The fourth round of the 2011/2012 BIC 2,000cc Challenge takes place today Friday (December 23, 2011) at Bahrain International Circuit, and the series’ top competitors are determined to narrow the gap on current championship leader Stephen Kellogg as action heads into the latter half of the season.
The meeting will be held as part of the National Racing Festival at ‘The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East’ in Sakhir. Organised jointly by the Circuit Racing Club (CRC) and the Bahrain Drag Racing Club (BDRC) and in cooperation with the Bahrain Motor Federation (BMF) and Bahrain International Circuit, the festival is also set to feature the third round of the 2011/2012 Bahrain Drag Racing Championship.
Both series are among the most popular local championships that are held each year, and each contributes greatly to the rapidly growing motorsport culture in Bahrain.
In the 2,000cc, Kellogg will be looking to extend his lead on the Drivers’ Championship standings, but top rivals Abdulrahman Ghuloom and Tim Birkin surely have other things in mind. The pair, who are currently second and third, respectively, will be hoping to keep the pacemaker within striking distance and prevent him from running away with the title. Kellogg has so far enjoyed a fantastic season driving his Honda CIVIC in the two-litre series, winning five of the six races held thus far, including four straight in the previous two rounds. Kellogg has also won two pole positions to date, adding to his steady march towards this year’s crown, which is no longer being defended by last season’s champion, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
Ghuloom and Birkin, on the other hand, aim to end Kellogg’s winning ways and are eager to step things up with only half of the season still to go
“I have had a strong championship so far; I didn’t know I would be this competitive, but I am pleased that I am now sitting in second place with nearly half the season gone,” said Ghuloom, who also drives a Honda CiIVIC and who is currently 22 points behind Kellogg.
“At the moment, the guy ahead of me has a faster car, and the only thing I can do is pressure him from behind and hope he makes a mistake. When he does, I will be looking to take advantage of it and try to get ahead of him.
“Right now, I can stay with him around the corners but on the straights he just gets away. But that’s the sport, and if I had a stronger engine than the one I am using now I could be better. But I am very happy to be where I am at. There are still many races to go before the end of the championship, and maybe somehow I will be able to come up with a few surprises in the end, we can never know.”