal performance thus far.
Supported as always by OQ Group, Sohar International, Omantel, Oman LNG, BMW Oman, Oman Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and Experience Oman, Al Harthy is very much looking forward to welcoming plenty of key partners to the 93rd staging of the 24 Hours of Le Mans later this week.
This year's race entry features a combined total of 62 cars across the Hypercar, LMP2 and LMGT3 classes, with 24 in LMGT3 alone – the biggest class of the three. The No.46 BMW LMGT3 will be battling competition from the likes of Aston Martin, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Lexus, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche.
Ahmad Al Harthy said, 'Le Mans is always the biggest event of the year, not just in WEC but in motorsport as a whole, and it truly is an incredible honour to again represent Oman at such a prestigious, famous and historic race. It was the proudest moment of my career to climb the podium in the 24 Hours of Le Mans a couple of years ago on my debut in the race, truly an amazing moment to see the Omani flag fly.
'We're working as hard as we can to be back on the podium this weekend, and with Vale and Kelvin we're pushing as hard as ever to prepare as strongly as possible for the race. It's going to be an amazing week building-up to the race, I can't wait to get started.'
Free practice begins at Le Mans this Wednesday, 11th June, with qualifying then getting underway at 18.45 local time – the fastest 12 cars progressing to Hyperpole at 20.00 on Thursday, 12th June. In between these sessions there will have been two further practice runs. Hyperpole for this year sees the top eight progress to a second Hyperpole session to determine the first four rows of the grid.
More night-time practice follows before a day away from track action on Friday, 13th June. Warm-up for the big race takes place at midday local time on Saturday, 14th June, with the 24 Hours of Le Mans beginning at 16.00 local time. Follow everything at www.fiawec.com or www.24h-lemans. com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times of Oman
5 hours ago
- Times of Oman
Oman's SailFree Para Sailing Team Triumphs at Hansa UK National Championship
Muscat: Oman Sail's SailFree national para sailing team, which comes as part of the SailFreeprogramme, in partnership with bp Oman, has achieved remarkable success at the Hansa UK National Championship in Weymouth, securing 2nd and 3rd placements on the podium against international competition. The SailFree squad demonstrated exceptional skill with Ali Said Al Ghusaini and Sami Salim Al Sulaimi claiming second place, while Hasan Haidar Al Lawati and Adil Salim Al Siyabi earned third place honors. Four Omani crews participated in the event, including Sultan Mohammed Al Wahaibi, AlMuthana Hamed Al Maamari, Zaher Khalfan Al Atbi, and Raiyan Abdullah Al Mujaini, showcasing the nation's growing para sailing talent. The team was led by Nasser Salim Al Maashari, with coaching support from Haitham Saif Al Wahaibi and Akram Adaiyam Al Wahaibi. Khamis Al Anbori, Acting Commercial Director of Oman Sail commented: "This outstanding performance reflects the dedication of our sailors and the strength of our development programme. These athletes continue to prove that sailing is a sport for all, and we're proud to see them representing Oman on the international stage." Ibrahim Al Hinai, Social investment manager at bp Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar further commented: 'The team's success follows the recent launch of SailFree's second edition this year, which continues the programme's pioneering role as the Middle East's first para sailing initiative. The programme was first established in 2019 and since thenSailFree has become a regional model for inclusive sports development, having already introduced over 200 athletes with disabilities to competitive sailing. It is worth noting that the SailFree team will compete in several major events including the Oman Sailing Championship, Mussanah Race Weekand the inaugural World Sailing Inclusion Championships. Full results are available at:
Times of Oman
5 hours ago
- Times of Oman
HH Sayyid Ali Al Said seals FEI Endurance World Championship berth in AlUla
MUSCAT: Oman's endurance rider His Highness Sayyid Ali Ghalib al Said secured a slot in the 2026 FEI Endurance World Championship finals which will take place in AlUla city in Saudi Arabia next year following his successful completion of the prestigious Buchen 160km international endurance race in Germany recently. The race, conducted under the supervision of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), was a crucial qualification milestone and a challenging test for elite riders. This marks the second time that HH Sayyid Ali officially qualified for the World Endurance Championship finals and it is showcasing his remarkable presence on the global endurance stage. HH Sayyid Ali completed the six-phase 160 km course which was divided into several segments including 35 km, 25 km, 35 km, 25 km, 20 km, and 20 km in aboard through horse Attila with a timing of 10 hours, 23 minutes, and 20 seconds. The race, which began at 5:30 AM and concluded by 7:20 PM, featured particularly tough weather conditions with temperatures reaching 31°C and it was demanding strategic endurance, heat management and expert horsemanship. The competition included elite riders from nine different countries and this leaded for further underscoring the international competitive intensity of the event. This achievement followed an intensive training camp that spanned several weeks, focusing on both physical and technical preparation for the rider and the horse. The high-level conditioning enabled HH Sayyid Ali to excel in one of the most demanding endurance races of the season. HH Sayyid Ali dedicated this qualification to His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik and to His Highness Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham al Said, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, in recognition of their unwavering support and patronage for equestrian sports and Omani riders. In his remarks following the race, HH Sayyid Ali expressed his deep gratitude to the organising committee, the veterinary and technical teams, and all those who contributed to the success of this journey. He affirmed his commitment to continuing his preparations and representing the Sultanate of Oman with pride and excellence at the 2026 Endurance World Championship Finals.
Times of Oman
a day ago
- Times of Oman
Royal Cavalry riders qualify for World Endurance Championship
Paris: Horse riders Saleh bin Salim Al Balushi and Hussain bin Ali Al Farsi from the Royal Cavalry (RC) have qualified for the World Endurance Championship 2026, scheduled in Al Ula City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The two riders have qualified in the competition at the French Compiegne Horse -racing organised by the World Equestrian Federation for 160 kilometres. The race saw tough competitions and a wide participation of horse riders from different countries competing in six stages; the first for 32 kilometres, the second for 30 kilometres, the third for 28 kilometres, the fourth for 21 kilometres, the fifth for 28 kilometres and the sixth for 21 kilometres. Earlier two other horse riders; Mahmoud Al Foori and Hisham Al Farsi from the Royal Cavalry, have qualified for the upcoming World Endurance Championship, bringing the total number of RC horse riders qualifying for the World Endurance Championship 2026.
