Al-Qubaisi set for FIA endurance series debut

Emirati circuit racing and endurance star Khalid Al Qubaisi begins competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship with the first round at the 6 Hours of Silverstone in the UK this weekend. The UAE driver will compete in the world's biggest endurance racing series in a new Porsche 911 RSR with his German Proton Competition teammates Christian Ried and Klaus Bachler in the LMGTE AM category, which includes eight international teams. Al Qubaisi, supported by Emirates Global Aluminium, tested with the team at Paul Ricard circuit in France, where they were helped out by the Porsche factory as engineers of the German manufacturer provided the team with information and data that contributed to finding the car's ideal setup. New team member Al Qubaisi said: "I feel extremely comfortable amongst the team of Proton Competition, with positive vibes and the thrill to avail triumphantly at the helm of our common interest. Both team and engineers were extremely excited to end the initial testing to perfection, with the constant objective of achieving wins on board our Porsche 911 RSR this season.” Speaking of his strategy for the April 18 to 20 race weekend, Al Qubaisi added: "We need to make good use of our free practice at Silverstone to reach the perfect set-up of the car, then pursue the objective of finishing the race on the podium. The mission is tough, with many teams fiercely competing to win, but I have a feeling it can be achieved.” This new 2014 season is the third year of this championship and features eight rounds — at Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps 6hrs (Belgium, May 3), Le Mans 24hrs (France, June 14-15), the Americas 6hrs (US, September 20), Fuji 6hrs (Japan, October 12), Shanghai 6hrs (China, November 2), Bahrain 6hrs (November 15), and Sao Paolo 6hrs (Brazil, November 30). Source: Gulf News