Bahrain drag racing season to make roaring start

The region’s most popular motorsport category returns to centre stage this week at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), as the 2014/2015 Bahrain National Drag Racing Championship roars into action in Sakhir.
The new season’s highly anticipated opening round is scheduled to get underway Tuesday ( October 14) evening and continue until Friday (October 17) night or later.
"The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East" is gearing up to welcome drag racers from all over the region and beyond for the four-day meeting. They will be battling it out for supremacy along BIC’s world-class quarter-mile drag strip, which is a part of the prestigious National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Worldwide Network.
Apart from the all-important bragging rights, drag racers will also be looking to collect points over the season’s five rounds to determine the overall champion in each of the 13 classes, which includes 10 categories for cars and three for motorbikes. Each champion will be able to take home a "Wally" – a prominent trophy in drag racing that is given only to champions of NHRA-sanctioned events.
Action in round one includes two nights of Test and Tune on Tuesday and Wednesday, to be followed by Qualifying on Thursday and Race Day on Friday.
The tests begin at 7pm each evening while action in Qualifying and Race Day starts from 4pm.
All are welcome to attend this week’s events. Tickets can be purchased at the gate.
Tickets to testing cost BD2 for each night. For Qualifying and Race Day, tickets for both days are BD5 for the Start Line Grandstand and BD3 for the Batelco Grandstand. Children aged up to 12 years old can attend for half the price.
The meeting has been organised by BIC in cooperation with the Bahrain Drag Racing Club (BDRC) and Bahrain Motor Federation.
The Bahrain National Drag Racing Championship is coming off a momentous 2013/2014 campaign. Last season featured an entry field of more than 200 competitors, with numerous World Records being broken and lifelong memories being made.
BDRC President Fahad Taqi described the past year as one like no other, wherein the national championship has established itself as the cream of the crop in the entire Gulf region.
Despite this, he says the stage is now set for bigger and better things.
"Last season was a huge success from the start till the end, with an average of over 100 participants each round and a total of 220 drivers registered," Taqi explained.
"It had the highest ever records set from all top classes, which shows the level of competition and the dedication of each driver to reach the highest levels.
"They are now up there with the best drivers that are competing overseas. The only difference is that past drivers used to always follow other drivers, and now these drivers are the ones being followed.
"This gives you a clear indication that we are heading on the right path, and with many new cars this season, I’m sure that we will see many more successes and many more records.
"We are all greatly looking forward to it all!"
Taqi believes there is no better drag strip in the world than the one at BIC.
"Bahrain has one of the best, if not the best, drag racing strips in the region and in the while world," Taqi said. "This is not just me saying this but it also comes from overseas drivers who come and take part in the championship.
"I would definitely put it as the best all-round track in the Middle East, and the numbers prove it, with the highest participation of local and GCC drivers in each round."
Following this week’s first round, round two is slated for November 25 to 28, while round three is set for December 16 to 19.
The season’s fourth and penultimate meeting will then be held February 24 to 27, paving the way for the championship finale from March 3 to 6 next year.
Source: BNA