Following a successful season in Porsche competitions across Europe, Bulgarian driver Alexandra Vateva made an impressive debut in Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East, claiming a class podium in race 2 and the class fastest lap in race 1 at the Bahrain season opener.
Alexandra Vateva made a strong debut in the Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East, following her success in European Porsche one-make series where she had already made stellar appearances and won races. In Bahrain, she became the first female driver to join the Middle East-based series, as she got behind the wheel of a Porsche 992 GT3 Cup from Lechner Racing.
Despite needing to adapt to an unfamiliar track, the Bulgarian driver made significant progress in all sessions, improving her pace and racecraft while staying competitive with other drivers in the Pro-Am class, finishing both practice sessions 5th in class.
The qualifying session saw several drivers, including Vateva, facing deleted laps due to track limits. She ultimately finished fifth in class and eleventh overall, with Janne Stiak securing overall pole, and Saud Al Saud taking Pro-Am pole for the first race later that day.
Race 1 started with some difficulties for Alexandra, as she dropped back initially before finding her rhythm. She then showed outstanding pace and skillful overtaking, moving through the Masters class while recording the fastest lap in her class.
Unfortunately, after making a great pass, she went wide, clipped the kerb and spun, losing positions. However, she fought back, finishing eleventh overall and fifth in class. Her strong pace and battles provided valuable experience to further improve on Saturday's race.
Saud Al Saud won the Pro-Am class after a hard-fought battle with Thomas Kiefer and Sören Spreng, who finished 3rd and 4th respectively. The overall race was dominated by Janne Stiak, who was unchallenged throughout.
Race 2 was another tough contest, particularly between Spreng and Kiefer, who made contact at turn 1 and were forced to retire. Alexandra, however, made further progress, moving up to third in class as she skillfully navigated up the order and avoided attrition.
The Bulgarian eventually held position and finishing third in ProAm, also securing an impressive 8th overall. She trailed behind Al Saud and Khaled Alahmadi.
The overall winner of the second race was Colin Bönighausen, with Janne Stiak finishing 2nd and James Wallis taking 3rd.
Alexandra Vateva now sits 9th overall in the championship standings and third in her class, marking an impressive debut in the Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East. As a Porsche Talent Pool Driver, she continues to make her way in the world of Porsche Motorsport and working on a 2025 program.
