BIC hosts National Racing Day

Manama : Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) hosted another action-packed National Racing Day on Friday in Sakhir, with new editions taking to the floodlit desert track for the BIC 2,000cc Challenge, the Bahrain Superbike Championship (BSBK) and the Bahrain Motorcycle Racing (BMR) 600.

Four winners emerged from the event. Brothers Shaikh Salman bin Isa bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa and Shaikh Hamad bin Isa bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa shared the honours in the two 2,000cc races; while Mishal Alneaimi and Chris Rabie secured a double apiece in the BSBK and BMR 600, Organised by the BIC in cooperation with the Bahrain Motor Federation, the BIC 2,000cc Challenge was holding the seventh and penultimate round of its 2015/2016 season.

Following a slow start that saw him qualify sixth on the grid, Shaikh Salman, driving a Honda CIVIC, managed to clinch the weekend’s opening 12-lap sprint after taking the chequered flag in a time of 16 minutes 16.023 seconds. Shaikh Salman managed to overcome some late car trouble en route to claiming his victory around BIC’s 2.55-kilometre Inner Track.

Mohammed Faqihi (+0.760 seconds) also driving a CIVIC, was a close runner-up while Alex Longden (+6.807) in a BMW 3Series/F20C rounded out the podium placers in third.

In race two, it was Shaikh Hamad’s (16:17.295) turn to triumph driving a CIVIC, followed in second for the second time in the day Longden (+11.956) behind the winner, while Mohammed Faqihi (+28.933) was a distant third and Shaikh Salman (+34.678) managed fourth place.

In the BSBK, Qatari rider Mishal Alneaimi was the man to beat once again in what was the season’s fourth and penultimate meeting. After already winning the first six races of the season, the experienced biker added another double to his tally.

He won the first 11-lap sprint from pole in 13:05.498, enjoying a gap lead of 8.503 seconds from closest driver Fahad Al Suwaidi with Ali Al Shammari (+11.546) in third.