Bahrain1 double yet again

TDT | Manama                                                     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain1 Racing secured a sensational double in the second round of the 2023/2024 Bahrain Drag Racing Championship (BDRC), held over the weekend at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir.

The Bahrain1 pair of Khalil Al Ansaari and Rashid Al Balooshi captured first place in the Pro Mod and Competition 4.5 categories, respectively, to headline an action-packed meeting at the world-class quarter-mile strip of “The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East”.

Both Al Ansaari and Rashid triumphed following all-Bahrain1 final runs. Al Ansaari defeated Bahrain1 teammate Khaled Al Balooshi in their decisive Pro Mod elimination.

Bahrain’s Saad Al Murran came third in class. Rashid took his victory after outgunning teammate Saeed Al Balooshi in the Competition 4.5 final.

Jan Christensen from Canada came third. With those results, Bahrain1, owned by His Majesty the King’s Personal Representative His Highness Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, continued their impressive start to the BDRC season at BIC.

It was the second consecutive round in which Bahrain1 drivers won in the Pro Mod and Competition 4.5 classes.

Canadians Justin Bond and Jordan Lazic had earlier secured those victories in the championship-opener held last month. Meanwhile, four Bahraini competitors climbed to the top of the podium in their categories.

They included Ahmed Hasan in the 10.0 Index class, Hussain Abduljalil in the 8.5 Index, Zakaria Al Kuwari in the Outlaw 4-Cylinder, and Yousif Ahmed in the Street Fight Bikes 9.5.

All-Bahraini podium

Hasan claimed his 10.0 Index victory after defeating Hisham Al Awadhi in the final. Mubarak Al Doseri came third to complete an all-Bahraini podium.

Abduljalil followed suit in the 8.5 Index, where he beat countryman Yousif Al Khamiri in the final, with Khalid Abdulkarim, also from Bahrain, taking third place.

For Al Kuwari, he won against Jassam Salah in their Outlaw 4-Cylinder final, with Ahmed Haider finishing third for another all-Bahrain podium.

Ahmed won in Street Fight Bikes 9.5 class against Mohamed Albanki, with Ragheb Mohamed taking third.

All three riders were from Bahrain. Kuwait had five participants take first place in this round. Fahad Khwari won against compatriot Mohammad Zaman in the 9.0 Index class, with Mohamed Idris of the UAE taking third.

Abdulrahman Bo Alwa powered to the win in the 7.5 Index category against Jaber Ahmed, with Abdulla Al Hatem placing third for an all-Kuwaiti podium.

Yousef Marafi won the Outlaw 6-Cylinder category against fellow-Kuwaiti Jassem Zaman.

Hussain Ashkanani defeated Bahrain’s Yousif Ahmed to take the 8.5 Index Bikes class with Bahraini Sayed Yousif Faisal in third; and Kuwait’s Fahad Al Harbi beat Saudi Arabia’s Khalid Al Dosseri to win the Pro Street Bikes category, with Hamad Al Ahmed of Bahrain completing the top three.

Elsewhere in the meeting, Yousif Al Ali of the UAE won the Pro 29.5 V8 category after defeating Bahraini Mohamed Al Merbati in their final run, while Mohammed Al Kaabi of the UAE finished in third place.

Khalid Al Dosseri of Saudi claimed the Outlaw Bikes win, powering past Mohammed Al Awwad of Kuwait in their final, while Nawaf Abdulla Al Dosseri of Saudi completed the podium-placers.

The BDRC is a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA)-sanctioned event, organised by BIC in cooperation with the Bahrain Motor Federation, the Bahrain Drag Racing Commission and the Bahrain Motorcycle Commission.

The 2023/2024 calendar features five rounds in all and it continues until March of next year. Round three is scheduled for 30 January to 2 February, to be followed by round four the very next week from 6 to 9 February. The championship finale will then take place 19 to 22 March.