Manama, Dec. 4 (BNA)– The sound of roaring engines and screeching tyres are set to echo from the Sakhir desert this weekend as Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) hosts the National Racing Festival, starting Wednesday night (December 5) with a Test and Tune for participants in the Bahrain Drag Racing Championship.
Apart from drag racing, the festival also features the BIC 2,000cc Challenge, which will be holding all its events on Friday (December 7) morning and afternoon.
The drag racers kick things off with an evening of testing Wednesday from 7pm onwards, to be followed on Thursday (December 6) by their Qualifying runs, also from 7pm. Their races will then be held on Friday evening from 6pm.
The National Racing Festival has been organised by BIC in cooperation with the Bahrain Motor Federation, Bahrain Drag Racing Club and the Circuit Racing Club.

This weekend’s drag racing marks round two of the 2012/2013 season in the region’s top national series. More than 100 participants from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE are expected to take part.

They will be competing in 12 categories, nine for cars and three for motorbikes, including: the Street Front-Wheel-Drive (FWD)/Rear-Wheel-Drive (RWD), Super Street Outlaw FWD, Super Street RWD, Outlaw RWD, Street V8, Super Street V8, Competition 7.5, Outlaw 10.5, Pro Mod, Street Bike, Super Street Bike and Pro Bike.

The new season opened amidst plenty of excitement as American Gary White of E Kanoo Racing Team set a new World Record in the Outlaw RWD category to highlight the action-packed weekend.

White’s new mark was 6.342 seconds, which he set during the qualifying runs. He later clinched first place in the category.

All are welcome to attend the upcoming National Racing Festival. Tickets are available at the Welcome Centre located at BIC’s main entrance.

For drag racing, fans can choose between seats overlooking the strip’s start line or seats at the Batelco Grandstand. Start line tickets cost BD5 apiece while Batelco Grandstand tickets are BD3 each. The cost covers the action on Thursday and Friday.

Tickets to watch the 2,000cc Challenge on Friday cost BD2 per person.

All tickets are half the price for children aged 15 years old and below.

For more information on this weekend’s National Racing Festival at BIC, visit the circuit’s official website, www.bahraingp.com, or call the circuit hotline on +973-17-450000.

AOQ.