Khaled Al Qubaisi and Team Abu Dhabi-Proton Racing stormed to victory in the LM-GTE Am Class at the 6 Hours of Mexico, Round 5 of the FIA World Endurance Championship at Mexico City. Here is the lowdown:
Dedication
Al Qubaisi dedicated the win to Abu Dhabi and the Emirates. He shared driving duties with David Heinemeier Hansson of Denmark and Patrick Long of the US behind the wheel of the No 88 Porsche 911 RSR.
Promotion
Abu Dhabi-Proton Racing had qualified in second, but post-qualifying scrutineering revealed a technical infringement by the pole-sitters, who were sent to the back of the grid.
Leaders
The Abu Dhabi crew stormed to victory in very tricky conditions, including heavy rain in the second half of the race. Long opened the race for the team, and managed to take back the lead after the leading No 86 Porsche made a pit-stop.
Impressive
Al Qubaisi then took the wheel where he did a fantastic double stint, stretching the lead from 20 seconds to nearly one minute giving his team the advantage going into the second half of the race.
Storms
When Hansson stepped into the cockpit for a double stint with the team still in the lead, the rains came down, resulting in chaotic scenes. The final 90 minutes witnessed several incidents, but Long, who had taken over for the final stint raced from third to victory at the flag.
‘Challenging’
“It was a very tough race under very challenging conditions where strategy was key to staying ahead,” Al Qubaisi said. “We did it in the end.”
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