Zach David shines in the 2024 Formula Regional Middle East Championship

A stellar performance during the penultimate round of the 2024 Formula Regional Middle East Championship certified by FIA (FRMEC) has made Zachary ‘Zach’ David one of the standout drivers over the weekend. The Malta-licensed Filipino driver went on to deliver a pair of 3rd place finishes on Saturday at the Yas Marina Circuit, making this his best result in the series to date. Driving the #20 R-ace GP entry, David was amongst the front-runners in testing early on and even set the fastest time in Free Practice on Friday. He carried this pace into Qualifying and only missed out on pole by 0.137 secs during the first session and ended up P3 in the second outing. With a good setup and full confidence, David began his charge in Race 1 on Friday afternoon. The 16-year-old managed to move up a spot at the start and slotted into P4. But with 29 closely-packed drivers sharing a 5.282 km track, overtaking proved to be difficult. David later decided to side with caution to ensure he made it to the finish with 4th place intact. Chaos in the opening stages of Race 2 gave David an opportunity to promote himself up the standings. Lining up P7 on the grid, he immediately gained a place before the first Safety Car period. As the lead drivers got crossed up during the restart, David found himself in P4 and made a brave move in the closing stages to earn a spot on the podium and take the chequered flag in 3rd.Now starting from the second row of the grid, David stayed close to the leaders and held position. However, he had to defend his position from a hard charging Mari Boya of Pinnacle Motorsport after the Safety Car restart. Despite running on older tires than Boya, the lone Filipino driver on the grid was able to keep the Spaniard at bay and secure another 3rd place at the finish. A stellar weekend at Yas Marina has allowed Zach David to climb to 7th in the Overall Driver’s Standings and 4th in the Rookie Cup. There’s only one round left in the 2024 Formula Regional Middle East Championship, giving David one last shot at making his mark in the series on the 16th to 18th of February at the Dubai Autodrome. Zach David: “Overall a much better weekend than the last. Made the most of all three races and now look to do the same next week for the final round at Dubai.”