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Observer
21-07-2025
- Automotive
- Observer
Al Zubair finishes fourth in Misano race track
MISANO, Italy: Al Manar Racing by Team WRT's Al Faisal al Zubair and German colleague Jens Klingmann overcame the disappointment of a first-lap retirement from race one to finish fourth in the Gold Cup category in race two at the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Series on Sunday. At the wheel of their BMW M4 GT3 EVO, the duo performed well in the practice and qualifying sessions at the demanding Misano track in Italy, but Al Zubair was handed a 10-place penalty on the starting grid for race two after the disappointment of the premature retirement from race one. The second race was red-flagged in the early stages and there was a significant delay while circuit Armco was repaired. It developed into the longest one-hour race in history and took 3hr 18min to complete by the time the safety aspect of the circuit run-off area had been secured. Al Zubair eventually handed over to Klingmann for the final 30 minutes but the Al Manar Racing duo could not make further in-roads and had to settle for fourth place in the Gold Cup category and 20th overall behind the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari, the Saintéloc Racing Audi and the race one-winning Garage 59 McLaren. Al Zubair said: 'It was a long race and I think it was a bit difficult because we had a grid penalty to start. We started P32 (overall) but the car felt mega the whole race. We made it up to P21 in my stint but, unfortunately, we lost a bit of time in the pits, about seven seconds, and that dropped us out of P3 in Gold Cup. We finished P4. After collecting no points in the first race on Saturday, it was difficult and not the best weekend for us. We hope to collect more points at the next one and continue the fight for the championship. In race one, there was a bit of contact at turn six between my team-mate Jens, Chris Lulham and Maxime Martin. We were out of the race but we also got a penalty, so to finish P4 today is a result we should be happy with. Having the car working so well all weekend made it even more frustrating.' Al Manar Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO car Al Zubair and Klingmann made the perfect start to their race weekend by topping the times in the free practice session on Friday afternoon. They ran for 49 laps with a fastest run of 1min 33.026sec to lead the way from Emil Frey Racing and Saintéloc Racing. They then went on to top the Gold Cup times in the evening's pre-qualifying session. Klingmann finished first qualifying in second place behind Lulham in the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari and would line up in second place in the Gold Cup category and eighth overall on the grid for the first of the one-hour races. The Garage 59 McLaren was third. But lady luck determined that Klingmann's challenge for honours in the first of the races would be short-lived: after a twilight start, the German was clouted from behind after a few turns of lap one and was only able to limp to the pits with rear suspension damage before the Al Manar Racing BMW was sidelined. The incident also took out pole sitter Lulham and the Briton's demise paved the way for Louis Prette to secure victory in the Gold Cup section for the Garage 59 McLaren after 36 laps of racing. The Monaco driver came home just ahead of Gilles Magnus in the Saintéloc Racing Audi and Leonardo Moncini in the Tresor Attempto Racing Audi. Ricky Collard retired the Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini after 11 laps. The race one disappointment left Al Zubair with it all to do in Sunday morning's qualifying for the second race. Magnus claimed pole for Saintéloc Racing and the Omani settled into fourth place with a best run of 1min 32.952sec after the BMW had been repaired by Team WRT technicians. Unfortunately, Al Zubair was then handed a five-place penalty on the starting grid, as a result of the incident involving his team-mate in race one. A team appeal had successfully reduced the penalty from an original 10-place drop on the starting grid. The 2025 GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Series resumes with round four at Magny-Cours in France on August 1-3.
