Ahmad Al Harthy (born 31 August 1981 in
Muscat
Muscat (, ) is the capital and most populous city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the population of the Muscat Governorate in 2022 was 1.72 million. ...
,
Oman
Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...
) is an Omani racing driver who currently competes in the
FIA World Endurance Championship
The FIA World Endurance Championship, abbreviated as WEC, is a world championship for automobile endurance racing organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The se ...
in the LMGT3 Class in the #46
BMW M4 GT3 for
BMW M Team WRT alongside nine-time
MotoGP
Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing events held on Road racing, road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held sin ...
Champion
Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi ( ; ; born 16 February 1979) is an Italian racing driver, former professional motorcycle road racer and nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion. Nicknamed "the Doctor", Rossi is widely considered one of the greate ...
and
ADAC GT Masters
The ADAC GT Masters is a grand tourer-based auto racing series founded by the international Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) and supported by the German ADAC automotive club. Similar to an earlier ADAC GT Cup series in the 1990s, the new GT ...
champion, two time
24 Hours of Nürburgring
4 (four) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is tetraphobia, considered unlucky i ...
winner, and
DTM
DTM may refer to:
Sport
* Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, a motor-racing series staged annually in Germany since 2000
* Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft, a motor-racing championship staged in Germany from 1984 to 1995
Computing
* Data Transfer ...
vice champion,
Kelvin Van Der Linde
Kelvin van der Linde (born 20 June 1996) is a South African and German sports car racing driver for BMW Motorsport. He is a two-time champion of the ADAC GT Masters, having won the championship in 2014 and 2019, and won the 24 Hours of Nürbur ...
. He won the 2012
Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain Pro-Am 1 Championship and in 2017 became the
Blancpain Endurance Cup Pro-Am Champion along with British team-mate
Jonny Adam.
Career
Early years
Although dabbling with
karting
Kart racing or karting is a motorsport discipline using open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on full-size motor ...
at the age of seven, following a visit with his older brother to his local kart track in
Oman
Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...
, it wasn't until Al Harthy reached his early 20s that he was able to set-out on the path to a career in motorsport.
His first car racing experience came in 2006 in the
Bahrain
Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...
based Thunder Arabia Championship where he broke new ground as the first Omani born driver to compete in single-seater (or ''formula'') racing. Finishing the season as Vice-Champion with two race wins and 10 podiums from 14 races, Al Harthy sought a fresh challenge for the following year and decided to pit himself against the best competition in Britain in the
Formula Renault BARC Championship.
Formula Renault BARC
Joining the Hillspeed team at the start of 2007, Al Harthy went on to enjoy a successful three year stint with the squad. Improving steadily throughout his first season, in which he achieved his debut
Formula Renault
Formula Renault are classes of formula racing popular in Europe and elsewhere. Regarded as an entry-level series to auto racing, motor racing, it was founded in 1971, and was a respected series where drivers can learn advanced racecraft before mov ...
podiums in the end-of-year Winter Championship, he became a consistent front-runner in 2008. Concluding his second season in the category fifth overall, Al Harthy secured three podium finishes along the way and also qualified on pole position twice.
His final year of
Formula Renault BARC action culminated very impressively and he finished the season Vice-Champion with six podiums to his credit and two fastest race laps. As it later transpired, the 2009 championship would be his last in single-seater racing before switching his attention to the world of sportscar competition.
During 2009 though, Al Harthy also made his debut in the
Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...
Supercars Middle East Championship in the headline SC09 Class where he piloted a
Chevrolet Lumina
The Chevrolet Lumina is a mid-size car that was produced and marketed by the Chevrolet division of General Motors from 1989 until 2001.
Background
The first generation of the Lumina replaced the Chevrolet Celebrity and Chevrolet Monte Carlo ...
during the
Formula One
Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
Grand Prix support race at
Sakhir
Sakhir () is a desert area located in the Southern Governorate of Bahrain, near Zallaq. It contains the Al-Sakhir Palace, built in 1870.
Camping in Sakhir during the winter months is a popular activity in the country.
Notable sites
In the earl ...
in
Bahrain
Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...
. He achieved one podium finish from the two races contested.
Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship
For the 2010 motor racing season, Al Harthy chose to move into the ultra-competitive world of sportscar racing by signing to race for the
Redline Racing
Redline Racing is a British racing team that is currently competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain and are defending team and drivers champions. They have previously competed in the Porsche Supercup between 2007 and 2008.
