Latest news with #AlFaisalAlZubair
Times of Oman
02-06-2025
- Automotive
- Times of Oman
Sensational Fourth Overall and Gold Cup Victory for Al-Manar Racing by Team WRT's Al-Zubair, Klingmann and Tuck at Monza
MONZA (ITALY): Al-Manar Racing by Team WRT's Al-Faisal Al-Zubair, Jens Klingmann and Ben Tuck delivered another driving and strategic masterclass to finish fourth overall and first in the Gold Cup class at the second round of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup powered by AWS at Monza late on Sunday afternoon. Despite qualifying in seventh, the trio carried out their pit stop strategy perfectly and were able to move through the field during a yellow flag-interrupted three-hour race to finish fourth overall ahead of nine other rivals in the Gold Cup category in their BMW M4 GT3 EVO. It was another proud day for Al-Zubair and the Sultanate of Oman in endurance racing. The Racing Aston Martin was a distant second overall and the Tresor Attempto Racing Audi rounded off the Gold Cup podium. A delighted Al-Zubair said: 'I'm happy to clinch the win in the Gold Cup Category. Honestly, this is a dream come true. Especially because we started the race from seventh on the grid. But the strategy from Team WRT was excellent. We had the speed throughout the weekend, but in qualifying we faced some issues, particularly in Q3. 'Fourth position in the overall classification and winning the Gold Cup category, this was fantastic. I'm very proud to raise the Omani flag high. We are aiming to achieve even more.' From a start position of seventh in the Gold Cup category, Al-Zubair held eighth until a full course yellow brought proceedings to a stop after around 20 minutes. The Garage 59 McLaren had the lead from the CSA Racing McLaren. Action resumed around the half-hour mark and Al-Zubair made up a place to take seventh shortly afterwards. The Omani maintained his composure and was soon up to sixth with the Garage 59 McLaren continuing to lead from the Racing Aston Martin. Herberth Motorsport's Porsche was sidelined after 13 laps. Al-Zubair retained sixth to another full course yellow with around 1hr 50min of the race remaining. The handover to Tuck was a good one and, when action resumed, Tuck held the lead from the Garage 59 McLaren and the Verstappen Aston. The leading six Gold Cup cars were tightly bunched but Tuck retained the lead through 48 laps with 68 minutes of the race remaining. The CSA Racing McLaren had fallen by the wayside after 36 laps. With less than an hour to run there was yet another full course yellow with Tuck still leading. Racing resumed under a green flag with 54 minutes to go and the final changeover to Klingmann was a successful one with the team retaining an advantage over the Aston Martin and the Optimum Motorsport McLaren. A seventh interruption to the race happened with 31 minutes to run and Klingmann holding the lead and a superb fourth overall. But it was a brief stoppage and the German retained his position, only for a yellow to halt the race for the eighth time with just three minutes left of the 84-lap race. Al-Manar Racing by Team WRT carried out a short unofficial test session on Friday with Al-Zubair posting a best lap of 1min 46.840sec. Free practice took place on Saturday morning for the 10-car field and the fastest lap of the session went to the Nordique Racing Mercedes in the hands of Japan's Kotaka Kazuko. Tuck's best run for the Al-Manar Racing by Team WRT operation was 1min 46.345sec and that put the BMW M4 in the middle of the group in fifth. Pre-qualifying saw the Al-Manar Racing BMW down in a subdued eighth with a best lap of 1min 46.694sec in a session won by the Racing Aston Martin. Klingmann carded a best run of 1min 46.101sec in the first of the two qualifying sessions to put the BMW in sixth of the Gold Cup runners. Tuck ran a 1min 45.826sec lap in Q2 and Al-Zubair finished his Q3 stint with a best lap of 1min 46.848sec. With the times collated from the three qualifying stints, the Al-Manar Racing by Team WRT BMW lined up on the grid in seventh with pole position falling to the Garage 59 McLaren from the CSA Racing McLaren and the Racing Aston Martin.
