Bahrain Drag Racing’s season-opening race day today

TDT | Manama                   

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com  

The engines are tuned, the drivers are locked in, and the ladders are set for the season-opening Race Day of the 2022/2023 Bahrain Drag Racing Championship, taking place this evening at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir.

The world-class, quarter-mile strip at “The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East” will be the stage for the region’s drag racing protagonists to put on a spectacular show. Around 150 cars and 65 motorbikes from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain are entered, ensuring a packed programme of high-octane, head-to-head battles from 3pm onwards.

All are welcome to attend today’s events. Tickets are available at the gate or online at bahraingp.com, costing BD3 apiece for the Batelco Grandstand. The competitors have been warming up the past few days at BIC. Back-to-back nights of Test and Tune on Tuesday and Wednesday was followed by Qualifying on Thursday evening.

The pairings for the first round of eliminations are now determined for the 14 cars and bikes classes in this year’s championship. The cars classes include the Index 7.5, Pro 29.5 V8, Outlaw 4 Cylinder, Outlaw 6 Cylinder, Index 10.00, Index 9.00, Index 8.50, Competition 4.5 and Pro Mod; while the motorbike classes are Pro Street Bike, Street Fight 9.5, Index 8.5 Bike, Outlaw Bike and Street Fight.

BIC is proud to be the host of the region’s longest-running drag racing series and its most popular annual competition, being held under the umbrella of the US-based National Hot Rod Association (NHRA).

BIC is a member of the NHRA Worldwide Network, making it part of an exclusive club of drag racing venues staging an NHRA-sanctioned event. The 2022/2023 season comprises five rounds. In each meeting, participants not only come away with trophies for finishing on the podium, but also win valuable points that go towards end-of-season title-contention.

Champions in Bahrain take home a unique accolade: a prestigious “Wally” trophy, named after NHRA founder Wally Parks. The 2022/2023 Bahrain Drag Racing Championship continues until February of next year.

Round two is slated for 20 to 23 December, followed by round three from 3 to 6 January, 2023. The fourth and penultimate round will be held from 31 January to 3 February, setting the stage for the season-finale from 21 to 24 February.