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132847
Wed, 07/14/2010 - 15:34
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https://oananews.org//node/132847
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Abu Dhabi's Al Qubaisi scores championship points on UK debut
Khaled Al Qubaisi, Team Abu Dhabi's Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Emirati driver, put in a strong showing at Silverstone in the UK last weekend to notch up his second championship points in the world's most exclusive one-make car series.
The 5.9kms Silverstone circuit, which is characterised by a number of fast sections pushing drivers to the limit, lived up to its billing and provided a steep learning curve for Al Qubaisi, who spun-out in practice after under-steering his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car.
Yet, after a full mechanic work over, Al Qubaisi - who made his international debut in November at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit - put in a solid race day performance to finish 19th, with a time of 27:16.655.
"The mechanics are the true heroes of this race. They twice worked on my car all night long. I am very thankful for this. I was very aware about not crashing out again so I drove steady and limited the risks I took, which paid off," said the 33-year-old Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA)-backed driver.
Al Qubaisi's team-mates,Sean Edwards and Sascha Maassen, also struggled at the ‘home of British racing', finishing 12th and 13th respectively.
Briton Edwards, who was hoping home advantage would see him notch up a deserved podium finish, started strongly during qualifying only to see his early advantage wiped out when he was disqualified for ‘disrespecting the course' after an overtaking manoeuvre that took him off-track.
The penalty saw Edwards relegated to the back of the starting grid for the main race. Not to be deterred, Abu Dhabi's rising star was keen to make amends and put in a solid opening assault, climbing up to 11th before rival, Tim Bridgman, caused him to run off the track again. In the remaining three laps, Edwards fought back to eventually secure 12th position, and vital championship points.
"In my first lap I overtook at least five cars in front of me. Especially at the end of the race, the car was super fast. I had a lot of fun. Unfortunately, we weren't rewarded with a good position due to the qualifying incident," said the 23-year-old.
"It's annoying. Above all, because the track was really fast and had a lot of grip. Maybe I underestimated my speed when I left track. However, it cannot be changed." And Maassen, one of the sport's most experienced racers with a career spanning two decades, also found the new-look Silverstone a challenge after failing to string together a conclusive driving spell.
"I made a mistake in my first fast lap, which was annoying as the track offered a great deal of grip. In my second fastest lap, the track was unfortunately already more than a second slower due to wear, so I struggled to find rhythm," said Maassen, who finished with a time of 26:02.595, more than two minutes behind race winner, Nick Tandy.
Team Abu Dhabi, which currently sits fifth in the overall standings, was watched by millions of racing fans globally and is the latest ADTA initiative to bolster awareness of the emirate in the UK. – Emirates News Agency, WAM
The 5.9kms Silverstone circuit, which is characterised by a number of fast sections pushing drivers to the limit, lived up to its billing and provided a steep learning curve for Al Qubaisi, who spun-out in practice after under-steering his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car.
Yet, after a full mechanic work over, Al Qubaisi - who made his international debut in November at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit - put in a solid race day performance to finish 19th, with a time of 27:16.655.
"The mechanics are the true heroes of this race. They twice worked on my car all night long. I am very thankful for this. I was very aware about not crashing out again so I drove steady and limited the risks I took, which paid off," said the 33-year-old Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA)-backed driver.
Al Qubaisi's team-mates,Sean Edwards and Sascha Maassen, also struggled at the ‘home of British racing', finishing 12th and 13th respectively.
Briton Edwards, who was hoping home advantage would see him notch up a deserved podium finish, started strongly during qualifying only to see his early advantage wiped out when he was disqualified for ‘disrespecting the course' after an overtaking manoeuvre that took him off-track.
The penalty saw Edwards relegated to the back of the starting grid for the main race. Not to be deterred, Abu Dhabi's rising star was keen to make amends and put in a solid opening assault, climbing up to 11th before rival, Tim Bridgman, caused him to run off the track again. In the remaining three laps, Edwards fought back to eventually secure 12th position, and vital championship points.
"In my first lap I overtook at least five cars in front of me. Especially at the end of the race, the car was super fast. I had a lot of fun. Unfortunately, we weren't rewarded with a good position due to the qualifying incident," said the 23-year-old.
"It's annoying. Above all, because the track was really fast and had a lot of grip. Maybe I underestimated my speed when I left track. However, it cannot be changed." And Maassen, one of the sport's most experienced racers with a career spanning two decades, also found the new-look Silverstone a challenge after failing to string together a conclusive driving spell.
"I made a mistake in my first fast lap, which was annoying as the track offered a great deal of grip. In my second fastest lap, the track was unfortunately already more than a second slower due to wear, so I struggled to find rhythm," said Maassen, who finished with a time of 26:02.595, more than two minutes behind race winner, Nick Tandy.
Team Abu Dhabi, which currently sits fifth in the overall standings, was watched by millions of racing fans globally and is the latest ADTA initiative to bolster awareness of the emirate in the UK. – Emirates News Agency, WAM
