MOTORSPORT – Japan’s Taichi Watarai has been crowned overall champion and rookie class winner of the 2025-26 Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East (PCCME).
This was confirmed by series organisers, who listed the victors of each competition category in the condensed season.
The calendar’s final two rounds have been cancelled due to the unfortunate events currently taking place in the kingdom and across the region.
They were supposed to be held next month in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, in support of Formula One grands prix, but they will both not be taking place in April.
The PCCME thus announced the victors of 2025-26 after the four rounds of racing that were held.
Watarai emerged overall champion after scoring 122.5 points from eight races, which included two victories – both of which came in Bahrain.
Racing in the series’ Pro class, Watarai was followed on the standings by Caleb Sumich from Australia with 115 points, while Khaled Alahmadi from Saudi finished third overall with 97 points.
Watarai completed his title double by taking the Rookie category, where he also led Sumich – both on the same points. Alexandra Vateva from Bulgaria ranked third with 69 points.
Meanwhile, Cedric Chassang of France became champion of the ProAm category where he scored 150 points. Bankcy from Japan was second with 107.5, with Sam Shahin from Australia taking third on 70.
Krister Andero from Switzerland finished as champion of the Masters class. He ended the campaign with 135 points, narrowly beating out Petr Brecka from the Czech Republic by just three points.
Mark J Thomas from Canada ranked third with 113 points.
Alahmadi added to his overall top three by taking the GCC division title. He came away with 97 points from the four rounds held, beating countryman Saud Al Saud, who posted 75 points. Abdulla Al Khelaifi of Qatar was third with 24 points.
Finally, Seven X Seven from Japan were crowned Teams’ champion with 209 points.
Saudi Racing followed as runners-up with 170 points, while Team GP Elite from the Netherlands came third on 102 points.
The PCCME is the region’s leading one-make championship, born and based at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir and run by world-renowned racing company Lechner Racing.
The series is well-established as a proven path for regional drivers to accelerate their careers in the sport.
Ever since its launch in 2009, the PCCME has gained recognition as one of the most professional and successful championships in the Middle East.
In 2023, it was upgraded to the PCCME, making it one of 12 Carrera Cups in the world, and its 2025-26 campaign was its 17th season.
Drivers got behind the wheel of identical Porsche 911 (992) GT3 Cup cars.
The 2025-26 championship-opener took place at BIC last November, while succeeding rounds were held at Doha in Qatar, and at Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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