Early h ...
team in the
Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain Championship – a support category to the UK's biggest motor racing series, the Dunlop MSA
British Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), officially known as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship for sponsorship reasons, is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by ...
. Easily the most high profile year of action of his career at that point, Al Harthy adapted quickly to the new discipline and became a regular podium contender in the Pro-Am 1 Class of the prestigious championship.
Making six visits to the rostrum over the course of the season, he ended the year fourth overall in the Pro-Am 1 Class driver standings and 11th overall in the main championship. Increasing his profile massively throughout the year, Al Harthy's success achieved notable exposure for his strong portfolio of homegrown sponsors.
One of Al Harthy's personal highlights of 2010 was his involvement in the
Porsche Carrera Cup France
Porsche Carrera Cup France is a Spec racing, one make motor racing championship held in France. The cars are Porsche 911 GT3#Motorsport, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 991.2) with 4.0 liters, Flat-six engine, flat-6 naturally aspirated engines that pr ...
support event to the legendary
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...
Race. Becoming the first Omani to ever compete at the world famous
Circuit de la Sarthe
The Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans, also known as Circuit de la Sarthe (after the 1906 French Grand Prix triangle circuit) located in Le Mans, Sarthe, France, is a semi-permanent motorsport race course, chiefly known as the venue for the 24 H ...
, his participation was also notable for a further reason – the Porsche race marked the 40th anniversary of the marque's first 24 Hours of Le Mans victory and this coincided with the 40th anniversary of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s reign in
Oman
Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...
.
Al Harthy also made selected appearances in the
Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...
Supercars ME Championship once again but several mechanical problems blunted his charge.
In 2011 Al Harthy returned to the
Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain Championship but prior to the start of the season he made headlines and history on the streets of his home city of
Muscat
Muscat (, ) is the capital and most populous city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the population of the Muscat Governorate in 2022 was 1.72 million. ...
by conducting passenger rides in a
Porsche 911 GT3
The Porsche 911 GT3 is a high-performance homologation model of the Porsche 911 sports car. It is a range of high-performance models, which began with the 1973 911 Carrera RS. The GT3 has had a successful racing career in the one-make national ...
race car. The carefully arranged event ran in conjunction with the support of the Royal Oman Police and the Oman Automobile Association.
Enjoying a highly successful year, Al Harthy once again competed with
Redline Racing
Redline Racing is a British racing team that is currently competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain and are defending team and drivers champions. They have previously competed in the Porsche Supercup between 2007 and 2008.
Early h ...
but with the team entry branded as the Oman Air Racing Team in deference to title sponsor
Oman Air
Oman Air () is the flag carrier of Oman. Based at Muscat International Airport in Muscat, it operates domestic and international passenger services, as well as regional air taxi and charter flights.
History Background
Oman was one of the four s ...
. His highly prestigious portfolio of commercial backers also included the Oman Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Sports Affairs, the
National Bank of Oman
Founded in 1973, the National Bank of Oman (NBO) was the first local bank in Oman.
NBO has over 60 branches and 173 ATMs and Cash Deposit Machines across Oman. The bank has two international branches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is ...
and
Nawras
Ooredoo Oman (formerly Nawras) is an Omani telecommunications company owned by Ooredoo (formerly the Qtel Group). It is the Sultanate's first privately owned telecommunications company and had a consolidated global customer base of more than 58 ...
.
Finishing his second season in the championship third overall in the Pro-Am 1 Class, Al Harthy took two wins and a total of 12 podiums. The championship included a visit to the notorious Nürburgring-Nordschleife and the Omani also made an outing in
Porsche Carrera Cup France
Porsche Carrera Cup France is a Spec racing, one make motor racing championship held in France. The cars are Porsche 911 GT3#Motorsport, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 991.2) with 4.0 liters, Flat-six engine, flat-6 naturally aspirated engines that pr ...
while also debuting in the
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup at Silverstone.
In November 2011, Al Harthy competed in the burgeoning Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East. From six races contested he chalked-up a tally of three podiums including a sensational lights-to-flag victory during the
FIA Formula One World Championship
Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one of the wor ...
support race at
Yas Marina Circuit
The Yas Marina Circuit (Arabic: حلبة مرسى ياس) is a 5.281 km (3.281 mi) motorsport circuit situated on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke. It has hosted the season-ending Formula One ...
in
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...
. He also had the opportunity to compete in the UAE GT Championship where he won on his debut, driving a
Porsche 911 GT3
The Porsche 911 GT3 is a high-performance homologation model of the Porsche 911 sports car. It is a range of high-performance models, which began with the 1973 911 Carrera RS. The GT3 has had a successful racing career in the one-make national ...
