Oman's Al Harthy geared up for the 24 Hours of Le Mans
Muscat – Global motorsport's greatest and most challenging race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the famous Circuit de la Sarthe in France, is mere days away for Oman's Ahmad al Harthy, who intends to mount a major bid for silverware with teammates Valentino Rossi and Kelvin van der Linde.
Marking the halfway stage of the FIA World Endurance Championship season, round four of the 2025 campaign, this year's visit to Le Mans – the race begins on Saturday – will be Al Harthy's third attempt at the endurance racing classic, where he is a past podium finisher.
Memorably, of course, he made history on his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut back in 2023 when racing to a sensational second place result in the then GTE Am class – success which he happily dedicated to His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq.
'Le Mans is always the biggest event of the year, not just in WEC but in motorsport as a whole, and it truly is an incredible honour to again represent Oman at such a prestigious, famous and historic race,' said Al Harthy.
'It was the proudest moment of my career to climb the podium in the 24 Hours of Le Mans a couple of years ago on my debut in the race, truly an amazing moment to see the Omani flag fly.
'We're working as hard as we can to be back on the podium this weekend, and with Vale and Kelvin, we're pushing as hard as ever to prepare as strongly as possible for the race. It's going to be an amazing week building up to the race, I can't wait to get started.'
Now competing in LMGT3, the successor to GTE, the Omani's second season with Team WRT in the No.46 BMW M4 LMGT3 has been impacted by some misfortune but there has been celebration as well, thanks a fantastic second place – a mere 0.3 seconds shy of victory – at Imola in Italy in April.
Climbing to sixth in the LMGT3 standings at that point, having had to settle for 11th place during the season-opening event at Lusail in Qatar, a podium bid last time out at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium ultimately became ninth due to a pit-lane speed limiter glitch which resulted in a luckless penalty.
While there have been frustrations with some of the misfortune, the overall pace and performance across qualifying and race conditions from the Team WRT entry has been outstanding and Al Harthy himself has been extremely satisfied with the level of his own personal performance thus far.
Supported as always by OQ Group, Sohar International, Omantel, Oman LNG, BMW Oman, Oman Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and Experience Oman, Al Harthy is very much looking forward to welcoming plenty of key partners to the 93rd staging of the 24 Hours of Le Mans later this week.
This year's race entry features a combined total of 62 cars across the Hypercar, LMP2 and LMGT3 classes, with 24 in LMGT3 alone – the biggest class of the three. The No.46 BMW LMGT3 will be battling competition from the likes of Aston Martin, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Lexus, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche. The 24 Hours of Le Mans start at 16.00 local time.
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Muscat Daily
3 hours ago
- Muscat Daily
Oman's Al Harthy geared up for the 24 Hours of Le Mans
Muscat – Global motorsport's greatest and most challenging race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the famous Circuit de la Sarthe in France, is mere days away for Oman's Ahmad al Harthy, who intends to mount a major bid for silverware with teammates Valentino Rossi and Kelvin van der Linde. Marking the halfway stage of the FIA World Endurance Championship season, round four of the 2025 campaign, this year's visit to Le Mans – the race begins on Saturday – will be Al Harthy's third attempt at the endurance racing classic, where he is a past podium finisher. Memorably, of course, he made history on his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut back in 2023 when racing to a sensational second place result in the then GTE Am class – success which he happily dedicated to His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq. 'Le Mans is always the biggest event of the year, not just in WEC but in motorsport as a whole, and it truly is an incredible honour to again represent Oman at such a prestigious, famous and historic race,' said Al Harthy. 'It was the proudest moment of my career to climb the podium in the 24 Hours of Le Mans a couple of years ago on my debut in the race, truly an amazing moment to see the Omani flag fly. 'We're working as hard as we can to be back on the podium this weekend, and with Vale and Kelvin, we're pushing as hard as ever to prepare as strongly as possible for the race. It's going to be an amazing week building up to the race, I can't wait to get started.' Now competing in LMGT3, the successor to GTE, the Omani's second season with Team WRT in the No.46 BMW M4 LMGT3 has been impacted by some misfortune but there has been celebration as well, thanks a fantastic second place – a mere 0.3 seconds shy of victory – at Imola in Italy in April. Climbing to sixth in the LMGT3 standings at that point, having had to settle for 11th place during the season-opening event at Lusail in Qatar, a podium bid last time out at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium ultimately became ninth due to a pit-lane speed limiter glitch which resulted in a luckless penalty. While there have been frustrations with some of the misfortune, the overall pace and performance across qualifying and race conditions from the Team WRT entry has been outstanding and Al Harthy himself has been extremely satisfied with the level of his own personal performance thus far. Supported as always by OQ Group, Sohar International, Omantel, Oman LNG, BMW Oman, Oman Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and Experience Oman, Al Harthy is very much looking forward to welcoming plenty of key partners to the 93rd staging of the 24 Hours of Le Mans later this week. This year's race entry features a combined total of 62 cars across the Hypercar, LMP2 and LMGT3 classes, with 24 in LMGT3 alone – the biggest class of the three. The No.46 BMW LMGT3 will be battling competition from the likes of Aston Martin, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Lexus, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche. The 24 Hours of Le Mans start at 16.00 local time.
