Golf Weekly

Reaching a climax

March 14 - 20, 2018
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Gulf Weekly Reaching a climax

The Bahrain International Circuit is ready to stage the final two rounds of Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East as the region’s series comes to a gripping conclusion with the penultimate round of Season 9 set for Friday and Saturday.

Four races remain. Two races to be hosted this weekend and the final two races held in support of the official 2018 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix weekend in April.

Expectations are high, dreams are still alive, and the competition is intense as drivers make their way back to the home of motorsport in Bahrain for the business end of the season. Every single category in the championship remains wide open with only a few points separating the top drivers. 

For Saudi driver Mohammed Al Saud, round 5 is all about closing the gap on category leader Mark Radcliffe, and keeping his dream of winning the bronze category title in his second only season alive.

Al Saud could not race the full season in his debut year so will be racing the final two rounds in Bahrain for the first time. The young driver has done incredibly well to be placed only 8 points behind Radcliffe, especially amongst a category of seasoned drivers.

Al Saud said: “I feel like I’ve turned a corner in my racing career this season, and have really started to notice a difference in my performances. I am getting more and more confident and with each race and closing the gap between myself and the front runners. My confidence has grown, I’m taking more risks, and I think this has shown in the point standings.

“Bahrain is one of my favourite circuits, and I’m looking forward to finishing the season there. I’m hoping to pick up as many points as I can in round 5 and lead the category going into the final round, as part of the Formula One weekend. I’ve been patient over the last season and a half and now I believe it is my time to shine, and I’m going to grab the opportunity with both hands.”

Each driver will ‘drop’ their two lowest scoring races with the overall final championship standings calculated over the best 10 out of 12 races for each driver. Much to delight of fans the series closer than ever and impossible to predict.

Championship leader Tom Oliphant (192 points) is 19 points ahead of closest rival Al Faisal Al Zubair in the defining battle of the season with more drama expected this weekend.

British star Oliphant has ruled himself out of the final round of the season in early April due to an existing racing commitment in Europe but the impact is limited since only 10 races count.   

So far the results tell an emphatic story of dominance and consistency for Oliphant in Season 9. He has not finished outside of the top two positions, winning 4 out of the 8 races completed. But if he’s to become champion he’ll need to win his final two races.  

Oliphant said: “This weekend is huge for me. My season finishes. It’s still in my hands. All I can do is go out there and try to win both races as that will be enough to clinch it.

“It’s a shame I’m not able to complete the series, as it would be a career highlight to race in support of the Formula 1 weekend with the championship at stake. But I’ll be very proud of my achievement if I can win overall at this early stage.” 

Omani Al Zubair (173 points) will need to overturn the 19-point deficit on Oliphant starting this weekend. And, he’ll need to be at his very best for that happen. If Al Zubair is to guarantee winning his debut championship he will be required no less than a minimum of winning three of the final four races and coming no worse than second in the fourth. A daunting challenge by any driver’s standards.

The Bahrain International Circuit will welcome the championship back for the defining moments, and with only 91 points separating the top seven drivers in the overall standings, only eight points separating the top three drivers in the Silver category and 18 points separating the top three in the Bronze category. So literally everything is still to race for.







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