Bahrain Classic Challenge to add historic flavour to GT Festival at BIC

Motorsport fans will enjoy many firsts at the upcoming Bapco Bahrain GT Festival, taking place November 30 and December 1 at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir.

Aside from the all-new FIA GT Nations Cup and the inaugural SRO GT4 International Cup, the first-ever Bahrain Classic Challenge will give those in attendance an opportunity to take a step back in time with some of the most iconic racing machines.

Held in cooperation with Patrick Peter’s Classic Endurance Racing Series, this popular category features a packed grid of more than 20 cars from yesteryear.

Usually found at Europe’s premier venues, the series makes its journey to Bahrain to add a historic flavour to the Bapco Bahrain GT Festival.

For the first time, Peter Auto’s Sixties’ Endurance grid will be showcased in the Middle East for their final races of the year.

On the track are cars whose names AC Cobra, Ferrari 250 GT, Lotus 15, Jaguar E-Type, and many others still echo in the memories of fans of this era of endurance racing which, at the time, was the top branch of motorsport. The above are part of a long list of cars that continue to bewitch the public with their shapes and the noise of their exhausts that hark back to another era.

This diversity, which today’s public really appreciates, gave an in-depth richness to the world championship of the time. A classification based on an Index of Performance which, in addition to the scratch classification, gives an advantage to the small capacity cars and the oldest warriors faced with their more powerful and more modern rivals like the very quick AC Cobras that have racked up victories on many circuits.

Free practice and qualifying will take place on Friday (November 30) and will be followed by two races on Saturday (December 1) on the Sakhir desert circuit.

Tickets for the Bapco Bahrain GT Festival are now available. They can be purchased on BIC’s official website, www.bahraingp.com, by calling the BIC Hotline on +973-17-450000 or at the BIC stand in Bahrain City Centre. They cost BD5 apiece for adults and BD2.5 for teenagers aged 13 to 17. Those 12 years old and younger can attend for free.

Ticket-holders will be able to watch the classic cars in action from either the Main Grandstand or Batelco Grandstand, or both, and will also be able to roam the circuit at their leisure.

Aside from the racing, the Bapco Bahrain GT Festival will include loads of off-track family fun and entertainment, including carnival rides, parlour games, extreme experiences, children’s activities, and the like.