Double delight

The Bahrain International Circuit hosted a thrilling day of racing action on both two and four wheels last weekend, as the Sakhir track hosted its latest National Race Day in Sakhir.

Shaikh Salman bin Isa bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa and Ahmed Al Muyini both had twice the reason to celebrate as they each won both of their races in their respective championships, held as part of Round Five of National Race Day.

Shaikh Salman claimed his victories in the BIC 2,000cc Challenge, while Al Muyini rode to his double in the Bahrain Motorcycle Racing 600.

Hussain Al Aswad was also a winner on the day, taking the chequered flag in the sole race of the Bahrain Super Sport Championship (BSSP) 125.

All the action was held around BIC’s 2.55km Inner Track.

In the BIC 2,000cc Challenge, Shaikh Salman narrowly won race one ahead of pole-sitter Raed Himmo. Both were driving Honda Civics, but Shaikh Salman was 2.570 seconds quicker to the finish in 12 laps. He claimed the chequered flag in 15 minutes 40.519 seconds.

Mohammed Faqihi, also behind the wheel of a Civic, completed the podium placers 12.888s off the winning pace in third.

In race two, Shaikh Salman completed his double in 15:50.212. He was 3.810s in front of Nasser Al Alawi who finished as runner-up in his Honda S2000, while Himmo came third 11.380s back to take his second podium of the day.

In the BMR 600, Al Muyini enjoyed a virtually perfect weekend. After topping the times in practice and securing pole position in qualifying, Al Muyini stormed to first place in the 11-lap opening sprint in 13:16.036. Al Muyini was 10.910s ahead of Nasser Al Khadra and 20.817s in front of Ebrahim Shareeda.

Race two was no different up front, with Al Muyini dominating for a winning time of 13:21.447. Al Khadra was again in second this time 7.563s behind. Adel Najjar claimed third spot a distant 27.376s back.

In the BSSP 125, which is a category under the Bahrain Superbike Championship (BSPK), Al Aswad won 1.006s ahead of Abdul Samee with Yusuf Qaed in third, 3.614s adrift.

The BSSP is a championship focused on developing Bahraini talent and nurturing them through the BSBK Training Academy.

It consists of six races that happen over a period of six months, with 12 riders involved as they ride identical Aprilia RS4 bikes to emphasise rider skill.

Abdulrahman Almoayed, director of Wheels of Arabia and co-founder of BSBK, said: “It’s great to see such an amazing response every year. The BSBK management is proud to be instrumental in developing and promoting local talent to international levels.”

BSBK is the first organised superbike championship in Bahrain, and will next week travel to Dubai for the first time.

Following all the weekend’s action, the winners were presented their respective trophies in a podium ceremony attended by BIC officials, the Bahrain Motor Federation, the Circuit Racing Club and the Bahrain Motorcycle Club.

The sixth round of National Race Day is scheduled to take place on March 16.

For more details, visit www.bahraingp.com and for more information on Bahrain Superbikes, visit www.bahrainsuperbike.com