Ahmad already looking ahead- It’s been a month since Oman Racing Team (ORT) driver Ahmad Al Harthy stood on the Formula Renault BARC championship podium in London, a school where top F1 driver Jensen Button and the legendary Michael Schumacher graduated.

Times of Oman 23/6/2009

Ahmad – arguably the best driver in the Middle-East came third at Qulton Park Circuit in the first round of BARC series held in May.

He will leave for the United Kingdom today for round two and three of the Formula Renault BARC championship. He will first appear in free testing where he will test his Formula Renault on Thursday and Friday to find the perfect setup for the two qualifying sessions on Saturday and for the round two and three on Sunday.

“Test driving prior to the championship is vital and it will help us understand the defects of the car,” he said while speaking to Times Sport prior to boarding his flight for London.

Speaking about his ‘dream’ race where he had achieved third position, the humorous and unfailingly polite Ahmad said that the first round has set a base for him to achieve top positions in the upcoming championships. “I couldn’t have asked for more. It gave me a perfect start and that was what I wanted,” he said. From the obscure go-karting circuit of Azaiba, he has come along way to dominate his opponents at the center stage in London.

The last three weeks was hectic for Ahmad as he was promoting his Formula Renault car that was unveiled before the Muscat audience for the first time. He also did a demo run at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher last week. “The unveiling and the demo run were successful. The support and the good wishes he received from the people who had come to see me driving inspired me so much. We all know that Omanis love motor sports so they all look forward to me to do well in these championships,” Ahmad said.

The Snetterton circuit was originally an airfield in the past and most of the circuit will be on full throttle due to the long straights, the circuit has seven turns and is 3.123km in length, located 30km from Norwich.

Ahmad has been in the limelight with some creditable podium finishes in 2008 and yesterday he honestly admitted of aiming for the 2009 title.