Doha: Kuwait’s Zaid Ashkanani made it two wins out of two in Qatar as he once again led from start to finish in Race 2 of Round 4 of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge at Losail International Circuit.
With the twin wins Ashkanani reduced the gap between him and the series leader Clemens Schmid down to six points at the top of the drivers’ standings.
Round 4 represented the symbolic start of the second half of the season with the drivers once again being tested on the floodlit track just a night after Race 1 which, in a rare turn of events, finished with the same top three drivers on the podium in exactly the same positions; Clemens Schmid of Al Nabooda was second with Fahad Algosaibi of Classic Arabia third.
Despite practicing in the warm Doha sun, the racers qualified and competed in night conditions making Qatar one of the most technically challenging races in the series.
After winning in almost identical conditions the day before Ashkanani won two races in a row for the first time since joining the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East almost three years ago. Ahead of Race 2 the Kuwaiti posted the fastest time of the entire weekend in qualifying, and proceeded to show real racing talent as he defended his position from Fahad Algosaibi and Clemens Schmid. With the pair behind seeming to have a little more pace than Ashkanani in the early stages, the young Kuwaiti found his power in the later laps and built a healthy advantage to take the chequered flag with room to spare. The win means Ashkanani now sits six points behind Schmid in the overall championship with four more races to go in the season.
The Peninsula
