BIC gears up for 8 Hours of Bahrain

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

World Championship events just keep coming to BIC, with motor racing history set to be made for the second event in the first-ever FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) double-header, which is set to take place this weekend at “The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East”.

The 2021 season-ending FIA WEC Bapco 8 Hours of Bahrain takes the Kingdom by storm on Friday and Saturday, and it follows the hugely successful FIA WEC Bapco 6 Hours of Bahrain held this past weekend. It is the first time that back-to-back WEC races are being held at the same venue, and BIC continues to cement its status amongst the leading motor racing tracks in the world.

The Bapco 8 Hours of Bahrain marks the sixth and final round of this year’s championship, and it will be a completely different race for the WEC competitors from the one that took place last weekend.

The rolling start is scheduled for the early afternoon in daylight conditions at 2pm, and then the chequered flag will be coming down under the stars at 10pm.

This poses massive challenges for both the drivers and their teams, as they will have to deal with the varying temperatures and track conditions throughout the gruelling eight-hour race duration.

Last weekend’s Bapco 6 Hours of Bahrain was held in the day, with the chequered flag waved close to sunset and the Sakhir desert providing a breath-taking backdrop.

The same field of competitors is expected to compete for another epic race along BIC’s 5.412-kilometre track.

The winners from the six-hour event will be headlining their respective classes, including Toyota Gazoo Racing amongst the GR010 Hybrid Hypercars, Team WRT in their Oreca 07-Gibson Le Mans Prototype (LMP) 2 category, and Porsche GT Team in their Porsche 911 RSR-19 along with TF Sport in their Aston Martin Vantage AMR in the Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance (LMGTE) Pro and Am classes.

Aside from the WEC, there will also be plenty of on-track action with the Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East.

Many of the region’s top drivers will be competing in the series in identical Porsche GT3 Cup Car 911s.

Meanwhile, for the second successive weekend, loads of family entertainment will be on hand throughout the day at the BIC vending area.

These include music and dance acts and roaming performers from around the world, plus a fantastic activity area for kids of all ages that will feature rides, an ice rink, a trampoline and maze, and so much more.

Tickets for Friday and Saturday can be purchased online or at the gate.

They cost just BD5 for adults and BD2.5 for children aged three to 12 years old.

Kids under three are free, whilst there are also further discounts available for students, those with special needs and senior citizens.

Ticket prices offer one of the most affordable ways to witness a World Championship motorsport event.

Full details are available at bahraingp.com.

Spectator entry policy for the race weekend will be in line with the Kingdom of Bahrain’s prevailing COVID-19 traffic light system.

Under the current green conditions, entry is permitted to all.

For more information on the WEC double-header and full eligibility criteria for those wishing to buy tickets to enjoy the races, visit BIC’s official website bahraingp.com or call the BIC Hotline on +973-17-450000.