Abu Dhabi Race Team’s Emirati driver, Khaled Al Qubaisi, made a bittersweet start to his international racing career debut today, after he defied the odds to make the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup qualifying cut, only to spin out in the first race of the weekend.
The 33-year-old - who began training three months ago with the newly 
formed Abu Dhabi Race Team, which is backed by Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) - upped his game earlier in the day to post a qualifying time of 2m16s680ms, just over three seconds off the day’s fastest and two better than his practice time, to make the cut.
However, an incident in the first few laps of the afternoon’s debut race 
forced Al Qubaisi’s Abu Dhabi-emblazoned Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 997) model race car off the 5.55km Yas Marina Circuit to prematurely end his challenge.
“I was pleased with my qualifying and to be here competing is still a dream come true. My target was to significantly improve my time from yesterday and to reduce the gap between me and the fastest. I was amazed how quick the others were however I just wanted to focus on the finer points of my driving,” said Al Qubaisi, who walked away from his crash unscathed.
“Of course I am disappointed about retiring early, especially as I made a 
really strong start and actually moved up the grid. It was an unfortunate incident, however that’s racing. I’m just eager to get back out tomorrow and do my best.”
Abu Dhabi Race Team’s principal driverThomas Jäger - who has just been crowned German Porsche Carrera Cup champion – initially put in a top ten qualification bid after clocking up a time of 2m14s378ms, just 0.7s off the pace.
And Jäger, who only joined the team last week to replace the injured Jan Seyffarth, continued to build confidence with an eighth place finish in the opening race.
"The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup drives with another braking system and this is something Khaled and even I have to get used to. If we get used to this we will be able to brake later which will definitely have a very positive effect on our times. Everything is new to me; the team and the setup, the race track and of course the braking system. Now I have got to know everything and I am eager to get out there and do my best,” said the 33-year-old German.
Widely regarded as the world’s most exclusive one make car series, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup will mark its UAE debut with two sprint races, taking place 31st October-1st November, in support of the inaugural 2009 Formula 1™ Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The final will take place immediately before the main race, in front of an anticipated 50,000 
trong motorsport grandstand audience and millions globally who will be following the events on TV.