Porsche GT3 Cup set for thrilling season finale supporting F1 Bahrain GP 2019

The sixth and final round of the 2018/2019 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East is set to add to the “Limitless” thrills this coming Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2019, taking place March 28 to 31 at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir. 

The Porsche GT3 Cup is one of two supporting championships to the Formula 1 spectacle that will soon be taking the region by storm. The other is the FIA Formula 2 Championship.

The Porsche GT3 Cup is the biggest and most popular one-make motor racing championship in the entire region. It has been the number one choice of the Arab world’s most promising circuit racing drivers to broaden their racing experience in a professionally run series. Drivers race in identical Porsche GT3 Cup Car 911s, supplied by the founders from Lechner Racing.

Clear rules ensure an equal footing – single-seated, near-standard race vehicles of the same make adhering to strict safety guidelines. The regulations consistently ensure fair competition and the highest standard of safety for participants.

The series has just come off its season’s fifth and penultimate meeting held at BIC, setting the stage for an electrifying championship finale with the title battle going down to the wire.

Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer clinched a fantastic double in the previous round, with Turkish ace Berkay Besler winning the other race.

Both drivers will be back at the Bahrain Grand Prix, as will top title contenders Al Faisal Al Zubair and Khalid Al Wahaibi of Oman. They are all competing in the Pro class, along with Cypriot Tio Ellinas, Luxembourger Dylan Pereira, and Frenchman Julien Andlauer. Al Zubair is the defending champion and is a favourite to repeat.

There will also be a strong Bahraini contingent taking part, led by His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Abdulla Al Khalifa. Joining him in flying the kingdom’s flag in front of their home fans will be Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Shaikh Ali bin Mohammed Al Khalifa and Shaikh Jaber bin Ali Al Khalifa. HH Shaikh Isa bin Abdulla, Shaikh Isa bin Salman and Shaikh Ali bin Mohammed are all competing in the ProAm class, while Shaikh Jaber is racing in the Am category.

The rest of the 19-car grid includes, in the ProAm category, Magnus Oehman and Christoffer Bergstroem from Sweden, Leon Koehler from Germany, and Saul Hack from South Africa.

The other Am drivers competing at the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend are Menno Van de Grijspaarde of the Netherlands, Michael Sauer of Denmark, Michael Doppelmayr of Austria, and Michael Knutzon of Sweden.

The championship’s final round is set to include two races, the first on the Saturday of the Grand Prix weekend with the other on the Sunday.

Tickets are selling fast for the Grand Prix weekend, which is set to be open to the public over four days for the first time. Tickets for seating to the Main Grandstand are BD150 apiece. A Batelco Grandstand ticket for all four days originally costs BD120, but there are also two
other options for Batelco Grandstand seats. For a ticket to Saturday and Sunday only, the cost is BD100, while for Friday only it is BD60.

A four-day ticket to the Turn One Grandstand is BD100 before any discount; whereas University and Victory Grandstand tickets are originally BD60 apiece.

It is worth noting that BIC is covering the Value Added Tax (VAT) on all Bahrain Grand Prix ticket prices, saving fans from any additional expense to attend the Formula 1 spectacle. The prices continue to be amongst the most competitive for any event on the Formula 1 calendar.