Times of Oman
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Times of Oman
Monza beckons: Al Faisal Al Zubair gears up with Al Manar Racing by Team WRT
MUSCAT: The trio of Al Manar Racing by Team WRT - Al Faisal Al Zubair, Jens Klingmann and Ben Tuck - are all geared up to take on the challenge in Italy for this weekend's second round of the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup powered by AWS at the legendary Monza circuit. The trio, Al Zubair from Oman, Klingmann from Germany and Tuck from Britain, finished on the podium at the opening round at France's Paul Ricard in their BMW M4 GT3 EVO and are hoping for another top-class performance in this weekend's three-hour race that features a third mandatory pit stop. Klingmann was the overall winner of the race last year and he and Al Zubair have already arrived in Italy fresh from their double podium success in the recent Sprint races at Zandvoort in the Netherlands recently. The Monza race weekend has attracted a massive 59-car field across the various classes with the Al Manar Racing by Team WRT trio lining up against nine rivals in the Gold Cup category. The opening round was won by the CSA Racing McLaren crew of Arthur Rougier, James Kell and Simon Gachet and they will be aiming to defend their series lead against the likes of the second-placed Racing Aston Martin, the Garage 59, Optimum Motorsport and Team RJN McLarens, the Tresor Attempto Racing Audi, the Paul Motorsport Lamborghini, Nordique Racing's Mercedes-AMG and Herberth Motorsport's Porsche. Ahead of the race, talented Omani racer Al Zubair said: 'This will be the second round of the Endurance Championship, which I am really looking forward to. I really enjoy Monza. Unfortunately, we didn't finish the race last year because of a collision. We are hoping to have a much better result this time. 'Luckily, I think the BMW is more suited to Monza than the Mercedes. That should be of benefit to us. We are currently second in the championship, overall Sprint and Endurance. So, hopefully, we can have a strong weekend, score solid points and keep up the fight for the championship.' The GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup powered by AWS shares the circuit this weekend with the Lamborghini Super Trofeo and McLaren Trophy Europe. Test sessions will be available on Friday but the first official two-hour practice session is scheduled for Saturday (May 31) from 10.10hrs. Pre-qualifying will then take place from 15.30hrs. An hour of crucial qualifying will get underway on Sunday (June 1) morning from 09.50hrs and the three-hour race fires into life at 15.00hrs.
Times of Oman
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- Times of Oman
Al Manar Racing's Al Zubair and Klingmann claim two podium finishes in Zandvoort sprint races
MUSCAT: Al-Manar Racing by Team WRT's Al-Faisal Al-Zubair and Jens Klingmann picked up a pair of podium finishes in the Gold Cup category at the two one-hour Sprint races in round two of the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Series at Zandvoort in the Netherlands. They guided the Al-Manar Racing by Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO to third overall in race one on Saturday and repeated the feat at the Dutch circuit on Sunday afternoon to remain in contention for the Teams' and Drivers' Championships. Both drivers showcased their potential in both attacking and defensive driving during the course of the two absorbing races. Al-Zubair said: 'Very happy with the result. To come to the first time ever to Zandvoort and to finish P3 in a new car and a new team in the Sprint Championship is something we should be very happy with. On Saturday, we were close to second place but we lost position at the end of race one and finished third. 'Today, we were a solid P3 after a hard fight with the Saintéloc Audi. That made it quite fun. The most important thing now is that we are collecting solid points and we can hopefully continue on this path and secure top spot in the championship.' Victory in the first of the weekend's races went to the Saintéloc Racing Audi with the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari edging out the Al-Manar Racing crew for second place. Klingmann then qualified the Al-Manar Racing BMW in third place for the second of the one-hour Sprint races on Sunday with a best lap of 1min 34.508sec. Pole position went to Chris Lulham in the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari. Thierry Vermeulen of Emil Frey Racing passed the chequered flag to secure the win in race two. The Tresor Attempto Racing Audi finished second and Al-Zubair brought the Al-Manar Racing BMW home in third place just behind Leonardo Moncini in the Audi. Free practice got proceedings underway on Friday morning and the Al-Manar Racing duo got their weekend off to the perfect start by topping the session. They ran the Team WRT BMW for 50 laps and clocked the fastest tour of 1min 34.232sec on lap 17. The Tresor Attempto Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 was their closest rival with a best run of 1min 34.550sec. Pre-qualifying followed in the afternoon and the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari topped the times with a best tour of 1min 34.334sec. Al-Manar Racing's best run was a 1min 35.095sec lap. Saintéloc Racing's Gilles Magnus topped the times with a lap of 1min 33.033sec in Q1 and the Al-Manar Racing BMW was down in fifth place with a best run of 1min 33.930sec. That meant the crew started the opening race from the rear of the Gold Cup grid. Action in the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup resumes at Monza in Italy on May 30th-June 1st.
