National Race Day returns at BIC

TDT | Manama

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

National Race Day takes centre stage once again this weekend at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir, ‘The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East’.

Set for tomorrow will be the fourth round of the 2024/2025 season, featuring two of the Kingdom’s premier local racing championships, namely the Bahrain Touring Car Challenge (BTCC) and the Bahrain Motorcycle Championship (BMC).

Racers will be hitting the tarmac along BIC’s 2.55-kilometre Inner Track from 9am onwards. All are welcome to attend. Tickets cost just BD2 for adults and BD1 for children.

National Race Day is organised and run by BIC, in cooperation with the Bahrain Motor Federation, the Circuit Racing Commission, the Bahrain Motorcycle Commission, and the Motorsport Marshals Club.

The BTCC is the region’s longest-running national circuit racing championship, and it continues its legacy this season in its current format. It was formerly known as the BIC, 2,000cc Challenge.

Winners from this campaign’s previous round were Moaaz Elzahrawi and Isa Ebrahim, and they are back for more this weekend against another high-quality field. Joining them on the grid – all in Honda Civic challengers – are Hamad Khamis, Andreas Buelow, Ali Baqer, and Wiebke Buelow. The Radio Bahrain entrant will be racing in the lone Honda Integra in the field to round up the grid.

Friday’s events in the BTCC will feature a practice session, to be followed by qualifying, and then two races.

Meanwhile, the BMC will see a large group of 19 riders battling it out in the series’ two categories – the 1,000cc and 600cc.

In the third round of the season, Saud Al Tourah was triumphant amongst the 1,000cc competitors and Ali Bousheri took the victory in the 600cc class. Both will be looking to maintain their winning ways on Friday.

Al Tourah, riding a BMW S 1000 RR, will be joined in his category by Hassan Al Awadhi in a Yamaha R1, Nawaf Al Shuabi in a Honda CPR 100 RR, Bander Bahlul in a BMW 10004R, Fahed Al Hashash in a Suzuki GSXR, Marta Di Lauro in a Ducati 899, Abdulrahman Hassan in a BMW S 1000 RR, Bradley Stewart in a Ducati 848 Evo, Abdulaziz Al Fharm in a KTM Superduke EVO, and Mujahed Alkhashram in a Yamaha R1.

The 600cc bikers include Bousheri and Abdulrahman Ahmed in a pair of Honda CBR600RR bikes, Mohammed Al Zaidan in a Kawasaki ZX6, Shaikh Khalid Al Khalifa and Mohamed Al Sadiq in Triumph Daytonas; Nasser Al Khadra, Saif Al Buainain, and Hamad Al Tayeb in Yamaha R6 bikes; and Achraf Hamoud in a Suzuki GSXR600.

The BMC schedule will consist of a practice and qualifying session, followed by a single race.

Following all the action, the podium ceremonies will take place for both series.

Seven rounds of National Race Day are scheduled as part of this 2024/2025 season at BIC, to be held all the way through to May.