Open Track Night to offer loads of thrills

Manama : Loads of thrills and excitement await motorsport fans on Saturday as Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) hosts Open Track Night in Sakhir.

Open Track is one of the most popular public activities available at BIC as scores of speed enthusiasts from Bahrain and all over the Gulf usually turn up for this event, as it is a chance to drive their own cars or motorbikes along BIC’s 2.55-kilometre Inner Track.

Aside from the Open Track, also available to speed enthusiasts will be a pair of passenger rides in a Clio Cup car and a Radical SR3 prototype. Both are all-new offerings at BIC.

Action will be held from 4pm until 11pm under BIC’s state-of-the-art track lighting system. Open Track participants can choose between driving for a whole night or just for a half-night with the half-night sessions between 4pm and 7pm or between 8pm and 11pm. A single 30-minute session is also available.

Registration can be done at BIC itself on Saturday from 3pm. However, those who book in advance can get a discount and those with friends or family members who would like to accompany a participant as a passenger in their car may also do so.

Meanwhile, the Clio Cup and Radical SR3 passenger rides are sure to give motorsport fans an exceptional new thrill.

The Clio Cup passenger ride gives clients a look into the racing capabilities of one of the world’s most popular sports cars. This Renault-manufactured mean machine features a 1.6-litre Turbocharged engine. It can generate up to 220bhp and 6,000rpm, and it has a paddle shift racing gearbox and an FIA-specification roll cage and seats. The Clio Cup passenger ride comprises a single three-lap session of around 40 minutes.

The Radical SR3 boasts an RPE-Suzuki Generation 1,340 DOHC engine. It can go from zero to 100kmh in 3.4 seconds, and also has a six-speed sequential gearbox and paddle gearshift system. The SR3 passenger ride is a three-lap session of around 40 minutes.

Saturday’s Open Track Night will be run to the highest of international safety standards, although participants will still be able to push their vehicles to their very limit.

All those taking part must first bring their cars or motorbikes through scrutineering before being allowed to take to the track. They must also own a valid driver’s licence.