Oman Air Racing Team star Ahmad Al Harthy, the 2012 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Pro-Am 1 Champion, rounded-off his sensational season in the high-profile sportscar championship with his 17th podium of the year at a rain-lashed Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit on Sunday, 21st October.

Second place in the first of the weekends outings, having led the Pro-Am 1 Class early on, was an important result for the 31-year-old with a large group of guests from Oman in attendance to watch their national hero in action at one of the UKs most spectacular tracks.Beginning round 19 from the class pole position, Ahmad made a good start and held the lead until lap seven at Druids Hairpin when he was shuffled back to second by Derek Pierce. Remaining close behind the Scotsman, the persistent rain and plumes of spray made visibility very difficult but the Omani pressed on to finish well clear of third placed Victor Jimenez.Aiming to make it 18 podiums from 20 race starts in the second encounter of the weekend, Ahmad again led Pro-Am 1 from pole position in worsening weather and built a lead of one second by lap four, which became 1.5 seconds over the next three laps.On lap nine though at Surtees, Ahmads Porsche twitched offline and the resulting excursion across the grass dropped him back to fourth in Pro-Am 1. Instantly getting back into his rhythm, the Oman Air, Oman Ministry of Sports Affairs, Oman Ministry of Tourism, Nawras, National Bank of Oman and Muscat Eye Laser Centre-supported racer immediately challenged Oly Mortimer ahead.Mortimer was visibly slower than Ahmad but he defended the racing line heavily, making passing very difficult indeed in the spray and with such low levels of grip. Carrying much more momentum into Paddock Hill Bend on lap 11, Ahmad closed in at a rapid rate but the Scottish driver was much slower off the apex of the corner and contact became inevitableleading to Ahmads retirement.The last race was disappointing for us but its been an enjoyable weekend and what an absolutely fantastic year, said the Pro-Am 1 Champion, Second in race one was good, it was great to be on the podium for all of the fans who came here this weekend from Oman.

In race two I had a comfortable lead and we looked good for a win but I still had to push and just made a small mistake into Surtees. We had so much speed and could still have had a podium, but if someone in front of you is slower and defending heavily its almost impossible to pass."Ahmad added: It really has been an amazing year overall, so many wins, being on the podium in every race we finished and making history as the first Omani, and driver of Arab origin, to win a championship at this level. There are so many people to thank who have been involved in this journey from day one, Im so grateful to all of themespecially my incredible sponsors.The Omani sportsmans record of achievement in 2012 has been nothing short of remarkable with no less than 12 Pro-Am 1 victories and 17 podiums from the 20 races contested, added to a string of pole positions and fastest laps. So highly respected is UK motorsport in Oman, Ahmads success in Porsche Carrera Cup GB is national news in the Sultanate making him a major celebrity.In-keeping with his high profile, among the prestigious guests in attendance this weekend at Brands Hatch watching Ahmad in action was Ahmed Faisal Al Jahadami from the Omani governments Ministry of Sports Affairs.What Ahmad is doing for Oman is incredible, commented Mr Al Jahadami, He is our ambassador for Oman in one of the best countries we love, the UK. Everyone from Oman is watching what he is doing, he is a perfect representative for our country in sports and we all salute him for everything he has achieved. The officials in the government very much appreciate what Ahmad is doing for Oman.We hope he can have even more sponsors next year to keep moving forward with his racing. In the UK they organise very good sports and these are big events, its amazing to see so many spectators watching at the track. We want to bring more and more sportsmen through from Oman, Ahmad is their example to look up to.