Stellar support races at WEC finale
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
A stellar support-race programme is set to add to the on-track action and excitement at the upcoming Bapco 8 Hours of Bahrain, taking place at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) as the final round of the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).
The WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup and the Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East will both be joining the world’s best endurance racing teams on the tarmac at “The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East”, making for a timetable of nonstop racing this 11 and 12 November in Sakhir.
The WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup is the pinnacle of customer touring car racing and sits at the top of the TCR category ladder, with WTCR Race of Bahrain the series’ first visit to the Middle East and the penultimate event of the season.
The Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East, meanwhile, is the region’s leading one-make championship, and it kicks off its 14th year with its 2022/2023 season-opener at the Bapco 8 Hours of Bahrain weekend.
Tickets to the WEC spectacle continue to be available and fans are urged to purchase theirs today so as not to miss out on another extra special occasion at BIC.
Tickets cost just BD5 for adults and BD2.5 for kids for the twoday weekend programme. They can be purchased online at bahraingp.com or by calling the BIC Hotline on +973-17450000.
WTCR Race of Bahrain
Evolving from the FIA World Touring Car Championship ahead of 2018, WTCR is administered by the FIA and promoted by Discovery Sports Events.
Experienced racers and young talents aiming for the top compete in turbocharged TCR cars from Audi, CUPRA, Honda and Hyundai.
A Balance of Performance formula, sustainable biofuel from P1 Racing Fuels and tyres from Goodyear provide a level playing field. Power is capped at 360bhp, while speeds reach 260kph.
Significant cost-control measures allow privateer teams with limited technical support from manufacturers to fight at the front.
Two practice sessions, a single three-stage qualifying session featuring two elimination periods, plus two sprint races are set to be held during the WEC weekend.
Porsche Sprint Challenge ME
A great starting point for local talent, the Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East is the only factory-supported series in this part of the world.
The series was created to give the region’s home-grown driving talent an opportunity to realise their racing potential while enhancing personal track experience not only on race weekends, but also through extensive coaching and testing opportunities.
It has become popular for drivers and fans alike, featuring real racing and genuine rivalries on the track.
This year, a field of 20 international starters in the Porsche 992 GT3 Cup car, which is also driven in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, will again provide racing on a very high level.
Three different classes, Pro, Pro-Am and Am, will make it possible for all drivers to compete according to the current level of their racing career.
As every year since the start of the series in 2009, Lechner Racing are the organiser and promoter in cooperation with Porsche and other partners.
The start of the season at BIC will feature a pair of practices, qualifying and two races held on each day of the weekend. Round one in Bahrain will be followed by five other race weekends at tracks across the Gulf, with two races each event.
The championship is scheduled to conclude with two rounds supporting Formula 1, including the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix in 2023.
Off the track
Aside from the racing at the Bapco 8 Hours of Bahrain, BIC has lined up an incredible series of off-track entertainment throughout the race weekend.
These include incredible stunt shows from The Stannage Stunt Team as well as Terry Grant and Lee Bowers, plus a classic car show featuring some of the rarest cars around, live music and a kids’ zone—something for the whole family to enjoy! The Bapco 8 Hours of Bahrain’s significance goes beyond the racing entertainment.
This year, BIC will be implementing a ground-breaking new Green Ticket project, which will set the benchmark for a number of initiatives in areas of sustainability.
This very special initiative is being done in cooperation with The Oil and Gas Holding Company BSC “nogaholding” and The Government of Bahrain.
A proportion of the ticket price, together with an amount matched by nogaholding, will be donated to a local environmental project in cooperation with the Government.
This particular fund will finance the planting of mangroves in Bahrain, and meaningfully contribute to Bahrain’s commitment to quadruple mangrove coverage in The Kingdom by 2035.
For more information on the Bapco 8 Hours of Bahrain or other BIC events and activities, visit bahraingp.com or call the BIC Hotline on +973-17450000.
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