International racer Al Faisal bin Khalid Al Zubair returns to the speed racing circuits with the Al Manar Racing Team from Team WRT for another round of the 2025 Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS. This weekend, he will participate in one of the season's most prominent events, the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium. This is the most significant and historic GT3 car race, featuring 73 cars across various categories, with motorsport stars and major manufacturers competing for the prestigious title.
The initial stages of the race begin on Thursday, with the official race start scheduled for next Saturday at 6:30 PM Oman time, concluding on the following day at the same time.
Al Faisal returns to this circuit with fond memories, having won the Gold Cup category last year and securing seventh place overall among 66 participants across various classes. He achieved this with his teammates Dominik Baumann, Mikaël Grenier, and Philip Ellis, driving the Mercedes car used by Al Manar Racing Team last year.
Accompanying Al Faisal on this mission are drivers Dries Vanthoor, Ben Tuck, and 24-year-old American driver Neil Verhagen, who has been brought in as the fourth driver for the Al Manar Racing Team from Team WRT.
The team is competing in the Gold Cup category. The drivers enter this race leading both the Teams' and Drivers' championships, with their sights set on tackling the challenges of the third round of the 2025 Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Endurance Cup. They will be driving a BMW M4 GT3 EVO with the Omani team (Al Manar Racing Team) in technical cooperation with Team WRT.
Al Manar Racing Team, in technical cooperation with Team WRT, currently leads the Teams' Championship by two points ahead of https://www.google.com/search?q=Verstappen.com Racing after the opening two rounds of the Endurance Cup at Paul Ricard and Monza.
The points system for the 24 Hours of Spa is unique, with points awarded based on the standings after six hours, twelve hours, and then again for the final standings after 24 hours from the start of the race.
Among the main competitors for Al Manar Racing Team from Team WRT in the Gold Cup category will be CSA Racing, in addition to https://www.google.com/search?q=Verstappen.com Racing with an Aston Martin, and Tresor Attempto Racing with an Audi. Garage 59, Optimum Motorsport, and RJN will be competing with McLaren cars.
The support races for the 2025 Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS will include the GT4 European Series, the GT2 European Series, the Lamborghini Super Trofeo, and the McLaren Trophy Europe.
Spa Race Schedule
Competitions at the challenging 7.004 km Spa-Francorchamps circuit begin with Free Practice on Thursday (1:20 PM Muscat time), followed by Pre-Qualifying (7:40 PM Muscat time), and then four Qualifying sessions (between 11:15 PM and 12:21 AM Muscat time). Further night testing will be allowed (1:05 AM Muscat time).
Qualifying to determine pole position will take place on Friday (6:10 PM Muscat time), followed by a Warm-up session (10:05 PM Muscat time). The 24-hour race will start on Saturday (6:30 PM Muscat time) and conclude on Sunday at the same time.
Al Faisal Al Zubair: The Spa Round is the Most Important for Me This Season
International racer Al Faisal Al Zubair emphasized that the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is the most important race for me this season. We aim to collect the maximum number of points, which will greatly help us in the overall standings, especially since it's a 24-hour race where points are distributed during the race at various intervals. This round is very crucial for us.
Al Zubair added: Our position in the championship standings is currently good, with second place in the Sprint Cup and first place in the Endurance Cup. This is a fantastic start to the season, as the Monza round was perfect, and we must maintain this high momentum as we head to Spa-Francorchamps. We are ready, and the team knows what needs to be done, having proven it in several races this season.
He continued: We will also be utilizing the services of Neil Verhagen for driving duties; he is a BMW driver and will be joining us. I'm very excited about him being the fourth driver in the team, and I hope the overall race result will be better than last year.
Gold Cup Teams' Championship Standings
Gold Cup Drivers' Championship Standings
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