Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Sports News

Ahmad Al Harthy returns to GT World Challenge Europe with Oman Racing by Century Motorsport

Two-time class champion targets Bronze Cup glory in 2026 Endurance Cup campaign.

TAS News Service

info@thearabianstories.com

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

MUSCAT — Ahmad Al Harthy, two-time class champion in the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup, has today announced an exciting return to the globe’s most competitive GT series with the Oman Racing by Century Motorsport entry.

Marking the Omani’s first full GTWCE Endurance Cup campaign since 2024, the hugely successful GT racer – who has focused on the FIA World Endurance Championship for the past few seasons – says he is absolutely delighted to have agreed the Oman Racing partnership with top team Century.

Remaining a BMW ambassador in 2026, Al Harthy and new team-mates Calan Williams, from Australia, and Spain’s Javier Sagrera will share a potent BMW M4 GT3 EVO as they make a very real bid for glory in the Bronze Cup class.

Both Williams and Sagrera have very strong pedigrees, the former a two-time GTWCE Sprint Cup Champion and the latter making his first foray into GT endurance racing after a formative career in Eurocup-3 and Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) single-seaters.

Al Harthy’s career has been very much defined by his successes in the GTWCE Endurance Cup, an incredible CV since he first debuted in the championship back in 2013 – the category then known as the Blancpain Endurance Series.

Making history in his maiden campaign as the first driver of Arabic origin to stand on the series podium, in 2017 he hit the heights of becoming a title winner in the championship by sealing the Pro-Am crown with one class win and three other podiums.

Taking his second Pro-Am championship victory in 2019, with a perfect unbroken run of five class podiums, the Omani made headlines once more with class victory in the prestigious 24 Hours of Spa, remarkably achieved from a pitlane start.

Making selected appearances in GTWCE over subsequent years, alongside full campaigns in the likes of the Asian Le Mans Series and FIA WEC, Al Harthy’s next complete GTWCE season came in 2024. With then team-mates Jens Klingmann and San De Haan, the BMW trio made championship history at Monza in Italy as the first ever Bronze Cup entry to win a GTWCE Endurance Cup race outright.

Added to his many glories in GTWCE, Al Harthy is also a multiple podium finisher in the FIA World Endurance Championship where he has teamed for the past couple of years with MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi. Last season, the Omani was named FIA WEC Sports Racer of the Year.

One of Al Harthy’s most treasured successes came in 2023 when he was runner-up in the LMGTE Am class at the world-famous 24 Hours of Le Mans – the classic’s Centenary race – to become the first Omani to ever stand on the prestigious podium at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

Ahmad Al Harthy:
“I’m absolutely delighted to be returning to GTWCE Endurance Cup this year. It’s going to be my first opportunity to work with Nathan [Freke – Team Principal] and the whole Century Motorsport team, I can’t wait for the season to start. I’m really looking forward to coming back to GTWCE, it’s the place where I’ve done most of my racing since 2013 and have enjoyed a lot of success for Oman.

“It is the most competitive GT championship in the world, so I really can’t wait to get to work and to do the best we can for Oman Racing by Century Motorsport. We’re aiming for a really good season, a positive season, in the Bronze Cup and I’m looking forward to teaming with Javier and Calan, Of course, I must thank all of my partners as always for their vital support.”

Round one of the 2026 GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup, at Circuit Paul Ricard in France, will take place on Saturday, 11th April. The five-event championship will reach its conclusion at Portimao in Portugal across the weekend 17th/18th October.

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