World-class racing all weekend at BIC

TDT | Manama                                                    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) is calling on motorsport fans to come and enjoy some of the most thrilling racing action all throughout this weekend at “The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East”.

Two major events are currently taking place at the Sakhir facility. These include the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals (RMCGF) 2023 and the season-opening round of the 2023/2024 Bahrain Drag Racing Championship (BDRC).

The RMCGF action intensifies on Friday and Saturday (Editor’s note: 8 and 9 December) with its final two days of wheel-to-wheel karting at Bahrain International Karting Circuit (BIKC), BIC’s world-class grassroots motorsport facility.

Also on Friday, head-to-head eliminations will be taking place along BIC’s world-class NHRA drag strip as the BDRC holds Race Day as an exciting culmination to the first meeting’s events. The RMCGF’s pre-finals and finals are set to take place over the weekend.

Fans wishing to watch the very best in global karting can attend the RMCGF free of charge. Due to limited capacity at BIKC, public access will be on a first-come, first-served basis. BIKC’s gates are scheduled to open to fans at 5pm on Friday, with last entry set for 8pm.

On the event’s concluding day on Saturday, gates will open from 9am and last entry will be permitted at 4.30pm. Spectator parking will be at P8. Close to 400 karters from around the world are competing in the nine Rotax MAX classes, which include the 125 Micro MAX, the 125 Mini MAX, the 125 Junior MAX, the 125 Senior MAX, the 125 MAX DD2, the 125 MAX DD2 Masters, the E20 Senior, E20 Master, and the E10.

Team Bahrain have a nine-strong contingent in the fray. The Kingdom’s top talents showcasing their prowess include Nasser Nass and Shaikh Ahmed bin Saqer Al Khalifa in the Mini MAX category; Luca Houghton and Tye Mejia in the Junior MAX; Oliver Kruglov, Mohammed Alhasan and Fahad Alkhaled in the Senior MAX class; Omar Alderayaane in the DD2 MAX; and Lewis Smith in the E20 Senior category.

Meanwhile, in the BDRC, more than 200 competitors in the cars and bikes classes are set to battle it out for podiums, bragging rights and all-important championship points. The drag racers are flying the flags of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar.

Friday’s programme is scheduled to be held from 4pm onwards. Spectator seating will be available along BIC’s Beyon Grandstand. The 14 categories of competition in this season’s BDRC 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.