, partnering James Sutton.
On 21 February 2012 at a press conference in Muscat, Oman, Al Harthy announced his continued participation in
Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain for a third successive year. Retaining
Oman Air
Oman Air () is the flag carrier of Oman. Based at Muscat International Airport in Muscat, it operates domestic and international passenger services, as well as regional air taxi and charter flights.
History Background
Oman was one of the four s ...
as his title sponsor, the Oman Air Racing Team was once again fielded by
Redline Racing
Redline Racing is a British racing team that is currently competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain and are defending team and drivers champions. They have previously competed in the Porsche Supercup between 2007 and 2008.
Early h ...
. From the outset, Al Harthy was one of the favourites to win the Pro-Am 1 title and he did so in style after a remarkably successful season. Winning 12 races and taking a total of 17 Pro-Am 1 podiums from the 20 races contested, he also secured a string of fastest laps and class pole positions. Al Harthy also made his second career appearance in the
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in 2012 during the
FIA Formula One World Championship
Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one of the wor ...
British Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone. An unfortunate puncture resulted in retirement.
British GT Championship and Blancpain Endurance Cup
In March 2013, Al Harthy and chief sponsor
Oman Air
Oman Air () is the flag carrier of Oman. Based at Muscat International Airport in Muscat, it operates domestic and international passenger services, as well as regional air taxi and charter flights.
History Background
Oman was one of the four s ...
announced a move from 'sprint' racing into 'endurance' competition after confirming a deal to graduate into the Avon Tyres
British GT Championship
The British GT Championship is a sports car racing series based predominantly in the United Kingdom. The series was originally created by the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1993 and, for its first two seasons, was known as the National Sports G ...
with the
Motorbase Performance
Alliance Racing (formerly known as Motorbase Performance) is a British Motorsport, motor racing team, founded in 2004 by former Production Saloon racer David Bartrum. They are best known for competing in the British Touring Car Championship.
...
team. Partnered by reigning British GT Champion Michael Caine, the duo ran under the Oman Air Motorbase banner in a Porsche 997 GT3-R. Al Harthy went on to end his maiden endurance racing campaign an impressive fifth in the championship - he and Caine claimed two race victories along the way, round five at
Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit
Snetterton Circuit is a motor racing course in Norfolk, England, originally opened in 1953. Owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation since 2004, it is situated on the A11 road (England), A11 road north-east of the town of Thet ...
and round eight at
Circuit Park Zandvoort
Circuit Zandvoort (), known for sponsorship reasons as CM.com Circuit Zandvoort, previously known as Circuit Park Zandvoort until 2017, is a motorsport race track located in the dunes north of Zandvoort, the Netherlands, near the North Sea coas ...
in the Netherlands.
Al Harthy also had the opportunity in 2013 to dovetail his British GT season with a campaign in the pan-European
Blancpain Endurance Series
The GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, formerly for sponsorship reasons the Blancpain Endurance Series from 2011 to 2015 and Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup from 2016 to 2019, is a sports car racing series developed by SRO Motorsports G ...
, also at the wheel of a Porsche 997 GT3-R but with the Slovakian ARC Bratislava squad in the GTR Class. Partnering team owner Miro Konopka, and running with headline sponsorship from the
National Bank of Oman
Founded in 1973, the National Bank of Oman (NBO) was the first local bank in Oman.
NBO has over 60 branches and 173 ATMs and Cash Deposit Machines across Oman. The bank has two international branches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is ...
, Al Harthy achieved one class victory during the five-round season at
Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone Circuit is a motor racing circuit in England, near the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. It is the home of the British Grand Prix, which it first hosted as the 1948 British Grand Prix. The 1950 British Grand ...
in June.
Al Harthy remained with Motorbase Performance for the 2014 season, racing an
Aston Martin Vantage GT3 alongside
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, 14 March 1933) is a retired English actor. Known for his distinct Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films over Michael Caine filmography, a career that spanned eight decades an ...
in the British GT Championship and with Caine and
Stephen Jelley
Stephen David Jelley (born 12 May 1982) is a British racing driver currently competing in the British Touring Car Championship for One Motorsport.
Career
Single-seaters
Born in Leicester, Jelley moved up from Formula Ford to the National Clas ...
in the Blancpain Endurance Series.
