Khaled Al Qubaisi and Team Abu Dhabi-Proton Racing are preparing to protect their podium place in the FIA World Endurance Championship at the 6 Hours of Bahrain this weekend.

Both Al Qubaisi and team-mates David Heinemeier Hansson and Patrick Long will be hoping to make an impact at the final round of the WEC and consolidate Team Abu Dhabi’s third place in the LMGTE Am class.

Al Qubaisi will be sharing driving duties with Dane Hansson of Denmark and American Long  behind the wheel of the No.88 Porsche 911 RSR. The team was unfortunate not to finish on the podium in the penultimate round in Shanghai, but fourth place went some way to enhancing their grip on third place overall in class in the championship going into the final race.

For Emirati Al Qubaisi, the final race of the championship at the Bahrain International Circuit is something of a home race because the Abu Dhabi native has raced here on several occasions, although he is taking nothing for granted.

“I am so excited to return to Bahrain International Circuit where I have several good memories,” said the 45-year-old.

“Team Abu Dhabi-Proton Racing is looking forward to competing here once again and hoping for a great result on the weekend.

“Having said that, we had a tough race in 2014 in Bahrain, finishing fourth in class. However, last year was better where we finished second and we will do our best this year and fight for the win.

“This year the challenge will be finding a way to manage the tyres until the end of the race. The track is very aggressive with low grip, so getting the traction that we require will be a challenge particularly as Porsche engines are in the rear. However, we will try to improve on last year’s result and end the season on a good note.

“The season in general was tough on us, but on the other hand it was perfect especially in Le Mans and Mexico; we are heading to Bahrain third overall in class and we will push hard and go for a sweet finish to the season.”