Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup debutant Ahmad Al Harthy remained buoyant and extremely positive on his departure from Silverstone on Sunday, 10th July, despite having been forced to retire from the British Grand Prix Support race on the very first lap following an unfortunate timing belt failure.One of seven guest drivers from the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship competing in the high profile FIA Formula One World Championship event, the Oman Air Racing Team star headed into the race confident of a strong performance having made marked improvements during the weekend.Beginning his first ever Supercup encounter from the 11th row of the grid in 21st position, ahead of several series regulars, Ahmad made immediate progress at the start and gained three places on the run through the first couple of turns before noticing a loss of his Porsche’s power steering.At the same time the engine temperature rocketed and the 29-year-old knew immediately his race was most probably over before it had really started. Nursing his Oman Air, Nawras, National Bank of Oman, Brand Oman, Oman Ministry of Sports Affairs and Oman Ministry of Tourism-sponsored car to the pits, team mechanics confirmed straight away the problem was terminal.Unsurprisingly disappointed to have experienced such a rare mechanical failure at one of the biggest race meetings of his career, Ahmad was nonetheless very pleased with his rate of improvement and thoroughly enjoyed being part of a Formula One weekend for the first time – the event also marking his maiden run on the full Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit.“It’s incredibly disappointing for the weekend to have ended how it did and so early in the race too, but that’s the sport we’re in – these things happen in motor racing and you have to accept it”, said the Muscat-born driver, “We improved a lot over the weekend so I’m very positive about that, our pace was good and we knew where to find much more lap time in the race. “I made a good start, gained three places and held my position well but then I felt the steering go and I knew it was a bad sign. The temperatures then hit the roof so I just coaxed the car back to the pits. It’s the first mechanical failure I’ve had in a very long time so I can’t complain. It’s just a shame for the whole team and the sponsors we weren’t able to come away with the result they deserved.”With the mixed feelings of his first Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup weekend behind him, Ahmad now prepares for the resumption of the 2011 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship with rounds 10 and 11 of the season set to take place at Snetteron 300 Circuit in the east of England on 6th/7th August.“I definitely learned a lot from being in the Supercup at Silverstone and that’s something we can take forward to the British championship when it starts again in a few weeks”, added Ahmad, “All of this experience can only be good for my career development. Our focus now is getting the Oman Air Racing Team back onto the podium when we travel to Snetterton at the start of August.”