Beyon Speed Weekend set at BIC

TDT | Manama                                                    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) is set to celebrate an incredible National Day weekend with the Beyon Speed Weekend offering two international race series, followed by a spectacular firework display on Saturday night.

Set to be held tomorrow and Saturday as part of BIC’s on-track National Day festivities, Speed Weekend is set to feature the Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East (PCCME) and the all-new Formula Cars championship.

Speed Weekend is a part of the BIC festivities marking the Kingdom of Bahrain’s National Day and the Anniversary of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s Accession to the Throne.

The celebrations will include Bahrain’s biggest fireworks display, scheduled for Saturday starting at 7pm. This awesome annual show of lights and colour will illuminate the Sakhir sky and can be seen from the area surrounding the BIC vicinity.

Food vendors will be available at BIC for those coming to watch the firework display in the evening. On the racing side, the PCCME is a staple on BIC’s season schedule, being born and developed in Sakhir in cooperation with Lechner Racing.

It will be holding the second round of its 2023/2024 campaign at Speed Weekend. Formula Cars championship will be making its highly anticipated debut in Bahrain. The upcoming meeting will be the first round of its inaugural season, making for an exciting addition to the long and prestigious list of international, continental, regional and national series to have hit the tarmac at BIC.

All are welcome to attend the Beyon Speed Weekend and entry for fans will be completely free of charge on both days of racing. Action is scheduled to take place from 10.15am to 4pm on Friday and from 11am to 4pm on Saturday.

Formerly known as the Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East, the PCCME pits its roster of global competitors against one another in identical 510hp Porsche 992 GT3 Cup cars. Races are held at top tracks across the Gulf, highlighted by BIC in Sakhir and including Dubai Autodrome and Yas Marina Circuit in the UAE, as well as Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia.

Unlike in previous meetings, this upcoming round will have two separate qualifying sessions, one apiece on Friday and Saturday and each setting the grid for the day’s race. The PCCME’s 2023/2024 calendar features six rounds.

The season kicked off last month in support of the World Endurance Championship weekend, with another two races set to take place in Bahrain at Speed Weekend. Meanwhile, the Formula Cars championship is a single-seater series, with the aim of developing their talents in a professional setting.

Weekends are composed of four races each. At this meeting, one race will take place tomorrow in Speed Weekend while the other three races will take place on Saturday. The Bahrain stop is the first of six rounds in this campaign.

The series will also be visiting Losail International Circuit in Qatar in January, Kuwait Motor Town in Kuwait in January and February, and then have back-to-back meetings for its final two events at Jeddah Corniche Circuit in March.