But Abu Dhabi-based outfit pits to allow sister team to clinch Championship

Humaid Al Masaood continued his impressive debut season in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) with a third place finish at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca track in California this weekend. However, the result only tells half the story, as the Emirati’s Oryx Racing team sacrificed second place to help sister team Dyson Racing clinch the Driver’s Championship.

Starting in second place on the grid, the Abu Dhabi-based team proceeded to continue a superb run of form that had seen it record three podium finishes in five races, including victory at the Baltimore Grand Prix two weeks ago.

Five hours into the six-hour race and Oryx Racing’s Mazda Lola Coupé was performing well, consolidating their second place position just behind eventual winners, and Works team, Aston Martin Racing. With less than an hour to run, the team then pitted from second position to allow Dyson Racing to overtake them, and consequently secure the overall Team, Manufacturer and Driver’s Championships

“We drove a great race, but this is a team sport and in our debut season nothing can take away from our achievements,” said Al Masaood after the race. “We are already looking forward to the Petit Le Mans season finale in two weeks, where we aim to finish on a high.”

The Emirati’s latest success came in the Series’ biggest race of the season, featuring a starting grid of 36 cars on the infamous Lagua Seca circuit.

“This circuit is very different from any other we have raced at in the ALMS, it was daunting at first, especially the ‘Corkscrew’ section but a few laps into practice I felt comfortable. You really need to find a rhythm here and be very smooth with the car” said Al Masaood. “I set a good pace and felt very good about my time in the car. For me, personally, it was a good benchmark to be mixing it up with top flight drivers in factory-backed cars.”

The drivers’ attention will now focus on the final round of the ALMS and the ten-hour Petit Le Mans in Braselton, Georgia, which begins on Sunday 25th September.