Bahrain International Circuit, ‘The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East’, staged an eventful fourth round of the 2011/2012 Bahrain Drag Racing Championship over the weekend, during which Gary White and Adel Hassan Mohammed set new World records in their respective competition categories.

 

In qualifying, White was the star man. The veteran American drag racer registered a mark of 6.504 seconds for his new World record in the Outlaw Rear-Wheel-Drive (RWD) class.

 

Mohammed then followed suit with his World record-breaking performance of 9.871s in the final run of the Street Front-Wheel-Drive (FWD)-RWD division.

 

The pair’s sparkling new achievements were the highlights of an action-packed three days of heated battles along Bahrain International Circuit’s quarter-mile drag strip.

 

 

Gary White was the quickest in a field of five drivers who were competing in the Outlaw RWD qualification stage. They were vying for the best placing in their group’s elimination round.

 

White (6.504s) registered a speed of 334.23kph in his run. He was followed on the timesheet by teammate Ebrahim Kanoo, who clocked a mark of 7.273s, while Yousif Al Zayani was third in 7.849s.

 

In other qualifiers, Salah Salahuddin was quickest amongst eight participants in the Street V8 division. Salahuddin powered down the strip in 8.379s with a speed of 256.46kph. Adel Khameeri followed with a 9.080s time and Khalid Abdul Kareem ranked third on 9.350s.

 

In the Super Street V8, Abdulla Ashati finished as the fastest qualifier following a tight battle with Meshal Abdulla and Talal bin Eidan. Ashati clinched first with a time of 7.455s after a run at 304.66kph in the session.

 

Abdulla was a close second in 7.761s, with bin Eidan third on 7.790s. Eight out of 10 drivers qualified in all in the group.

 

The Competition 7.5 class saw Hisham Al Mulla storm down the strip the quickest. He boasted a qualifying mark of 7.501s which he clocked at a 277.60kph pace. Mohammed Salama followed in 7.630s and Ahmed Al Faraih rounding up all competitors in 10.252s.

 

Jamal Ebrahim was the top man in the Outlaw 10.5 division. He had a fine showing of 6.779s with a blistering speed of 341.89kph. Hussain Al Shamari was a narrow second 6.993s with Ahmed Mohammed qualifying third in 9.130s. Mohammed Hilal was the fourth and only other participant in the category.

 

The Pro Mod category saw Khalil Ebrahim race to the number one spot amongst a field of five in qualifying. Ebrahim was fastest in 6.255s with a pace of 360.50kph. Ahmed Saeed followed in 6.513s, and Tariq Hadi ranked third in 6.557s.

 

The motorbikes classes also saw plenty of action.

 

Musfer Mubarak topped the timesheet from a field of 15 entrants in the Street Bike category. Mubarak registered a time of 8.525s as the quickest qualifier with a speed of 266.32s. Khalid Al Fozan (8.571s) and Nawaf Al Ansari (8.590s) were second and third, respectively.

 

Mashari Al Turki was then the best in the 10-man Super Street Bike division. Al Turki had marks of 7.113s and 313.99kph in first place. Belly Vose trailed in second place with a time of 7.364s and Bader bin Eidan was third in 8.019s.

 

Amongst the Pro Bikes, Mohammed Rashid was the fastest of nine in qualifying with a 4.132s time. He raced down the shortened 200-metre distance for the class with a speed of 272.26kph. Mishal Al Sabr was a narrow second in 4.151s, and Mohammed Al Awad third in 4.178s.

 

 

Meanwhile, three of the championship’s 12 competition categories managed to complete their runs and their winners for the round were declared.

 

Adel Hassan Mohammed was among those who triumphed. Mohammed captured his win with the new World record (9.871s) and a speed of 223.42kph,

while defeating fellow-finalist Ali Moussa. Moussa had to settle for second place after gunning for an 11.300s mark, while Abbas Saleh Ali claimed the number three spot.

 

Salman Mahmood Abdulla then clinched first place in the Super Street RWD category. He won the top spot after powering down the strip in 8.681 seconds with a speed of 284.05kph, beating rival Mohammed Ahmed who finished in 12.588s. Loay Abdulrahman came away with third place.

 

Ali Ahmed followed suit with a victory in the Super Street Outlaw FWD class. He won with a time of 9.384s in the final race and a speed of 252.48kph, outclassing opponent Ali Yaqoub who had a mark of 11.241s. Finishing third was Mohammed bin Hasher.

 

Right after the completion of those three categories, racing had to be called off due to deteriorating weather conditions.

Yasser Abdullah, Secretary General at the Bahrain Drag Racing Club, commented: “Due to the sudden weather changes, we decided to postpone the remaining races for safety reasons, and will now hold them as part of the qualifying session of our next round in the championship.”

 

The championship’s fifth round is scheduled for February 8 to 10. It will be followed by the sixth and season-ending meeting in mid-March, setting the stage for where the series’ newest champions will be crowned.

 

The 2011/2012 Bahrain Drag Racing Championship is being run by the Bahrain Drag Racing Club, in cooperation with the Bahrain Motor Federation and Bahrain International Circuit.

 

For more information on the series, contact Yasser Abdullah on +973-33331900. For details on other events at the circuit, visit its official website, www.bahraingp.com, or call the circuit hotline on +973-17-450000.