MUSCAT : Oman’s Ahmad Al Harthy and the Oman Racing by Century Motorsport team will start the prestigious CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa from the second row of the Bronze class after securing fourth-fastest qualifying for the world’s biggest GT3 endurance race.

Al Harthy, alongside regular GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup teammates Calan Williams and Javier Sagrera, as well as Pedro Ebrahim, combined to deliver a strong qualifying performance at Belgium’s iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit ahead of Saturday’s 24-hour marathon.

Williams laid the foundation during the opening qualifying session with a best lap of 2min 19.736sec, placing the team fifth in class at the time.

Al Harthy took over in the second session and posted an early benchmark lap of 2min 21.126sec. However, his qualifying run was severely disrupted by two red-flag stoppages, denying the Omani driver the opportunity to improve as tyre temperatures reached their optimum.

Newcomer Pedro Ebrahim responded impressively in the third session with a lap of 2min 18.789sec before Sagrera rounded off qualifying with a 2min 18.780sec effort. Their combined average secured fourth place in the Bronze class, putting the No. 42 BMW M4 GT3 EVO in a strong position for the twice-round-the-clock endurance classic.

The 24 Hours of Spa is regarded as the pinnacle of GT3 endurance racing and represents one of the toughest tests of speed, reliability and teamwork in global motorsport.

Al Harthy enters the race with fond memories of Spa, having previously claimed a class victory despite starting from the pit lane. Supported by OQ, Omantel, Oman LNG, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, and BMW Oman, the experienced Omani is aiming to add another strong result to his record after the team’s encouraging showing at Monza.

“We’re pretty happy with qualifying,” said Al Harthy. “Everyone played their part and gave it everything. Finishing fourth on the average times is a great starting point, and now all our focus shifts to the race.

“Calan, Javier and Pedro all did a fantastic job in their sessions. Unfortunately, mine was interrupted by two separate red flags, so we didn’t get the opportunity to set the lap time we expected.

“Now it’s all about being as prepared as possible, physically and mentally, for 24 hours of racing. It’s been very warm over the past few days, so staying hydrated and getting enough rest will be crucial. Spa is always an incredible challenge, and one I always look forward to. Hopefully we can build on the momentum we showed at Monza.”

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