Elgammal claims Race 2 Victory in Round 6 of the Chevrolet Supercars ME Championship

Manama, Sunday 14th March 2010: The first race of the final day of the 2010 Formula 1™ Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix was the exciting 2nd race of round six of the Bahrain based Chevrolet Supercars ME Championship. Following yesterday’s race where Raed Raffii blistered across the finish line in 1st after Al Abdulaziz Al Yaeesh’s driving caused championship leader Fahad Al Musalem to spin out of control deep into the run off area, this year’s title remains wide open as the number of competitors in contention increase.

Race two kicked off with a warm up lap as the Chevrolet drivers followed the new Mercedes Benz SLS AMG safety car around the track in preparation for the seven laps. With track temperate already reaching 36° Celsius, it wasn’t long before the tires were good to go. Tarek Elgammal lined up on the outside of Raed’s orange car while Al Yaeesh’s light green Chevrolet was back in working condition following yesterday’s collision with Al Musalam and found itself directly behind the pole position leader. As the starting light flashed green Raed established a fast pace but a technical malfunction abruptly ended his run as his car began to slow down after turn one, giving Elgammal the lead. Al Yaeesh sped past a frustrated Raed to claim 2nd as he pursued the new leader.

Further back on the track Al Musalam’s patriotic red and white car wove past Mohammed Al Owais to take 3rd after starting the race in 5th. Al Owais pushed his car hard to reclaim his position but lost control of his vehicle and spun out of control after some erratic maneuvers, disappearing into a cloud of gravel and ending his hopes of a podium finish on lap two.

Meanwhile Al Yaeesh had closed the gap with leader Elgammal and forced the two cars to skid violently around turn 18, where all the drivers could do to remain in the race was wrestle their cars back on track.

Yesterday’s runner up Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, after starting at the back of the grid in 15th, had steadily worked his way past the SC06 class and SC09 driver Salah Salahuddin to find himself in 6th place, not far behind Raed Charawi and Mohammed Al Falasi.

Back at the front of the race the suspense was increasing to an almost unbearable level as Elgammal and Al Yaeesh lost body paint as the two skidded side by side at dangerous speeds in-front of the Batelco Grand-stand. The battled continued on turn 19 where Elgammal forced Al Yaeesh wide in an attempt to avoid being passed on the outside of the corner. However, Al Yaeesh had a new problem as Al Musalam artfully took the inside of the turn and found himself bumper to bumper with the 2nd place driver. Al Yaeesh’s efforts to shake off the championship leader were in vain as Al Musalam remained stuck to the rear end of the number two car and remained there for the whole of lap four.

With Shaikh Hamad on a seemingly unstoppable run, Charawi and Al Falasi attempted to put some distance between themselves and the skillful 6th place driver. But Al Falasi’s uncontrolled acceleration down the main straight resulted in a violent skid as he entered turn one, resulting in yet another driver loosing control as Shaikh Hamad sped by and assumed 5th place.

Salahuddin continued his unlucky streak as he lost control and ended in the run off area, bringing a disappointing race to a close with an unsatisfying end. His frustration was visible as he exited his car, as the hopes of a good result disappeared while the rest of the SC09 class sped off into the desert haze.

As the finish line approached, Elgammal had established a comfortable lead and crossed in 1st. Al Musalam’s driving became more desperate on the final lap as he wildly attempted to pass Al Yaeesh but was unsuccessful and had to settle for 3rd. SC06 drivers Husam Al Saleh and Alqassim Hamidaddin were neck and neck on the final 100 meter stretch and passed the checkered flag within inches of each other, with Hamidaddin’s edging out Al Saleh by the tip of his front bumper.