MUSCAT: Omani racing driver Ahmad Al Harthy has taken encouragement from the pace, resilience and teamwork displayed by Oman Racing by Century Motorsport despite a frustrating retirement from the prestigious CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa after 12 hours of racing.

Starting fourth in the Bronze Cup class for the third round of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup season, Al Harthy and his team entered the world’s biggest GT3 race with genuine hopes of challenging for a podium finish.

Those ambitions suffered an early setback when the No. 42 BMW M4 GT3 EVO sustained damage in a multi-car incident on the opening lap at Spa-Francorchamps. Brazilian driver Pedro Ebrahim, who had made an excellent start and climbed to second in class, was forced to pit for extensive repairs after debris damaged the car.

The Oman Racing by Century Motorsport crew responded swiftly, carrying out repairs under Safety Car conditions and limiting the loss to a single lap. However, a further issue with a replacement bonnet required an additional stop, leaving the team with a significant deficit in the early stages of the race.

Undeterred, Al Harthy took over the BMW and immediately began mounting a recovery charge. Alongside teammates Calan Williams, Javier Sagrera and Ebrahim, the Omani driver delivered a series of strong stints as the team steadily climbed through the Bronze Cup field despite running several laps behind.

Their determination paid off as the quartet fought their way back to 11th in class during the overnight hours, keeping alive hopes of salvaging valuable championship points.

However, the team’s impressive comeback came to an abrupt end during the 12th hour when contact from another competitor caused race-ending damage to the BMW, forcing retirement.

Despite the disappointment, Al Harthy praised the efforts of his teammates and crew, highlighting the pace and professionalism shown throughout one of the most demanding races on the GT racing calendar.

“It’s always a pleasure and an honour to represent Oman at the biggest GT3 race in the world,” Al Harthy said.

“After the opening-lap damage, the team did a magnificent job to repair the car and get us back into the race. We knew it would be a difficult fight, but we kept pushing and I was very happy with my pace and with everyone in the team.”

He added: “This weekend showed how tough and competitive motor racing can be. Nobody put a foot wrong and we were making good progress before another car caused the damage that ended our race. We take away the positives — strong pace, great teamwork and valuable lessons that will make us stronger.”

The result leaves Al Harthy, Williams and Sagrera 13th in the Bronze Cup standings with 24 points after three rounds.

The GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup season resumes at the legendary Nürburgring in Germany on August 29-30, where Oman Racing by Century Motorsport will look to return to points-scoring form.