WEC 8 Hours of Bahrain

FIA World Endurance Championship

The WEC has established itself as one of the premier championships under the International Automobile Federation (FIA) and the leading global series for endurance racing. It attracts countless stars in motorsport, and it continues to grow in popularity every year, with races taking place in eight countries across four continents.

View More
Buy Tickets

Week-long programme of music, fireworks and racing to mark Bahrain’s 50th National Day celebrations at BIC

Week-long programme of music, fireworks and racing to mark Bahrain’s 50th National Day celebrations at BIC

  • Batelco National Day Concert to feature Flipperachi, Mohammed Rabeea and Jaber Al Turki
  • Brilliant fireworks display to light up Sakhir desert sky on Thursday
  • World-class action set in both Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals 2021 and Bahrain Drag Racing Championship

Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) will be marking the Kingdom of Bahrain’s 50th National Day celebrations in a massive way this week.

No less than four major events will be taking place at “The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East” from today all the way through Saturday, and all four will all be happening simultaneously on National Day this Thursday, 16 December, in Sakhir.

Highlighting the festival mood of the week will be a Batelco National Day Concert and a spectacular fireworks display—one of the biggest in Bahrain—in commemoration of the Kingdom’s National Day and His Majesty the King’s accession to the throne.

Both are taking place on Thursday, to go along with the world-class action in the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals (RMCGF) 2021 and the 2021/2022 Bahrain Drag Racing Championship (BDRC), which will be heating up the tarmac at the karting track and drag strip these chilly, winter nights.

Popular music icons Flipperachi, Mohammed Rabeea and Jaber Al Turki will be performing in the Batelco National Day Concert from 730pm to 9pm at BIC. Entry is BD1 and all proceeds will go towards the Royal Humanitarian Foundation. Tickets are now available on the Batelco app.

Prior to the concert, the brilliant fireworks display will light up the sky above the Sakhir desert with vibrant colours, starting at 7pm. The show can be enjoyed from BIC’s various parking lots absolutely free, or from the surrounding areas around the circuit. BIC advises the public to arrive early to avoid delays due to the large crowd expected.

The Rotax Max Challenge Gran Finals has already kicked off at BIC’s world-class karting facility, Bahrain International Karting Circuit (BIKC), with the action featuring more than 400 karters from 75 countries continuing until Saturday, 18 December.

This is the first time the RMCGF is being held in the Kingdom, and BIKC’s 1.414-kilometre CIK-FIA circuit is in the global karting spotlight.

The participants are battling it out in seven different categories, including the Micro MAX, the Mini MAX, the Junior MAX, the Senior MAX, the DD2, DD2 Masters and the EKART Senior.

The first on-track action is taking place today with the Non-Qualifying Practices. They continue until Wednesday, which is when the Qualifying Heats will take place until Thursday. Friday will then see the Pre-Finals, setting the stage for the Finals on Saturday.

All are welcome to attend the event, free of charge. However, due to limited capacity, entry will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

Meanwhile, the BDRC will be staging the second round of its current season from today to Thursday, 13 to 16 December. Around 200 of the region’s best drag racers will be battling it out in the Middle East’s premier drag racing series.

Two days of Test and Tune will get the racing going today and Tuesday, scheduled for 7pm to midnight. Qualifying will then be held on Wednesday, setting up the elimination pairings for Race Day on Thursday. Racing will be held from 4pm onwards on both nights.

Huge crowds are expected to turn out for one of the most popular events on the BIC calendar.

Tickets are available online at BIC’s official website bahraingp.com and at the gate. They cost BD2 for each day of Test and Tune, and BD5 for the Start Line Grandstand or BD3 for the Batelco Grandstand for Qualifying and Race Day. Tickets for children aged 12 and under are half price.

All the racing will be held along BIC’s world-famous drag strip, which is a part of the U.S.-based National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Worldwide Network.

Gallery