Abu Dhabi Racing driver Khaled Al Qubaisi will be doing double duty this weekend when he gets behind the wheel of an Audi for the R8 LMS Cup (Asia) at Yas Marina while also hoping to defend his Gulf 12 Hours title driving a Mercedes SLS AMG.
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Audi Middle East and Abu Dhabi Racing yesterday announced that Al Qubaisi would be partnered by compatriot Saeed Al Mehairi, and the pair will split driving duties over the two-race format of 15 laps each, a race each scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
However, while Al Mehairi will be solely focused on the final round of the Cup, Al Qubaisi will have the defence of his Gulf 12 Hours firmly in mind.
On Friday, Al Qubaisi will divide his time between practice and qualifying for both the endurance and Cup races.
Following this, he will line up for Race 1 of the LMS Cup at 18:34, which will run for a maximum of 15 laps or 35 minutes, whichever is completed earlier.
The Audi R8 LMS Cup is being hosted in Abu Dhabi for the first time, with races earlier held in South Korea, Malaysia, Japan and China, the series’ home base.
Al Qubaisi said: “It’s really a pleasure to drive the Audi R8 LMS on Yas Marina Circuit.
"I watched the Audi R8 LMS Cup during my participation at the WEC 6 Hours of Shanghai and I was really shocked with the speed the cars have got. I’m looking forward to enjoying the weekend.”
And team-mate Al Mehairi added: “Like all racing drivers, we both want to win races, but the priority is to support each other, put the team first and try to deliver a great race for all our fans out there.”
Al Mehairi will do Race 2 on Saturday, again a 15-lap/35min race scheduled for 16:30.