BIC, Sakhir – Championship ambitions are set to be fulfilled in the upcoming eighth and final round of the BIC 2,000cc Challenge, taking place Friday (May 2) at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir.
The 2,000cc will be held alongside the fourth and penultimate round of the Bahrain Drag Racing Championship at “The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East”.
The double-header has been organised by BIC in cooperation with the Bahrain Drag Racing Club, Circuit Racing Club, Bahrain Motor Federation and Motorsport Marshals Club.
Action in the 2,000cc will be held from Friday morning to afternoon, while the drag racing has already gotten underway Wednesday night with a test and tune. It continues Thursday evening and culminates late Friday night.
All are welcome to attend the weekend’s events. Tickets can be purchased at the gate.
For the 2,000cc, action is set to be held from 11am on Friday. Race one is then scheduled for a 1.30pm start, followed by race two at 3.30pm.
Veteran Bahraini racer Salah Salahuddin already has one hand on the season’s trophy heading into the championship finale.
He leads the season standings heading into the season’s eighth and final meeting with 236 points. Hussain Karimi is in second place with 183 points and with only a very slim chance of stealing the title away from Salahuddin.
Commented Salahuddin prior to Friday’s action: “I am ready to compete and my team and I have been working hard on my car to make sure we end the season in the right way, especially after facing some problems in the previous round.
“I hope that the weather and track temperatures don’t affect the car too much this weekend.
“I’m looking forward to racing and hopefully maintaining my place in first to end the year.”
Karimi, who is competing in his first season in the 2,000cc, added: “I have faced a large number of problems in my car over the last few rounds and that really hurt my chances in the championship, losing many points.
“Hopefully I can turn things around for Friday and end the season on a high note. It has been a great season and I am already looking towards competing again next year.”
Salahuddin and Karimi are expected to be joined by several other of the Kingdom’s leading gentleman racers. Among them are Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Abdulaziz Ashkanani, Abdulrahman Ghuloom, Raed Himmo, and Tim Birkin, to name a few.
Ashkanani is currently third on the standings with 137 points, Birkin fourth with 108, and Ghuloom fifth on 78 points. Shaikh Hamad rounds out the top six with 77 markers.
Those wishing to watch Friday’s BIC 2,000cc Challenge may purchase tickets costing BD2 for adults and BD1 for children.