Times of Oman
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Times of Oman
Al-Manar Racing's Al-Zubair eyes sprint success on his Zandvoort debut
MUSCAT: Al-Manar Racing by Team WRT's Al-Faisal Al-Zubair teams up with Jens Klingmann again to make his racing debut at the Dutch Zandvoort circuit at the second round of the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Series this weekend (May 16th-18th) in the Netherlands. Fresh from winning the second of the two one-hour races at Brands Hatch in England two weeks ago that has firmly put the Omani and his German team-mate into early title contention, the pair again lay faith in the Al-Manar Racing by Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO as they chase Gold Cup honours. Al-Manar Racing by Team WRT currently holds second place in the Teams' Championship, just half a point behind CSA Racing, and are third in the Drivers' Championship (41.5pts) behind Thierry Vermeulen/Chris Lulham (54.5pts) and Arthur Rougier/James Kell (42pts). Al-Zubair said: 'Looking forward to the weekend in Zandvoort. Like the first round, it is going to be a very difficult track. I have never personally raced there before. Luckily, we tested there in March, so a bit of track time definitely helps. 'After a good weekend at Brands Hatch, we go straight to the second round here. We need to keep the ball rolling, keep it consistent and go for the points. That will be important at the end of the championship and that is the target for us.' Bronze Cup entrants bolster the Zandvoort grid to a record 41 cars and join forces with the Pro, Gold and Silver Cup entrants. This is only the third time in Sprint Cup history that the number has exceeded 40. The race weekend will also be shared with competitors in the GT2 and GT4 European Series and the GB3 Championship. Competition for Al-Manar Racing by Team WRT comes from the Saintéloc Racing and Tresor Attempto Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3, the Emil Frey Racing's Ferrari 296 GT3 and the CSA Racing and Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3s. Free practice takes place on the Dutch coastal track from 10.20hrs on Friday (May 16th) and precedes an hour of pre-qualifying from 15.10hrs. The first qualifying session fires into life at 10.0hrs on Saturday (May 17th) and the first of the one-hour races gets underway at 15.00hrs. Sunday's action sees the second qualifying session start at the earlier time of 09.00hrs with race two getting the green light from 14.45hrs.
Arab News
07-05-2025
- Automotive
- Arab News
Rallying-'Mr Dakar' Peterhansel returns with Defender for 2026
Brands Hatch (England): Al-Manar Racing by Team WRT's Al-Faisal Al-Zubair and teammate Jens Klingmann delivered a sensational performance to win the second of the one-hour Sprint races at the opening round of the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Series at Brands Hatch in England on Sunday. After finishing fifth in the first of the two short races, Al-Zubair and Klingmann delivered a masterclass in pit strategy to kickstart their season in the new series with outright victory in the Gold Cup category and sixth position overall in Sprint Race Two at the helm of the Al-Manar Racing by Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO. Al-Zubair said: 'Starting off doing very minimal laps in the Sprint Championship was something to get used to. Brands Hatch is such a difficult track, and we didn't have much running time. There were a few red flags in practice. I think we did a total of 20 laps before we got into qualifying. It was not so easy. 'We started off with qualifying on the wrong foot. We finished fifth in class in the first race and then we won the second race. To jump so many people in the second stint and in the pit stop is something that we should be very happy of. It is good to get a start like this, and we can look forward to the rest of the season.' Al-Zubair began the opening one-hour Sprint race from sixth on the Gold Cup grid but was not able to make headway through the opening laps. Arthur Rougier drove the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari to give the CSA Racing McLaren a brief lead, but Chris Lulham hit the front again in the Ferrari after the mid-race pit stop and driver change. Klingmann took over from Al-Zubair with the sole target of moving up the field, and he managed to sneak ahead of James Kell in the CSA Racing McLaren following the driver changeovers after 23 laps. Lulham continued to lead from Louis Prette in the Garage 59 McLaren as the opening Sprint race headed into its closing stages and on to the checkered flag. Klingmann held on to secure a fifth-place finish for the Al-Manar Racing by Team WRT BMW after 42 laps of racing. Race Two took place in similar cool and overcast conditions in the afternoon. Klingmann took the wheel for the first stint and quickly settled into fourth place behind the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari, the Sainteloc Racing Audi and the Tresor Attempto Racing Audi. Full course yellows failed to prevent Klingmann from maintaining his position, but the damage was done at the driver changeover when the Al-Manar Racing by Team WRT delivered the strategy to perfection and Al-Zubair hit the front. The Omani continued to lead from the defending champions, Sainteloc Racing, and overcame another full course yellow to win Race Two with a margin of just under three seconds to Thierry Vermeulen and Lulham in the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 after 37 laps. Al-Zubair and Klingmann carried out free practice on Saturday morning and ran the Al-Manar Racing by Team WRT BMW for 30 laps. The team carded a best lap of 1 minute 24.186 seconds that put them fifth of the Gold Cup runners. The Emil Frey Racing Ferrari topped the times with a tour of 1 minute 23.178 seconds. Pre-qualifying was next on the agenda, but the Al-Manar Racing duo could only manage a best lap of 1 minute 24.720 seconds, and the bragging rights from the Gold Cup session went to the Garage 59 McLaren with a time of 1 minute 24.122 seconds. Qualifying was split into two sessions, and Al-Zubair managed six laps in Q1. The Omani carded a best tour of 1 minute 24.626 seconds, and that put him in sixth in the stint, with Thierry Vermeulen winning Q1 for Emil Frey Racing with a lap of 1 minute 23.374 seconds. Klingmann fared slightly better in Q2 and was classified fifth in the Gold Cup runners with a best lap of 1 minute 24.012 seconds, with Lulham winning the stint for Emil Frey Racing to claim pole position for the first of the two one-hour Sprint races. Action in the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Series continues at Zandvoort in the Netherlands on May 16-18.
