The official support race of the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2021, the Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East, returned this weekend to see Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer crowned the overall season champion during a memorial race weekend for its founder, Walter Lechner.
Simmenauer, a 20-year-old Frenchman, performed consistently throughout the season with a third place and five second places finishes over six races. His constant podiums gained him a season total of 137 points to secure the overall 2020/21 title. He was followed by Dutchmen Lucas Groenevelt with 112 points in second and Daan van Kuijk in third with 104 points.
The season finale had a more poignant meaning to the drivers and organisers this time around, as it was also the first race weekend without its founder Walter Lechner, who sadly passed away in December 2020. The man behind bringing a truly regional racing event to the Middle East, he took Porsche GT3 Cup race cars to the tracks of Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Now in its twelfth year, the Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East supported many regional drivers including former champions Al Faisal Al Zubair of Oman, Zaid Ashkanani of Kuwait and HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal from Saudi Arabia.
24 drivers who have raced under Walter’s guidance over the years assembled for 12 laps of the Sakhir circuit ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix. For the first time, a range of Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport joined the fleet, including one piloted by Walter’s close friend and major supporter of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East, Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, CEO of the Bahrain International Circuit. “Thank you Walter” could be seen in Arabic on Shaikh Salman’s red and white Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport as his personal tribute to Walter and his work in Middle Eastern motorsport.
Well-known drivers from previous seasons returned for the memorial race, including Saudi nationals Bandar Alesayi and father-son team Fawaz and Fahad Algosaibi. As in the first ever Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East race, Fahad drove a 2009 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car to highlight the 12 years of work by Walter here in the region.
The winners each received an honourary helmet in authentic Walter Lechner paint as an individual trophy. All 24 vehicles were adorned with Walter’s former race lettering on the top of the windshield. Also, car number three, piloted by Bandar Alesayi, had a stylish illustration of Walter on the doors and the hood.
Speaking after the race, son of Walter Lechner and Manager of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East and Lechner Racing, Robert Lechner, said: “My father always said racing was his passion and his destiny, and the races we’ve held in Bahrain over the past 12 years have always been very special to him. He made many friends here and felt it was the home of motorsport in the Middle East. It was only fitting to celebrate him the only way he would have wanted, more racing in Bahrain.
“Congratulations to Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer for clinching the season title in Bahrain. The weekend was also made special by returning faces of the championship from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to honour my father and his work in the region. Thank you to all 24 drivers for joining us.”
The Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East is recognised as having a profound impact on the sport’s development as it was the first regional championship backed by a manufacturer in the Middle East. It gives official drivers access to the latest Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car, the same model used for international motorsport editions, such as the Porsche Carrera Cup and the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, the official F1 support race. Lechner Racing continues under the direction of sons Robert Lechner and Walter Lechner Jr.
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