Muscat – Oman’s talented driver Al Faisal al Zubair will make his debut in the highly-competitive 2022 GT World Challenge Europe this season.

Al Faisal will be spearheading the challenge for Oman-based Al Manar Racing by Haupt Racing Team (HRT). The three-member team will comprise Germany’s Fabian Schiller and Dubai-based Zimbabwean Axcil Jefferies.

The trio will be competing in the five-round GT World Challenge Europe series with the opening round to be held at Imola circuit in Italy from April 1-3.

The other stopovers for Al Manar Racing-HRT will be Paul Richard (France), Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium), Hockenheim (Germany) and Barcelona (Spain).

Following a successful campaign in the 2021 International GT Open Series – Al Faisal’s Lechner Racing claimed the overall runner-up position and was placed third in drivers’ championship standings – it will be a new challenge for the 23-year-old Muscat-based racer.

Al Faisal will be taking part in the Silver Cup class, along with Schiller and Jefferies, in the Endurance Series of the GT Challenge. The trio completed the first of the three testing sessions for the season at Imola circuit on Thursday.

The team will have further two more testing sessions at Paul Ricard and Hockenheim circuits before the launch of the season in April.

The highlight of the series will be the participation in the 24 Hours of Spa from July 28-31. The Belgian endurance classic combines a unique sense of history with the unparalleled sporting challenge.

The twice-around-the-clock event represents the pinnacle of global GT racing, drawing the world’s best teams and drivers to the Belgian Ardennes.

While the races at Imola, Hockenheim and Barcelona will be run over three hours each, Circuit Paul Ricard 1,000km will feature a six-hour race.

Looking ahead to his debut in the GT World Challenge in Mercedes AMG, Al Faisal ‘was hopeful of gaining maximum experience’ while competing in one of the biggest grids in world of racing.

The 23-year-old said, “The decision to move into the GT World Challenge was a result of extensive planning. It certainly has come a bit early than what I expected but the series was always what I was looking to compete.

“It is one of the toughest GT series in the world and I am proud to be one of the possible two drivers and teams from Arab region that will take part in 2022. Flying the Oman flag in some of the world’s best known circuits during the series is definitely a high point in my young career.”

“With a grid of over 50 cars and the world’s best automotive brands getting their best machines and drivers, my debut year will a big learning curve. The competition is extremely difficult and we will take each race as it comes in our class (Silver Cup).”