BIC, Sakhir – The very best of Bahraini motorsport will be showcased this weekend as Bahrain International Circuit’s (BIC) National Racing Festival gets into gear in Sakhir.

 

Headlining the event at ‘The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East’ will be the WGA Supercars Championship Middle East, which flags off its fourth round of the 2011/2012 season today (Friday, February 10).

 

Also on the cards are the BIC 2,000cc Challenge, which also gets underway today, and the Bahrain Drag Racing Championship, which reaches an exciting climax this evening after two nights of thrilling action Wednesday and Thursday (February 8 and 9).

 

Backed by asset management company Western Gulf Advisory (WGA) and tyre giants Pirelli, the Supercars are all set for a wild ride around BIC’s 2.550-kilometre Inner Track.

 

Both the Teams’ and the Drivers’ Championships are headed towards an encapsulating second half of the season, and racing promises to get even tighter with more at stake in each event.

 

Batelco Racing Team are currently setting the pace with 99 points, although VIVA Racing Team are not far behind on 89 markers. Alba Racing Team are also well in the thick of things with 85 points, while the Speeding Saddles round out the Teams Championship standings on 40 markers.

 

“We are ready to get out there this round and fight to keep our lead in the title race,” Batelco team manager Osama Al Saad said. “We have been quite busy since the previous meeting; there was a lot of damage to our cars due to the eventful nature of those races so we’ve been greatly focused on repairs.

 

“Now, everything is in place and we are excited about getting racing. We expect for this weekend to be very competitive, as everyone is constantly improving.”

 

Al Saad concluded: “I would like to thank Bahrain International Circuit and the entire team running our championship, they are doing a great job. I would also like to thank Batelco for its backing to our team and to all our members for their efforts.”

 

In the Drivers Championship standings, only nine points separate the top five in the elite SC09 category. Alban Varutti of Batelco currently leads the title race with 51 points. He is trailed by VIVA’s Tarek Elgammal, while Raffii cousins, namely Alba’s Faisal Raffii and Elgammal’s VIVA teammate Raed Raffii, are third and fourth, respectively, with 43 points apiece. Alba’s second driver, Mustafa Al Khan, is completes the top five with 42 points.

 

Both VIVA drivers had emerged victorious in the season’s previous meeting, with Raed clinching an eventful race one and then Elgammal completing their team’s rare double in style in race two.

 

“Those were our best results so far and I am confident that we can do the same this time,” VIVA Racing Team manager Jamal Al Sayed commented.

 

“We saw the capabilities of our team with our two victories in round three, and our guys are enthusiastic about keeping this good run going.”

 

In the lower-rung SC06 class for highly competitive gentleman drivers, Talal Al Ghaith of Alba leads all runners with 46 points. He is followed by Nasser Al Alawi. Al Ghaith will however be competing in the SC09 category this weekend, giving Alba a valuable third car.

 

The Supercars’ practice session for the round is scheduled for 11.25am today, to be followed by qualifying in the afternoon starting from 2.49pm.

 

Both races are then scheduled to take place Saturday. The opening 15-lap sprint is set to flag off at 11.36am, to be followed by the second race starting at 3.16pm.

 

All are welcome to attend National Racing Festival at BIC. To complement the racing, there will be plenty of off-the-track entertainment for the entire family. Children will be able to enjoy many fun activities such as game stalls, bouncy castles and carnival rides; while plenty of food and beverage stands will also be on hand throughout the day.

 

Tickets for the festival cost BD5 for seats at the Batelco Grandstand. Children aged 16 years old and below will be able to enter for BD2.5. For seating along the Start Line Grandstand, tickets cost BD7 and BD3.5 for kids.

 

Ticketholders can watch all the heated action beginning with the WGA Supercars and the BIC 2,000cc Challenge in the morning, and ending with the drag racing in the evening.

 

For more information on the National Racing Festival or other activities at Bahrain International Circuit, call the BIC Hotline on +973-17-450000 or visit its official website, www.bahraingp.com.