Al Faisal Al Zubair announces a dual programme for the 2019 season

shaheennews
amman/Jordan, October 7: Omani driver Al Faisal Al Zubair has announced his plans for the 2019 season where he will compete in two GT championships supported by German manufacturer, Porsche.
In a special press conference at the Nuqul Porsche Showroom in Amman in the presence of the Omani Ambassador and a large crowd of local and Arab media, Al Zubair revealed details of his programme.
In attendance were eminent personalities, represented by His Excellence Mr. Amer Al-Bashir, representing His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Jordan Motorsport and the Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman In the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, HE Sheikh Khamis bin Muhammed Al Farsi, Acting Ambassador of Qatar in Jordan Mr. Abdul Aziz bin Muhammed Khalifa Al Sadah.
Also present was Walter Lechner, the racing car legend and owner one of the one of best teams in the Porsche Supercup, and the orgainser of the Middle Eastern Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge – the only professional circuit racing championship in the Arab region.
Al Zubair confirmed that he will return to the Porsche GT3 Cup Middle East to defend his crown while he will also continue to race in Formula One’s support event, Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup with the aim to retain his crown in the former while attempt to win the title in the latter.
“I am pleased to announce my plans for the new season amidst eminent personalities here in Jordan,” Al Zubair said. “I will try my best to retain the title in the Porsche GT3 Middle East for the second consecutive year.
“It is the 10th season of the championship and the series is only getting stronger year-after-year. The competition level increases with the global participation which means my work becomes harder, thereby helping me to raise my game.
“As for the Porsche Supercup, it has a been a mixed time but in the last two seasons, we have been improving continuously. My aim is to compete for the top end positions and finish the races inside the Top 10.”
Al Zubair and his team, FZ Racing, chose Amman to launch the programme in the light of increasing motorsport activities including Jordan Baja (a candidate event to join the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies). Also, Jordan is in a great position as a destination for Arab and international motorsport, especially with the media coverage it gets.

Walter Techner also revealed changes to the Porsche Cup GT3 Middle East where three races will be held in the first, third and fifth rounds. The season will include six rounds to be held in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.
AL Zubair thanked the media and the organisers for a fantastic press conference which was curated in a short span of time. Walter Lechner, on the other hand, answered a number of questions including his first visit to Jordan and his plans to develop the championship along with the drivers.
“In the next season, there will be three rounds out of six that will see three races rather than two races as usual which will give drivers more experience and also a chance to gather more mileage while gaining the much needed experience.
“Unlike the last few seasons, we have eliminated the rule which forced the driver to delete their two worst results in order to determine the final positions. This will also drivers to compete for even a single point which will mean all the races will become important.
“Al-Faisal is a talented driver and he has already achieved a lot in his second season at the Porsche Middle East Championship and also the Porsche Supercup. The goal is to continue to work together as he improves his results and performance.
“He has shown a good performance in the last two seasons of Porsche Supercup with remarkable improvement in performance. I hope that in the third season of the competition, he can fight for the top positions continuously and score regular points.
“Al Zubair has the task of demonstrating the capabilities of Arab drivers in this world championship. His strong results will be of great importance in opening the door for young Arab drivers to emerge more and to do more to follow his steps on the international stage.”