Recently crowned champion Zaid Ashkanani claimed an impressive pole-to-flag victory today in race two of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East.
The Bahrain-based championship, managed by Austrian race legend Walter Lechner, has held an exhibition round in support of this year’s Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. Ashkanani’s victory earned him a fine double for the weekend after also winning the meeting’s first race on Saturday. The young Kuwaiti was once again in dominant form, leading from the very start and never wavering. He won in a total race time of 20 minutes 59.555 seconds, while also setting the fastest lap of 2:05.269. Fahad Algosaibi was the runner-up 2.489s behind, while Emirati Saeed Al Mehairi was third 6.315s back to complete the podium. Bahrain’s Mohammed Mattar was classified sixth but could have done better, had he not collided with compatriot Shaikh Salman bin Rashid Al Khalifa midway through the race. Shaikh Salman did not finish.
