The Middle East’s longest-running circuit racing championship is back in action this weekend at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir.

The BIC 2,000cc Challenge takes place at “The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East” as part of National Race Day on Friday (Editor’s note: October 16). It will be the second round of the 2020/2021 campaign and it follows a hugely exciting season-opener in which former champion Shaikh Salman bin Isa bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa was dominant.

Shaikh Salman will be hoping to continue from where he left off when action gets underway this meeting with a 30-minute practice at 5.22pm. Qualifying follows at 6.32pm, also set for 30 minutes, determining the grid for the round’s first 12-lap race at 8.13pm. Race two is then scheduled to start at 9.33pm. Podium ceremonies will be held after each sprint.

Shaikh Salman is once again set to go up against a high-quality field that includes other ex-champions Shaikh Hamad bin Isa bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa (Honda Civic), Tareq Al Tajer (Ford Focus), and Raed Himmo (Honda Civic). Al Tajer joined Shaikh Salman on the overall podium for both races in round one, along with Raed Raffii (Honda S2000).

They are all among the top names in the 2,000cc’s Pro class, where they are joined by

Nasser Al Alawi (Honda S2000).

The Novice category’s frontrunners include Wiebke Buelow (Honda Civic) and Martyna Al Qassab (Acura DC5), both the series’ only female drivers who have been excelling amidst the tough competition.