SEAN Walkinshaw claimed an excellent third-placed finish in the Gulf 12 Hours in Abu Dhabi.

The result in the Attempto Racing Audi was made more impressive as it came just days after the Chipping Norton racer confirmed his entry into the event.

Along with teammates Giorgio Roda and Clemens Schmid, they were only 90 seconds adrift of second place after the two six-hour stints at Yas Marina.

“I’m really happy with the podium, especially considering it was my first time out in the Audi,” said Walkinshaw.

“The car took a bit of getting used to, but during the race I was finally able to get to grips with it.

“Overall the race went pretty swimmingly compared to our rivals, but we were spun around in the first hour of the second part of the race, which did cost us a lot of time.

“I’m really happy to end the year on the podium and I’d like to say a big thank you to my team-mates.”

Fellow Chipping Norton driver Alice Powell helped make history elsewhere in the Middle East.

Alongside Katherine Legge and Célia Martin, they were the first women to race against men in Saudi Arabia.

Powell was competing in the inaugural Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy, where she won the pro-am category and was fifth overall.