Ahmad Al Harthy
Encyclopedia
Ahmad Al Harthy is Oman's top racing driver and one of the Middle Eastern Sultanate's leading international sportsmen.
, 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
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.
podiums in the end-of-year Winter Championship, he became a consistent front-runner in 2008. Condluding 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
Supercars Middle East Championship in the headline SC09 Class where he piloted a Chevrolet Lumina
during the Formula One
Grand Prix support race at Sakhir
in Bahrain
. He achieved one podium finish from the two races contested.
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
. Easily the most high profile year of action of his career to date, Al Harthy adapated 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
support event to the legendary Le Mans 24 Hour Race. Becoming the first Omani to ever compete at the world famous Circuit de la Sarthe, his participation was also notable for a further reason - the Porsche race marked the 40th anniversary of the marque's first Le Mans 24 Hour victory and this coincided with the 40th anniversary of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s reign in Oman
.
Al Harthy also made selected appearances in the Chevrolet
Supercars ME Championship once again but several mechanical problems blunted his charge.
In 2011 Al Harthy races once again in the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain
Championship. As a pre-cursor to this, he recently made history on the streets of his home city of Muscat
by conducting passenger rides in a Porsche 911 GT3
race car. The carefully arranged event ran in conjunction with the support of the Royal Oman Police and the Oman Automobile Association.
For the 2011 season, Al Harthy has a title sponsorship deal with Oman Air and his car is therefore entered under the Oman Air Racing Team name. He also receives support from Nawras, the National Bank of Oman, Brand Oman, the Oman Ministry of Sports Affairs and the Oman Ministry of Tourism.
Early years
Although dabbling with karting at the age of seven, following a visit with his older brother to his local kart track in OmanOman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
, 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 a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
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 RenaultFormula Renault
Formula Renault is a class of formula racing founded in 1971. It is popular in Europe and other countries. Regarded as an entry-level series to motor racing, it is a respected series where drivers can learn advanced racecraft before moving on to Formula Three, World Series by Renault, GP2 or...
podiums in the end-of-year Winter Championship, he became a consistent front-runner in 2008. Condluding 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
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
Supercars Middle East Championship in the headline SC09 Class where he piloted a Chevrolet Lumina
Chevrolet Lumina
The North American Chevrolet Lumina sedan , coupe and minivan were first introduced in 1989 for the 1990 model year as a new range of vehicles from the Chevrolet brand of General Motors to replace the Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Celebrity sedan, and the Monte Carlo coupe. The Lumina was an answer...
during the Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
Grand Prix support race at Sakhir
Sakhir
Sakhir is a desert area located in the Kingdom of Bahrain, near Zallaq. It contains the Al-Sakhir Palace, built in 1870. In the past few years, it has seen many changes such as the creation of the University of Bahrain main campus, al-Areen Wildlife Park, and Bahrain International Circuit. In...
in Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
. 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 RacingRedline Racing
Redline Racing is a British racing team that is currently competing in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and the Porsche Carrera Cup GB.Redline Racing, established in 1995, made its first entry in the arena of motorsport racing in April 1997 by competing in the Michelin Porsche Cup...
team in the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain
Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain
Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain is a one make racing series that takes place in the United Kingdom for the Porsche 911. It is currently one of the support series for the British Touring Car Championship...
Championship - a support category to the UK's biggest motor racing series, the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship
British Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
. Easily the most high profile year of action of his career to date, Al Harthy adapated 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
Porsche Matmut Carrera Cup France is a one make sports car racing championship held in France. The cars are Porsche 911 GT3 Cup with 3.6 liters, flat-6 naturally aspirated engines that produce and 420 N·m.-Champions:-External links:*...
support event to the legendary Le Mans 24 Hour Race. Becoming the first Omani to ever compete at the world famous Circuit de la Sarthe, his participation was also notable for a further reason - the Porsche race marked the 40th anniversary of the marque's first Le Mans 24 Hour victory and this coincided with the 40th anniversary of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s reign in Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
.
Al Harthy also made selected appearances in the Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
Supercars ME Championship once again but several mechanical problems blunted his charge.
In 2011 Al Harthy races once again in the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain
Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain
Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain is a one make racing series that takes place in the United Kingdom for the Porsche 911. It is currently one of the support series for the British Touring Car Championship...
Championship. As a pre-cursor to this, he recently made history on the streets of his home city of Muscat
Muscat, Oman
Muscat is the capital of Oman. It is also the seat of government and largest city in the Governorate of Muscat. As of 2008, the population of the Muscat metropolitan area was 1,090,797. The metropolitan area spans approximately and includes six provinces called wilayats...
by conducting passenger rides in a Porsche 911 GT3
Porsche 911 GT3
The Porsche 911 GT3 is a higher performance version of the Porsche 911 sports car. It is the latest in a line of high performance models, beginning with the 1973 911 RS...
race car. The carefully arranged event ran in conjunction with the support of the Royal Oman Police and the Oman Automobile Association.
For the 2011 season, Al Harthy has a title sponsorship deal with Oman Air and his car is therefore entered under the Oman Air Racing Team name. He also receives support from Nawras, the National Bank of Oman, Brand Oman, the Oman Ministry of Sports Affairs and the Oman Ministry of Tourism.