(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Air Racing Team driver Ahmad al Harthy raced to his seventh Pro-Am1 victory during round 12 of the 2012 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship at Snetterton on a hot and sunny Sunday. The 30 year old was the pace-setter in both races at the Norfolk venue.
He was forced to retire midway into round 11 following a brush with an opponent's car, but proved his mettle soon after, clinching round 12 with a display of faultless driving. Despite the 'non-score' from the first race, the second race win helped Ahmad increase his Pro-Am1 lead to 40 points with eight more rounds to go in the championship. He is now on 105 points. ''It's fantastic to be back on the top step of the podium,'' he said after winning round 12. ''It's great for the team, great for myself and amazing for all my supporters.''
The Muscat-based race driver said, ''It was hot and humid in the car, and I kept pushing to the finish and that's how you are supposed to do it. We are back to where we belong and that's a great feeling. The most important thing, after what happened in the day's first race, was to see how we could bounce back, and we answered that question with a win.''
 Beginning round 12 from the Pro-Am1 pole position, Ahmad got off to a solid start and calmly saw off an early challenge from Michael Leonard. Edging away from the Irishman during the first half of the 14-lap race, Ahmad's lead was boosted on lap six when Leonard ran wide off the circuit.
From that point on, the Omani continued to increase the gap and after setting the fastest Pro- Am1 time on lap ten - at 1m54.242s - he took the flag on lap 14 almost four seconds clear. Earlier in the day, Ahmad was cruising in round 11 and appeared to be headed for a winning finish when Jonas Gelzinis made contact with him, forcing the Omani racer to retire from the race.
On lap ten, Gelzinis - recovering onto the track after a spin - bizarrely steered straight into the side of the Oman Air Racing Team car. It ended Ahmad's unbroken run of podium finishes this season, but the points leader still has 11 podium finishes from 12 races, including seven victories in his class. Knockhill in Scotland will host rounds 13 and 14 on August 25-2
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