In the British series Al Harthy and Caine became Vice-Champions with two victories, at
Oulton Park
Oulton Park is a hard surfaced Race track, track used for motor racing, close to the village of Little Budworth, Cheshire, England, from Winsford, from Chester city centre, from Northwich and from Warrington, with a nearby rail connection a ...
and
Silverstone
Silverstone is a village and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. The village is about south-southwest of Towcester and northeast of Brackley, both accessed via the A43 road, A43 main ...
, and two other podium finishes. The Omani then reunited with Porsche for the 2014/2015 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East.
For the main 2015 motorsport season, he again combined British GT and Blancpain Endurance Series campaigns with the Motorbase-engineered Oman Racing Team and once again mounted a front-running challenge with the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 - taking a maiden outright top 10 finish in Blancpain during the season finale at the
Nurburgring in Germany. At the end of the year, Al Harthy made his maiden appearance in the Gulf 12 Hours at
Yas Marina Circuit
The Yas Marina Circuit (Arabic: حلبة مرسى ياس) is a 5.281 km (3.281 mi) motorsport circuit situated on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke. It has hosted the season-ending Formula One ...
in Abu Dhabi with the Oman Racing Team. Partnered by
Jonny Adam and
Darren Turner
Darren Turner (born 13 April 1974) is a British racing driver and owner of Base Performance Simulators. He races for Aston Martin Racing as a Factory-backed, factory driver and also works as a high performance test driver for Aston Martin.
He w ...
, the trio scorched to a fantastic podium finish.
Sticking with the trusty Aston Martin Vantage GT3 for 2016, Al Harthy - along with Adam - focused exclusively on the re-branded Blancpain Endurance Cup. For the longer races, requiring more than two drivers per entry, British driver Devon Modell joined the Oman Racing regulars. Ending the season fourth in the Pro-Am championship, the season highlight was undoubtedly the maiden Pro-Am podium finish achieved during round two at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit with other major results including seventh in Pro-Am at the world renowned
Total 24 Hours of Spa.
Celebrating the 10th anniversary of 'Oman Racing' in 2017, Al Harthy continued his increasingly strong partnership with Adam but with the engineering of the Aston Martin transferring to British squad TF Sport, headed by ex-racer Tom Ferrier. Beginning the Blancpain Endurance Cup season perfectly with their first Pro-Am victory at
Monza
Monza (, ; ; , locally ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the Lambro, River Lambro, a tributary of the Po (river), River Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the province of Mo ...
in Italy, Al Harthy and Adam finished second in Pro-Am in round two at Silverstone, second again at
Paul Ricard
Paul Louis Marius Ricard (; July 9, 1909 – November 7, 1997) was a French industrialist and creator of an eponymous pastis brand which merged in 1975 with its competitor Pernod to create Pernod Ricard. Ricard was also an environmentalist and t ...
in France - where they were joined by Turkish racer Salih Yoluc - and then claimed a magnificent runner-up spot in Pro-Am during July's Total 24 Hours of Spa.
Winning the coveted Pro-Am title with a round to spare, and continuing the squad's 100% podium finishing record for the season, Al Harthy and Adam were again joined by Yoluc for the twice-round-the-clock challenge along with British driver Euan Hankey.
During a break in the Blancpain calendar mid-season, Al Harthy was joined by young British racer Tom Jackson for the prestigious Michelin Le Mans Cup races at the
Circuit de la Sarthe
The Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans, also known as Circuit de la Sarthe (after the 1906 French Grand Prix triangle circuit) located in Le Mans, Sarthe, France, is a semi-permanent motorsport race course, chiefly known as the venue for the 24 H ...
in Le Mans, France, which run as part of the support package to the world renowned
Le Mans 24 Hours
The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with the Monaco Grand ...
. Winning the GTE class of both contests, which also featured LMP3 'prototype' cars, the Oman Racing duo delivered highly impressive performances in the two 55-minute races.
Racing record
Complete British GT Championship results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
† As Al Harthy was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.
Complete Asian Le Mans Series results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete European Le Mans Series results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
* Season still in progress.
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harthy, Ahmad
1981 births
Living people
Omani racing drivers
Formula Renault BARC drivers
Porsche Supercup drivers
British GT Championship drivers
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup drivers
24 Hours of Spa drivers
Porsche Carrera Cup GB drivers
Sportspeople from Muscat, Oman
24H Series drivers
Aston Martin Racing drivers
Le Mans Cup drivers
Asian Le Mans Series drivers
FIA World Endurance Championship drivers
Porsche Carrera Cup France drivers
24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
W Racing Team drivers
TF Sport drivers
Hillspeed drivers