TDT | Manama

The Kingdom’s premier local racing championships are back in action this weekend in round two of National Race Day at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), ‘The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East’, in Sakhir.

Taking place Friday (Editor’s note: 8 November) from 4.30pm to 9pm, the 2024/2025 Bahrain Touring Car Challenge (BTCC) and 2024/2025 Bahrain Motorcycle Championship (BMC) will once again be lighting up BIC’s 2.55-kilometer track.

The upcoming meeting follows a hugely exciting opening round held last month.

All are welcome to attend Friday’s night racing events. Tickets cost just BD2 for adults and BD1 for children. Fans will get to witness some of the best Bahrain-based racers compete in the pair of highly competitive series.

National Race Day is organised and run by BIC, in cooperation with the Bahrain Motor Federation, the Circuit Racing Commission, the Bahrain Motorcycle Commission, the Bahrain Autocross and Drift Commission, and the Motorsport Marshals Club.

The BTCC continues its inaugural season in its current format, as it builds on the success of its predecessor, the BIC 2,000cc Challenge, with new regulations allowing for more flexibility on the cars that are allowed to enter. This makes it easier for new participants to join the grid and reduce costs for drivers.

Set to compete this round are Hamad Khamis, Isa Ebrahim, Moaaz Elzahrawi, Ali Baqer, Andreas Buelow, and Wiebke Buelow, all of whom will be behind the wheel of Honda Civics. Joining them in a Honda Integra is the Radio Bahrain entry.

Friday’s events in the BTCC will feature a practice session at 4.30pm, to be followed by qualifying at 5.45pm, setting the stage for two 15-lap races – the first at 6.54pm followed by the second at 8.24pm.

Meanwhile, the BMC will see a large group of riders battling it out in two categories – the 1,000cc and 600cc.

The 1,000cc class features Nawaf Al Shuabi in a Honda CPR 100 RR, Bander Bahlul in a BMW 10004R, Fahed Al Hashash in a Suzuki GSXR, Marta Di Lauro in a Ducati 899, Bradley Stewart in a Ducati 949 Evo, Abdulaziz Al Fharm in a KTM Superduke EVO, Hassan Al Awadhi and Mujahed Alkashram in a pair of Yamaha R1 motorbikes, and Saud Al Toura and Abdulrahman Hassan in a pair of BMW S 1000 RR motorbikes.

The 600cc category will see Shaikh Khalid Al Khalifa in a Triumph Daytona, Achraf Hamoud in a Suzuki GSXR600, Ali Boushahri and Abdulrahman Ahmed in a pair of Honda CBR600RR bikes, and Nasser Al Khadra, Saif Al Buainain, and Ahmed Abdulrahman in Yamaha R6 contenders.

Al Toura and Boushahri were the winners from round one in their respective categories.

BMC practice will be at 5.05pm Friday, and then qualifying will take place at 6.15pm. The round’s single race is scheduled to flag off at 7.34pm.

Seven rounds of National Race Day are scheduled to take place this 2024/2025 season, to be held all the way through to May.

For more information on National Race Day or other events and activities at BIC, visit bahraingp.com, call the BIC Hotline on +973-17450000, or follow the circuit’s official social media accounts.