Times of Oman
7 hours ago
- Times of Oman
Biggest event in global endurance racing awaits Oman's Al Harthy: The 24hrs of Le Mans
Global motorsport's greatest and most challenging race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the famous Circuit de la Sarthe in France, is mere days away for Oman's Ahmad Al Harthy who intends to mount a major bid for silverware with team-mates Valentino Rossi and Kelvin van der Linde. Marking the halfway stage of the FIA World Endurance Championship season, round four of the 2025 campaign, this year's visit to Le Mans – the race begins on Saturday, 14th June – will be Al Harthy's third attempt at the endurance racing classic where he is a past podium finisher. Memorably, of course, he made history on his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut back in 2023 when racing to a sensational second place result in the then GTE Am class – success which he happily dedicated to his Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq. Now competing in LMGT3, the successor to GTE, the Omani's second season with Team WRT in the No.46 BMW M4 LMGT3 has been impacted by some misfortune but there has been celebration as well thanks to a fantastic second place – a mere 0.3 seconds shy of victory – at Imola in Italy in April. Climbing to sixth in the LMGT3 standings at that point, having had to settle for 11th place during the season-opening event at Lusail in Qatar, a podium bid last time out at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium ultimately became ninth due to a pit-lane speed limiter glitch which resulted in a luckless penalty. While there have been frustrations with some of the misfortune, the overall pace and performance across qualifying and race conditions from the Team WRT entry has been outstanding and Al Harthy himself has been extremely satisfied with the level of his own personal performance thus far. Supported as always by OQ Group, Sohar International, Omantel, Oman LNG, BMW Oman, Oman Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and Experience Oman, Al Harthy is very much looking forward to welcoming plenty of key partners to the 93rd staging of the 24 Hours of Le Mans later this week. This year's race entry features a combined total of 62 cars across the Hypercar, LMP2 and LMGT3 classes, with 24 in LMGT3 alone – the biggest class of the three. The No.46 BMW LMGT3 will be battling competition from the likes of Aston Martin, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Lexus, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche. Ahmad Al Harthy said, 'Le Mans is always the biggest event of the year, not just in WEC but in motorsport as a whole, and it truly is an incredible honour to again represent Oman at such a prestigious, famous and historic race. It was the proudest moment of my career to climb the podium in the 24 Hours of Le Mans a couple of years ago on my debut in the race, truly an amazing moment to see the Omani flag fly. 'We're working as hard as we can to be back on the podium this weekend, and with Vale and Kelvin we're pushing as hard as ever to prepare as strongly as possible for the race. It's going to be an amazing week building-up to the race, I can't wait to get started.' Free practice begins at Le Mans this Wednesday, 11th June, with qualifying then getting underway at 18.45 local time – the fastest 12 cars progressing to Hyperpole at 20.00 on Thursday, 12th June. In between these sessions there will have been two further practice runs. Hyperpole for this year sees the top eight progress to a second Hyperpole session to determine the first four rows of the grid. More night-time practice follows before a day away from track action on Friday, 13th June. Warm-up for the big race takes place at midday local time on Saturday, 14th June, with the 24 Hours of Le Mans beginning at 16.00 local time. Follow everything at or com
Observer
3 days ago
- Observer
Omani fans shine in support of Red Warriors despite defeat
MUSCAT, MAY 6 Despite the defeat of the national team against Jordan on Thursday, the Omani fans once again proved that they are the key pillar in supporting the Red Warriors. As crowds flocked from various governorates of the Sultanate of Oman to support the team, the disappointment of the loss was palpable, though people were also looking forward to Eid Al Adha celebrations. The stadium witnessed a remarkable turnout, with the stands filled with fans waving flags and chanting slogans, reaffirming their unwavering support for the team on its journey towards World Cup. Despite the hot weather, the heat did not deter the crowds from arriving at the stadium early in the afternoon, with most of them breaking their fast in the stands after a long day of fasting on the Day of Arafah. The stadium management and the 'Kulna Ma'ak' (We Are All With You) campaign arranged water distribution points for the fans, along with an Iftar tent, which contributed to a positive atmosphere inside the stadium. Children were seen holding 'We Are All With You' banners and waving flags, adding to the festive atmosphere despite the disappointment of the result. This enthusiastic spirit from the fans came within the framework of the 'We Are All With You' campaign, launched by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth in cooperation with the Oman Football Association, aimed at supporting the national team in the final qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. To ignite the fans' enthusiasm, the campaign distributed more than 20,000 Omani flags in the stands to paint the stadium in red, white and green, adding a festive touch despite the loss. This was complemented by a large banner raised by the fans before the start of the match, featuring a photo of a player from the Oman team with the phrase 'We Are All With You,' reflecting a message of unity and support. Omani fan Mohsen Ambusaidi, who came from the Wilayat of Nizwa, said, "The team's performance did not meet expectations. The team played well in the first half with two clear chances to score, but noticeably declined in the second half." Ambusaidi added, "Some fans left the stands after the second goal, due to a lack of confidence in the team's ability to come back. Omani fans deserve praise and appreciation, as they have never stopped supporting the team whether at home or abroad, despite all circumstances." "The fans who endured the journey to the capital, Muscat, despite the eve of Eid and fasting on the Day of Arafah, considering that these fans deserved acknowledgment from the players after the match. Unfortunately, none of the players or the coaching staff approached them to thank them after the disappointing result," he ended. Fan, Labid al Amri, who came from the Wilayat of Al Awabi, said "The national team did not deliver the required performance and squandered the chance for direct qualification." Al Amri added "The Omani fans have never lost hope in supporting the team under the toughest circumstances and the chance to qualify is still alive through the playoffs. As long as there's hope, we must all continue to support the team." Al Amri concluded "The upcoming match against Palestine will be a true final, as the winner will earn the chance to play in the World Cup playoffs, calling on Omani fans to support the team until the very last minute."
