BIC 2,000cc Challenge returns to action on National Race Day

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The BIC 2,000cc Challenge gets back in action on Friday as part of National Race Day at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir.

The 2,000cc Challenge is set to host the fourth round of its 2020/2021 season, and it will be the first time the series’ participants hit the tarmac in the new year.

Racing will be held along BIC’s 5.412-kilometre track, which will also see some of the world’s best GT teams battle it out in sessions for the first-ever Gulf 12 Hours Bahrain. 

Action in the 2,000cc Challenge is set to begin at 10.50 am with a 30-minute Practice. It will be followed at 1 pm by Qualifying, also to be held over 30 minutes. That will set the grid for the first race starting at 3.12 pm. Race two will then take place under BIC’s bright lights starting at 6.22 pm.

Heading into this weekend’s racing, Raed Raffii (Honda S2000) leads the championship standings after two rounds with 87 points. He has appeared on the podium in all four races so far this season, which includes his double victory in the previous meeting.

Tareq Al Tajer (Ford Focus) is second with 77 points, also having stepped onto the podium in all races and finishing as runner-up three times.

Both drivers are competing in the 2,000cc Challenge’s Pro class, which also features Shaikh Salman bin Isa bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa (Honda Civic), Nasser Al Alawi (Honda S2000), Raed Himmo (Honda Civic) and Shaikh Hamad bin Isa bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa (Honda Civic).

Third overall and currently leading the Novice class is Giovanni Salerno (Ford Focus) with 55 points.

Lady drivers Martyna Al Qassab (Acura DC5) and Wiebke Buelow (Honda Civic) are currently fourth and sixth with 54 and 46 points, respectively, with Shaikh Salman between them in fifth on 50 points, which are all from his two wins in the season’s first-round in October.

The rest of the Novice participants include Andreas Buelow (Honda Civic), Majed Himmo (Honda Civic), Ramzi Al Qassab (Acura DC5), Ali Toblani (Honda Civic) and Khalid Al Rayyes (Renault Clio).

The BIC 2,000cc Challenge is the longest-running circuit racing championship in the region. It is being run by BIC, the Bahrain Motor Federation and the Circuit Racing Club.

The Gulf 12 Hours Bahrain's Friday sessions include Practices and Qualifying, while the main event will be held Saturday (January 9) divided into two six-hour parts. 

For more information, visit bahraingp.com.