*** ----> Buhindi clinches opening round | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Buhindi clinches opening round

ManamaAbdulla Buhindi raced to an impressive victory in the opening round of Bahrain SSWS Ramadan Challenge, held at Bahrain International Karting Circuit (BIKC) in Sakhir.

Buhindi triumphed in a highly competitive field of 17 other drivers, all of whom flocked to the world-class desert racing facility which boasts a 1.212-kilometre Commission Internationale de Karting (CIK) track.

After qualifying in seventh, Buhindi enjoyed a solid performance in the Pre-Final where he finished in sixth position. He then put on a masterful drive in the Final, doing well to battle for the front en route to taking the chequered flag after 15 laps in 18 minutes 19.939 seconds.

Khaled Abdulla finished as runner-up 0.179 seconds behind, while Ahmed Ebrahim (+1.574) rounded out the podium positions in third.

Mohammed Jalal came fourth, Khaled Al Wazzan fifth, Qassim Ebrahim sixth, Yousif Khamiri seventh, Abdulla Al Thawadi eighth. Khaled Alsaie ninth place and Rashid Khalifa in 10th.

article-image

Earlier, Alsaie had won the Pre-Final ahead of Rashid Khalifa and Mohammed Ameen, but in the end Alsaie had to settle for his final classification in the back-end of the top 10. 

In qualifying, Alsaie had clinched pole for the Pre-Final with a best lap time of 1:12.869. At the end of all the action, the winners were honoured in a podium ceremony.

Following the first round of the challenge, Buhindi (33 points) heads the championship standings, followed by Alsaie (31) in second and Khaled Abdulla (26) third.

Round two is scheduled to take place next Monday at the same venue. The Bahrain SSWS Ramadan Challenge is a first-of-its-kind competition organised by BIKC and it has been designed to help cater to the demands of racing aficionados during the Holy Month. The format of the challenge is similar to the Bahrain SWS Sprint Championship.

Entry is BD45 per driver and registered drivers will have the benefit of enjoying BIKC’s SWS Practice Promo, where karters will get a free session for every session purchased.