Ashkanani debuts in regional race champ’ship Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge kicks off on Nov 29-30
KUWAIT CITY, Nov 25: Kuwait’s Zaid Ashkanani cannot wait for the opening rounds of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East, the most competitive and professional motorsport series in the region after a productive weekend of testing at the Bahrain International Circuit. Sixteen drivers put mileage on the all-new stunning Porsche 911 GT3, which debuts in a regional race championship for the first time anywhere in the world, with two three hour practice sessions in Bahrain, as they acclimatised to the new car in the build-up to the opening race weekend on Nov 29 and 30. After an impressive debut campaign in 2012-13, Ashkanani produced the ideal results heading into the opening weekend of the season at the Home of Motorsports, recording the second quickest lap with a time of 2:04.316. The Kuwaiti was delighted with his work and how he has familiarized himself with the stunning new car.
Ashkanani said: “I am ready for the new season this weekend in Bahrain. The preparation work I did with the team and the targets we wanted to meet were accomplished. There are some small details we want to work on leading up to Round 1 but I am prepared and relaxed. The new car is amazing with great handling capabilities and speed. I cannot wait for the real action to begin and am totally confident I can produce the goods and meet expectations after my debut season.” Regarded as the purest form of racing the new season with a new look promises to be the most exciting yet. Once again all drivers will be competing in identical Porsche 911 GT3 Cup over 12 rounds of racing between November 2013 and March 2014. Six intensely competitive race weekends will once again be hosted at the region’s leading circuits in Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Zaid Ashkanani will line up on a world-class grid featuring a number of past champions, veterans and home grown future stars for the opening rounds of the new season on the 29th and 30th November 2013 at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) as part of an illustrious World Endurance Championship weekend. All drivers will pilot the new fifth generation 911 GT3, a pure-bred sports car that has set new performance records. The new 911 GT3 Cup features a 3.8-litre flat-six engine producing 460hp. For the first time ever, the car comes with a newly developed Porsche six-speed sequential gearbox with an electro-pneumatic paddle shift system making gear changes even faster. The result, one the most iconic and successful race cars in the world just got even quicker.
Created to encourage Arab talent and offer a platform into the world of international GT and sports car racing, the series has already proved vastly popular amongst local drivers. The championship is based on the highly successful Porsche formula for one-make series racing the challenge gives every driver an equal chance to compete, racing in identically constructed Porsche GT3 Cup cars. For the full race schedule, driver profiles or latest news on GT Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East please visit the official website: www.gt3cupchallenge-me.com or follow series’ news at www.facebook.com/porscheGT3CCME or on Twitter @PorscheGT3CCME