WGA V8 Supercars are back on track on Nov 17th
Nov 14th 2011 – Bahrain International Circuit, ‘The Home of Motorsport in theMiddle East’, hosts the second round of the National Racing Festival this upcoming weekend in Sakhir.
The three-day event, starting on Thursday night (November 17, 2011) and concluding on Saturday (November 19, 2011), will feature the much-anticipated opening round of the Western Gulf Advisory (WGA) Supercars Championship Middle East, along with the BIC 2000cc Challenge and the hugely popular Bahrain National Drag Racing Championship.
The event has been organised by the Circuit Racing Club and the Bahrain Drag Racing Club, both of which are under the umbrella of the Bahrain Motor Federation, in collaboration with Bahrain International Circuit.
The WGA Supercars will be making its season debut and it promises to be a grand occasion.
Heading into its fifth year of operation, the WGA Supercars has established itself as one of the most highly competitive and sought-after racing categories in the region, with drivers from all over the Gulf and beyond eager to line up on the grid.
Last year marked the first season that a teams’ championship was implemented in the elite SC09 class. That turned out to be a huge success, with the level of professionalism growing rapidly amongst the participants and their squads.
The SC06 category remained an ‘arrive and drive’ section, although the level of competition reached an all-time high amongst the long list of gentleman drivers.
The 2011/2012 campaign in the WGA Supercars will feature a total of six rounds, with two races per meeting. The calendar will run all the way until April of next year, when the championship finale will be held as part of the official support programme of the Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.
Many of the previous season’s top competitors and teams will be back again this time. Amongst them are Batelco Racing Team, Alba Racing Team and Speeding saddles to name a few.
Meanwhile, the BIC 2,000cc Challenge will be holding the second round of its recently opened season.
The series remains as the leading local championship for drivers and teams aiming to make their name at the entry-level of circuit racing.
The championship got underway in late October with Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the 2000cc defending champion and once again a top contender this year, sharing race honours with Stephen Kellogg, another leading competitor.
The pair are set to renew their rivalry this weekend, and with other drivers such as Abdul Rahman Ghuloom, Tim Birkin, and Ahmed and Hamad Kuzbar waiting to pounce, the upcoming meeting promises plenty of fantastic action.
Races in both the WGA Supercars and 2000cc Challenge will be held throughout the day on Friday and Saturday.
Finally, set to light up the desert skies at night will be round two of this year’s Bahrain National Drag Racing Championship.
The series is the premier venue in the region for racers who prefer to power down a quarter-mile strip in as quick as six seconds or less.
Participants will first take to the tarmac for a ‘Test and Tune’ on Wednesday night, to be followed on Thursday evening by qualifying. All the racing action, featuring over a hundred suped-up cars and motorbikes, will begin from the early evening on Friday and continue possibly into the early hours of Saturday morning.
Ebrahim Kanoo was the star of the round one when he set a new Bahrain Record in the Outlaw Rear-Wheel-Drive class. Kanoo and other top-quality drivers fromBahrainand across the region are set to return, and with such a quality field, this weekend poses yet another opportunity to make drag racing history at Bahrain International Circuit.
Apart from the competition, the National Racing Festival will also have plenty of off-the-track entertainment on offer. People of all ages, especially young children, will be able to make the most of the weekend and enjoy a fun, friendly and stress-free atmosphere at the circuit.
Tickets for the festival are 5 BD for seats on the Oasis Grandstand and 7 BD for seats overlooking the drag strip’s start line. The cost of start line tickets are for all days.
For more information on the second round of this year’s National Racing Festival or other events at Bahrain International Circuit, call the circuit’s hotline on +973-17-450000 or visit its official website, www.bahraingp.com.
