Abdulaziz hopes his success can draw more young Saudis to motor racing

DUBAI: Motor racing is increasingly gaining popularity in Saudi Arabia, and it will continue on that path if one of the Kingdom‘s most talented and successful drivers has his way.
Over the past three years, no driver has done more to generate interest in the sport among young people in the Kingdom than Abdulaziz Al Faisal, who has captured the imagination of
fellow Saudis with his success in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East.
Back on Jan. 6, 2010, the Porsche one-make series created history in Saudi by delivering the first FIA sanctioned international circuit race to be held in the country.
Fittingly, Abdulaziz won that race on his home track, Reem International Circuit outside Riyadh, and went on to clinch the inaugural Porsche GT3 Cup crown with a total of nine victories in the 12-round championship.
After regaining the title last season he is already looking ahead to the 2012-13 campaign which will start in November, and with a third series triumph the target, his other big hope is that more young Saudis will be inspired to follow his path into motor racing.
“I definitely think this can happen,“ he said. “The championship is attracting more and more
interest every season, especially in Saudi. Just look at the rounds in Reem last season where we had thousands of spectators at the track creating a great atmosphere.
“Obviously, I’d love to see us have more races in Saudi. There‘s growing interest in my country both in the sport as a whole, and in the Porsche GT3 Cup series in particular.“
“It’s been very successful over the first three years and I just think it will keep on growing and getting stronger. I’d like to see more local drivers taking part in the series, and I’m hoping we can look forward to seeing more young Arabs, especially Saudis, coming aboard and boosting the entry level.”
After a demanding winter race program in the Porsche GT3 Cup series, the region’s headline race championship, Abdulaziz had little time to rest before embarking on a 16-event summer campaign in Europe, highlighted by his second appearance at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“I race just about all year round now but I like to spend as much time as I can with my family and friends,” he says. “I try to stay as fit as possible and I do a lot of exercise. In the summer, I like to do water sports — just about any kind.”
“I try to run as much as I can, about seven to 10 kilometers five times a week, to stay fit. It’s
the easiest thing you can do to just go out and run. I don’t spend much time weight training.
Running is enough for me.”
Motor racing places big physical demands on drivers, so how does he deal with the requirements of a typical Porsche GT3 Cup race weekend where practice and qualifying sessions are followed by race action, all repeated the next day?
“First of all you have to prepare thoroughly for each race weekend, and then manage your
time well when they come around,” says Abdulaziz. “There’s a lot going on and you need to be physically fit and mentally focused.
“We’re usually at the track by 8 a.m. and races don’t start until around 4 p.m. so it’s important to try to preserve as much energy as you can in order to get the best out of yourself.”
On the evidence of last season, Abdulaziz has a winning formula that he can use to build more success, although it is not getting any easier to hit the chequered flag first.
“It was a lot harder than the first season because the other drivers are more experienced and know the GT3 Cup car better,” he said. “And of course there was a big challenge from Clemens Schmid who is a very talented driver, so it was much tougher this time.”
“Really it was all about consistency. I finished on the podium in all but one of the 12 rounds and won four of the races. Consistency throughout the season gave me the advantage.”
Last season, the Porsche GT3 Cup series continued to break new ground, with Qatar’s Losail International Circuit joining the region’s other top race venues in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bahrain and Reem, and Abdulaziz says he owes a lot to the championship.
“It has definitely raised my level as a driver,“ he confessed. “It has improved my driving skills and made me sharper and more consistent because it’s such a professionally-run series and a very competitive one.
“Lechner Racing and Porsche have put a lot of hard work into establishing it. Walter Lechner especially deserves great credit for what he has done and Porsche are backing it more and more each year.“