BAS excel in six-hour karting race

Bahrain Airport Services (BAS) Motorsport Team enjoyed an impressive outing in the six-hour second round of the 2019/2020 Bahrain Karting Enduro Championship (BKEC), held last weekend at Bahrain International Karting Circuit (BIKC) in Sakhir. With a squad composed mostly of BAS staff members who had only recently started racing, BAS Motorsport Team overcame the odds and claimed three podium places in the various categories of the hotly contested event.

BAS A comprising young team Ambassador Lewis Smith and veteran teammates Ahmed Ebrahim and Gavin Halls captured third place in the supremely competitive Pro class. They battled until the very end and could have added an overall podium for third place, but were pipped by the narrowest of margins at the finish. The BAS B and C teams also had reasons to celebrate, taking second and third, respectively, in the Corporate class.

BAS B were composed of Mahmood Alsaati, Ahmed Kooheji, Saud Alshater, Rene Mader and Dylan Campos; while BAS C featured Mohammed Faqihi, Ziyad Khalifa, Mohamed Al Ansari, Don Vinura and lady driver Maryam Qassimi. BAS set themselves apart from the rest of the participating teams as they fielded the series’ only all-female driving quintet. Their BAS F team comprised Jeiel Macaraan, Fatima Zainudeen, Alanoud Alalawi, Marwa Mandeel and Christina Anieliesa. They were recognised at the end of the race with their own trophy.

Following all the action, an elated BAS Motorsport Team Manager Tony Smith COO commented, “What an achievement for our teams of BAS staff, who have only been driving for just maybe over two months. It’s truly amazing to see what they have done today! “We thank our Chief Executive Officer, Salman Al Mahmeed, for his tremendous support. We look forward to further building on this experience and putting on an even stronger fight in the championship’s final two rounds.” BAS A completed a total of 280 laps in the six-hour race duration, which was just a single lap behind the overall winners.

They were also 0.457 seconds from clinching third on the overall classification, which would have earned them a fourth podium. “The final stages of the race were really challenging,” said rising talent Lewis, who did three stints for BAS A including the final three-quarters-of-anhour on the way to the chequered flag. “Trying to keep the pace up all the way through and staying on the limit was a bit tough.

“But we had a great team; everyone did what they needed to do, and it was our teamwork that came through for us in the end.” Fellow-driver in the BAS A kart, Halls, was competing with the team for the first time, but he immediately felt right at home. “I was really impressed with the set-up, and the organisation has been second to none,” said Halls, who is a former karting champion. “When I came earlier in the week for practice and saw how things were being run, I knew straight away that we were in a good spot.

“I’m very happy with how competitive we have been against the other more experienced teams. One of the things we aimed for was to keep as consistent as we can and not to have any penalties, so staying within the white lines and making sure our pit times were absolutely spot on – those are areas where you can win or lose a race. “A big thank you to the entire team!” BAS B completed a total of 276 laps in finishing as runners-up amongst the Corporate entrants.

Drivers Mahmood Alsaati and Ahmed Kooheji said all their team members’ hard work in preparing for the meeting paid off brilliantly. “The team did a great job,” said Alsaati. “We put in quite a lot of hours and it prepared us for the race. Practice was key. Fortunately, we came away with some podium places.”