Muscat Daily
21-07-2025
- Automotive
- Muscat Daily
Al Zubair, Klingmann recover from race one crash to finish fourth in second Sprint Series race at Misano
Misano, Italy – Al Manar Racing by Team WRT's Al Faisal al Zubair and German colleague Jens Klingmann overcame the disappointment of a first-lap retirement from race one to finish fourth in the Gold Cup category in race two at the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Series on Sunday. At the wheel of their BMW M4 GT3 EVO, the duo performed well in the practice and qualifying sessions at the demanding Misano track in Italy, but Al Zubair was handed a 10-place penalty on the starting grid for race two after the disappointment of the premature retirement from race one. The second race was red-flagged in the early stages and there was a significant delay while circuit armco was repaired. It developed into the longest one-hour race in history and took 3hr 18min to complete by the time the safety aspect of the circuit run-off area had been secured. Al Zubair eventually handed over to Klingmann for the final 30 minutes but the Al Manar Racing duo could not make further in-roads and had to settle for fourth place in the Gold Cup category and 20th overall behind the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari, the Saintéloc Racing Audi and the race one-winning Garage 59 McLaren. Oman-based Al Zubair said: 'It was a long race and I think it was a bit difficult because we had a grid penalty to start. We started P32 (overall) but the car felt mega the whole race. We made it up to P21 in my stint but, unfortunately, we lost a bit of time in the pits, about seven seconds, and that dropped us out of P3 in Gold Cup. 'We finished P4. After collecting no points in the first race on Saturday, it was difficult and not the best weekend for us. We hope to collect more points at the next one and continue the fight for the championship. 'In race one, there was a bit of contact at turn six between my team-mate Jens, Chris Lulham and Maxime Martin. We were out of the race but we also got a penalty, so to finish P4 today is a result we should be happy with. Having the car working so well all weekend made it even more frustrating.' Al Zubair and Klingmann made the perfect start to their race weekend by topping the times in the free practice session on Friday afternoon. They ran for 49 laps with a fastest run of 1min 33.026sec to lead the way from Emil Frey Racing and Saintéloc Racing. They then went on to top the Gold Cup times in the evening's pre-qualifying session. Klingmann finished first qualifying in second place behind Lulham in the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari and would line up in second place in the Gold Cup category and eighth overall on the grid for the first of the one-hour races. The Garage 59 McLaren was third. But lady luck determined that Klingmann's challenge for honours in the first of the races would be short-lived: after a twilight start, the German was clouted from behind after a few turns of lap one and was only able to limp to the pits with rear suspension damage before the Al-Manar Racing BMW was sidelined. The incident also took out pole sitter Lulham and the Briton's fall paved the way for Louis Prette to secure victory in the Gold Cup section for the Garage 59 McLaren after 36 laps of racing. The Monaco driver came home just ahead of Gilles Magnus in the Saintéloc Racing Audi and Leonardo Moncini in the Tresor Attempto Racing Audi. Ricky Collard retired the Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini after 11 laps. The 2025 GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Series resumes with round four at Magny-Cours in France on August 1st-3rd.
Observer
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- Observer
Al Zubair, Klingmann claim podium finishes in Zandvoort
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 Sainteloc 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. Sainteloc 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 30-June 1.
Muscat Daily
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- Muscat Daily
Al Manar Racing's Al Zubair claims 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 Zandvoort for the first time and 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 Sainteloc 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 Sainteloc 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. Sainteloc 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.
Muscat Daily
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- Muscat Daily
Oman's Al Faisal al Zubair and teammate Jens Klingmann power to victory at Brands Hatch
Muscat – 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 circuit 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 kick start 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 chequered 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 Saintéloc 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, Saintéloc Racing, and overcame another full course yellow to win race two with a margin of just under three seconds to Thierry Vermeulen and Chris 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 1min 24.186sec that put them fifth of the Gold Cup runners. The Emil Frey Racing Ferrari topped the times with a tour of 1min 23.178sec. Pre-qualifying was next on the agenda but the Al-Manar Racing duo could only manage a best lap of 1min 24.720sec and the bragging rights from the Gold Cup session went to the Garage 59 McLaren with a time of 1min 24.122sec. Qualifying was split into two sessions and Al Zubair managed six laps in Q1. The Omani carded a best tour of 1min 24.626sec and that put him in sixth in the stint with Thierry Vermeuelen winning Q1 for Emil Frey Racing with a lap of 1min 23.374sec. Klingmann faired slightly better in Q2 and was classified in fifth of the Gold Cup runners with a best lap of 1min 24.012sec with Chris 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 16th-18th.
