Electrifying fourth round of drag sets stage for season finale at BIC

Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) hosted a hotly contested fourth and penultimate round of the 2018/2019 Bahrain Drag Racing Championship, setting the stage for a gripping season finale this coming week. 

A massive field of 133 participants from all over the Gulf battled it out over 13 categories for both cars and motorbikes, for the right to claim crucial championship points, wins and bragging rights.

Five Bahraini entrants defended their home track and claimed impressive victories at this key stage of their season campaigns. They included Mohammed Mubarak, Khalid Ahmed Saif, Yousif Khamiri, Hussain Abduljalil and Mohamed Al Taitoon.

Mubarak triumphed in the Outlaw Front-Wheel-Drive (FWD) class. He defeated countryman Ali Yaqaob in the final.

Saif followed suit in the Outlaw 10.5 category, where he won an all-Bahraini final with a pass of 4.908seconds. He narrowly beat Mohammed Suliman who had a time of 4.961s.

Khamiri triumphed in the Index 9.5 class. He had a time of 9.690s to claim the win, defeating Bahraini Hussain Ali who registered a 9.826s mark.

In the Index 8.5 category, Abduljalil won by the slimmest of margins. He clocked a run of 8.537s in the final, which was just enough to beat the 8.570s time of runner-up Hussain Al Hamad from Saudi Arabia.

Rider Al Taitoon took the victory in the Street Fight Bikes category. He too had a tight finish, winning with a 9.629s mark and barely overcoming the 9.657s time of Saudi second-placer Yousif Al Holi.

The Saudi contingent also had a widely successful meeting, with five of their entrants taking wins.

Ali Saleh triumphed in the Super Street 6-Cylinder class with a final pass of 8.057s to beat Bahrain’s Mohammed Hassan Ali.

Nayef Abdulla won the Super Street V8 with a time of 5.136s, beating fellow-Saudi driver Ahmed Alkhalifa who had a 5.335s run.

Muslim Al Qallaf was the winner amongst the Pro Mods. He had a final pass of 4.192s, beating Bahrain’s Tariq Hadi who had a 4.317s mark.

Khalid Aldoseri and Jehad Aljamal were then triumphant in their motorbike classes. Aldoseri took first place amongst the Street Bikes with a 8.064s final run, defeating countryman Sultan Sengali who had a time of 8.936s. Aljamal then added his result in the Super Street Bikes, claiming first place with a 5.203s time to beat Bahraini Nawaf Aldosary’s 5.933s.

Elsewhere in the round, Jassim Ali Al Ali won the Outlaw 6-Cylinder category after beating fellow-Emirati Khalifa Al Ali in the final. Kuwaiti Mohammed Suleman won the Street V8 class after beating Bahrain’s Salah Salahuddin with a time of 7.456s, as compared to Salahuddin’s 7.681s. Kuwait’s Yousif Alhuraibi then rounded out all the winners after taking the Index 10.5, where he beat Ali Al Ajaji of Saudi in their final head-to-head.

At the end of all the action, the round’s winners were presented their respectively trophies in a podium ceremony attended by officials from BIC, the Bahrain Motor Federation, the Bahrain Drag Racing Club and the Bahrain Motorcycle Club.

With the completion of round four, the stage is set for the championship finale, scheduled for this Tuesday to Friday (February 26 to March 1) at BIC. Action begins with two nights of Test and Tune on Tuesday and Wednesday from 6pm to 11pm, followed by Qualifying on Thursday and Race Day on Friday.

All are welcome to attend the season’s last round. Tickets are BD2 apiece for each day of Test and Tune. For Qualifying and Race Day, tickets are BD5 at the Start Line Grandstand, while tickets are BD3 for both days at the Batelco Grandstand. Children aged from three to 12 years old can attend for half the price.