AL HARTHY MAXIMISES QUALIFYING PACE TO TAKE THIRD ON GRID AT IMOLA
Published: 05:04 PM,Apr 21,2024 | EDITED : 09:04 PM,Apr 21,2024
AL HARTHY MAXIMISES QUALIFYING PACE TO TAKE THIRD ON GRID AT IMOLA
Rome: BMW M4 GT3 driver Ahmad Al Harthy delivered his best performance of the season so far during qualifying for round two of the FIA World Endurance Championship in Italy on Saturday, by securing a fantastic third on the grid for today’s 6 Hours of Imola.
Having worked hard on qualifying and race performance of the No.46 Team WRT car throughout the three free practice sessions, the Omani and team-mates Maxime Martin and Valentino Rossi hoped for a stellar showing in the LMGT3 qualifying session.
Al Harthy certainly delivered, lapping with the sixth quickest time of 1m43.241 seconds (171.2 km/h) to progress into the all-important top 10 ‘Hyperpole’ shoot-out for the second time in as many FIA WEC race weekends.
Then tasked with repeating the performance in Hyperpole immediately after the conclusion of initial qualifying, the OQ, Oman Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, Omantel and BMW Oman supported racer went faster still.
Posting a best time of 1m43.099 seconds (171.4 km/h), Al Harthy was the quickest of the BMW entries and claimed an impressive third on the grid for the six-hour second round of the season – a mere 0.041 seconds shy of the LMGT3 front row.
Thrilled with his own personal performance, the Omani was equally delighted with the handling and pace of the No.46 car. Having started the event on Friday, 19th April, with the fourth fastest time in opening practice, the squad worked hard on set-up and balance in sessions two and three to deliver a car which Al Harthy believes will be strong in race trim too.
Ahmad Al Harthy:
“I’m really delighted, it’s a huge step forward from Qatar. I think we maximised everything we could for qualifying, from FP1 we continued working on the car – both long and short runs – to make sure we were strong in quali and the race. Getting into Hyperpole was the first target, going quicker thenwas the second, so I’m absolutely delighted with that.
“Imola is a very tight track, a very fast track, and there was a lot of traffic with the other classes. I’m really looking forward to a positive start to the race, making sure I’m able to give my team-mates the best possible chance. For sure, it’s great to maximise the qualifying performance of this new BMW.”
Round two of the FIA WEC season, the 6 Hours of Imola, is scheduled to begin at 13.00 local time today. Keep up to date with all of the action at www.fiawec.com
Having worked hard on qualifying and race performance of the No.46 Team WRT car throughout the three free practice sessions, the Omani and team-mates Maxime Martin and Valentino Rossi hoped for a stellar showing in the LMGT3 qualifying session.
Al Harthy certainly delivered, lapping with the sixth quickest time of 1m43.241 seconds (171.2 km/h) to progress into the all-important top 10 ‘Hyperpole’ shoot-out for the second time in as many FIA WEC race weekends.
Then tasked with repeating the performance in Hyperpole immediately after the conclusion of initial qualifying, the OQ, Oman Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, Omantel and BMW Oman supported racer went faster still.
Posting a best time of 1m43.099 seconds (171.4 km/h), Al Harthy was the quickest of the BMW entries and claimed an impressive third on the grid for the six-hour second round of the season – a mere 0.041 seconds shy of the LMGT3 front row.
Thrilled with his own personal performance, the Omani was equally delighted with the handling and pace of the No.46 car. Having started the event on Friday, 19th April, with the fourth fastest time in opening practice, the squad worked hard on set-up and balance in sessions two and three to deliver a car which Al Harthy believes will be strong in race trim too.
Ahmad Al Harthy:
“I’m really delighted, it’s a huge step forward from Qatar. I think we maximised everything we could for qualifying, from FP1 we continued working on the car – both long and short runs – to make sure we were strong in quali and the race. Getting into Hyperpole was the first target, going quicker thenwas the second, so I’m absolutely delighted with that.
“Imola is a very tight track, a very fast track, and there was a lot of traffic with the other classes. I’m really looking forward to a positive start to the race, making sure I’m able to give my team-mates the best possible chance. For sure, it’s great to maximise the qualifying performance of this new BMW.”
Round two of the FIA WEC season, the 6 Hours of Imola, is scheduled to begin at 13.00 local time today. Keep up to date with all of the action at www.fiawec.com