Double win for Faqihi

Manama : Mohammed Faqihi, Mishal Alneaimi and Chris Rabie each completed double wins on Friday at the National Racing Day organised by BIC, in cooperation with the Bahrain Motor Federation at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir. 

Shaikh Salman bin Isa bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa secured the driver’s title in the 2,000cc for a second time in his national racing career after winning it in the inaugural 2007/08 season.

Faqihi won both races in the eighth and final round of the BIC 2,000cc Challenge, Alneaimi did the double in the fifth and penultimate round of the Bahrain Superbike Championship (BSBK) and Rabie claimed the double in the third and final round of the Bahrain Motorcycle Racing (BMR) 600.

Driving a Honda CIVIC, Faqihi secured pole position with a best lap of one minute 19.050 seconds, which was a new personal best time around BIC’s 2.55-kilometre inner track, then winning the opening 12-lap sprint in 17 minutes 19.234 seconds ahead of new champion Shaikh Salman (+0.833 seconds) who battled hard in his own CIVIC for the runner-up spot with Tim Birkin (+24.895) in a Honda Integra in third place.

Kellogg (CIVIC, +1:04.265), Lee Stones (Renault Clio, 11 laps) and Mohammed Janahi (Mini Cooper, 10 laps) rounded out the final classification as four drivers did not finish.

In race two, Faqihi (16:09.391) finished with a win ahead of Alex Longden (+5.234) in a BMW 3 Series/F20C in second and Birkin (+7.066) third.

Faqihi said, “It’s been a fantastic weekend and I’ve been waiting for results like this for a very long time and I’m ecstatic.”

Shaikh Salman had to settle for fourth but already had the season’s overall crown and clocked the second race’s best lap of 1:18.885, which was also the overall best of the day and topped the standings ahead of Longden and Karimi.

Fifth to ninth places respectively, were Kellogg (+24.379s), Raed Himmo (CIVIC, +34.535s), Michael Priester (Honda CRX, +44.263s), Stones (+1:03.629) and Janahi (10 laps).

After the race, Stephen Kellogg the 2011/12 champion announced his retirement from the BIC 2,000cc Challenge being one of the most consistent and successful competitors since the inaugural campaign.

In the BSBK, Mishal Alneaimi extended his winning streak to an impressive five rounds and the Qatari completed the 11-lap first race (+13.826 seconds) in front of compatriot Ali Al Shammari, while Briton Wesley Pearce (+15.658) came third.

Fourth to eighth were Ibrahem Al Sharidah (KSA,+29.718), Rayad Alemadi (Qat,+32.034), Ian Charles (UK,+35.076), Fadi Bakhos (Lib,+38.494s) and Nasir Hussein (Ind,+1:06.114).

In race two, Alneaimi (13:01.812) led from Al Shammari (+9.778) in second and Pearce (+14.697) third onto the podium.