(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The father and son duo of Charlie and Rob Frijns are gearing up for a sprint finish over a dramatic final weekend of racing as the seventh season of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East comes to an conclusion at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Only one round and two races staged over March 4-5 on the challenging GP circuit at Sakhir now stand between the drivers and glory. The two Frijns will be pushing for podium finishes in the overall drivers' standings in their respective categories.
Currently, UAE-based Jeffrey Schmidt leads the overall driver standings and individual glory in Bahrain would add to the team title secured by Schmidt's team Al Nabooda Racing during the penultimate round in Dubai.
Speaking ahead of the final weekend, Walter Lecher, series organiser said: "For young home grown talent like Zaid Ashkanani, Abdulaziz AlFaisal and Saud AlFaisal building their motorsport careers, the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East is a proven pathway into world-class international motorsport at the highest level. While for those in the twilight of the careers, veteran gentlemen drivers like Jaber Al Khalifa and Rob Frijns, this fuels their passion for racing and Porsche."
For Charlie, very little separates the talent, times, experience and points between himself and the drivers sitting in third and fourth position. Only 22 points sit between Charlie in fifth and third place Ryan Cullen, with Saudi's Abdulaziz AlFaisal between the two in fourth. A strong performance in Bahrain could see Charlie push into a podium position in the overall drivers' standings at the very last hurdle.
The first race in season 7 at the Bahrain International Circuit proved a nightmare start for the younger Frijns as he was forced to retire in Race 1. With some tremendous performances over the following rounds the Qatar-based driver is determined to put things right this weekend back where it all started.
Speaking ahead of the final round, Charlie said: "I started the first race of the season here in pole position and even if I had left with a position in the top 4 I would be a lot closer to third place overall as it stands today. For me this is a chance to put things right at the Bahrain circuit and I know that a strong performance could give me a chance of claiming one of the top 3 spots to finish the series."
In the Bronze category, veteran driver and father Rob Frijns will be fighting for gold as he currently sits 21 points behind Bahraini leader Jaber al-Khalifa. However Rob cannot afford any mistakes in the final round, with third place Magnus Ohman hot on his heels only 13 points behind. Everything could change between the top 3 in Bahrain this weekend and Rob is hoping he comes out on the right side of the results.
Talking ahead of the final round, Rob said, "I am excited for the final round of the season. I will be pushing hard to try and take the number one position from Jaber, but also very aware that any mistakes could cost me the second position with Magnus so close behind in the standings. It should be a great race!"
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