BIC to kick off exciting new season of world-class racing and unlimited thrills

BIC hosts record-breaking 2024/2025 season, with 424 events on and off the track
Packed 2025/2026 season at ‘The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East’ to flag off this month and continue until first quarter of 2026
Bahrain to host Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals 2025 in November/December, featuring over 400 karters from 60 nations
National races to bring best of local motorsport flavour, with plenty of other events and activities on offer at BIC throughout the year
Exciting motorsport experiences and fun activities available to the public every day at BIC

Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), ‘The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East’, kicks off its 2025/2026 season later this month, with plenty on offer from world-class international championships to adrenaline-pumping fan experiences.

Details of the new campaign were announced in a Press conference launch held Thursday evening at BIC’s Paddock 6.

In attendance at the event were Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, BIC Chief Executive; Mark Thomas, Bapco Energies Group Chief Executive Officer; Sherif Al Mahdy, BIC Chief Commercial Officer; and senior management from both organisations.

Shaikh Salman announced that BIC is coming off a record-breaking campaign in 2024/2025, when the circuit hosted 424 events both on and off the track. Shaikh Salman explained that those included 48 racing events, headlined by international weekends in Formula 1 and the World Endurance Championship (WEC), as well as regional and national series such as drag racing and karting, along with track days and corporate events – making for a packed calendar of motorsport across the year.

BIC’s diverse schedule also included 112 non-motorsport events such as Batelco Fitness on Track, shopping festivals, darts, event space hires, non-track corporate events, the widely popular Bahrain Comicon, and many others.

Shaikh Salman noted that BIC’s grassroots motorsport facility, Bahrain International Karting Circuit (BIKC), hosted 71 events and 18 races last season. The track welcomed more than 64,000 karters for arrive-and-drive and non-competitive racing experiences, which continue to be available daily, and over 40 per cent of customers were under the age of 25.

BIC has lined up plenty more thrills with a packed 2025/2026 calendar. Aside from F1 and the WEC, international racing will be headlined by the 2025 Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals (RMCGF).

The RMCGF is set to take place 28 November to 6 December at BIKC. The event will feature more than 400 of the world’s best Rotax karters from over 60 nations, who will be competing over a full week of exciting karting action. The field will be competing in eight categories, including the Micro MAX, Mini MAX, Junior MAX, Senior MAX, DD2, DD2 Masters, and electric classes E20 Senior and E20 Masters.

Team Bahrain will feature in the event, with nine racers flying the Kingdom’s flag in six of the classes, including the Micro MAX, Mini MAX, Junior MAX, Senior MAX, DD2, and the E20 Senior.

BIC also announced that from the start of the new season next month, BIKC will have a brand-new fleet of karts available for customers to enjoy. These new karts will continue to enhance the experience for karters and help encourage even more visitors to visit the venue, Al Mahdy said.

National races to bring best of local motorsport flavour

The very best of Bahraini motorsport will again be highlighted by the Kingdom’s national championships, run by BIC in cooperation with the Bahrain Motor Federation and all those under its umbrella.

Headlining the calendar of local events is the hugely popular Bahrain Drag Racing Championship – the premier drag racing series in the entire Middle East.

It features top teams and drivers from around the world. They will be competing in cars and motorbikes over five rounds of head-to-head battles from November and continuing until March of 2026. Each category’s winners at the end of the season will come away with a coveted Wally Trophy – a prestigious accolade presented only to champions of NHRA-sanctioned events.

In circuit racing, the Bahrain Touring Car Championship (BTCC), formerly the BIC 2,000cc Challenge, and the Bahrain Motorcycle Championship will take place over seven rounds this campaign, also beginning in October and wrapping up in April of next year.

Since its relaunch last year, the BTCC has seen increased participation and the new campaign promises continued growth.

BIKC will be hosting plenty of thrills with a pair of highly competitive national karting championships.
The 1.414-kilometre CIK-FIA track will be staging both the Sakhir Rotax MAX Challenge (SRMC) and the Bahrain Rotax MAX Challenge (BRMC).

The SRMC will be flagging off next weekend with the first of four rounds, while the BRMC will be feature eight rounds, beginning from October and continuing until April.

Circuit racing and karting events will feature both day and night racing, adding to the challenge and spectacle for both participants and fans.

Aside from these, there will also be competition in drifting, time attack, autocross, and burnout.

BIC offers fans various experiences and activities, both on and off the track

BIC’s national season also includes a wide-range of motorsport experiences and activities on offer to the public. These have all become favourites amongst the Kingdom’s adrenaline seekers and are to be held from October to April.

BIC’s widely popular Batelco Fitness on Track will kick the calendar off on October 3, which will be the first of 20 events held throughout the new campaign.

The circuit’s other retail events over the course of the next several months include Open Track days and nights; Ebrahim K Kanoo Drag and Drift Nights; Track Experiences featuring drives and passenger rides in Clio Cup, SR1, and SR3 race cars; and the Kanoo Motors Rolling Drag.

Furthermore, available to the public on a daily basis is the YK Off-Road Experience and the Circuit Tour, in addition to karting.

In partnership with YK Almoayyed and Sons, fans can experience the very latest from the Ford Bronco range either as a passenger or driver in the YK Off-Road Experience, which includes expert tuition across the challenging desert terrain.

The Circuit Tour offers the chance for a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on at BIC, fans getting to visit the iconic Sakhir Tower, Race Control Tower, the Media Centre, and the Medical Centre, while also being taken around the world-famous track itself.