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When the Chevrolet Supercars take to the grid in support of this year's F1 Grand Prix there will be added interest for local fans, many of the cars have been built at the BIC by young Bahraini mechanics.
The cars are provided by title sponsor Chevrolet Motorsport and a team of nine full time mechanics and engineers have been working since last June to transform them from the normal road vehicles into super speed machines.
The Chevrolet Supercar exhibition race will give fans a sample of what's to come this November during the Chevrolet Supercars Middle East Championship.
Neil Harker, engineering manager at the BIC, from Sitra, said: "The engineering programme at the BIC works on building the vehicles received from Chevrolet. Everything we do is in-house. We have a crew of nine talented young Bahrainis. The project started on June 15 last year with the aim to have 20 cars ready before the season starts.
"Visitors to the exhibition race will get to see 16 of the supercars on the grid, eight of which were built by the Bahraini engineers and eight will be used from last season's races. The other four will be completed once the Grand Prix race in Bahrain is over.
"The purpose of the engineering programme is not just to build Chevrolet cars but also to train the local lads on engineering skills. They have all been on welding and fabrication courses at the Bahrain Training Institute (BTI) and are fully qualified in many other mechanical features such as suspension modification and brake set-up.
"Most of the guys that come to us are mechanics to begin with but simply need tweaking.
"All that I have met are petrol heads and love motorsports and fast cars. So what we would actually train is for them to be race car mechanics. You still use the basic mechanical knowledge given to you but also we do a lot more in the car set-up, suspension, brakes and safety is paramount. Everything must be done correctly and there is no room for error.
"We have a good crew on our hands. They not only work on the Chevrolet cars but also on other vehicles at the BIC. They are full-time. Maybe eventually they will go off and start their own businesses, but for now we are not only working with them, we are also training them.
"To be able to build cars with this type of quality in such a short time truly speaks volumes.
"The crew certainly gets top marks from me in terms of their quality work."
Adel Shaji, 28, from Hamala, is part of the programme and has become executive supervisor, workshop and stock. He said: "The talent we have in the programme is great. There is a lot of progress with everyone and we are all working as a team on many new things.
"We learnt a lot of welding techniques and fabrication_as also about brakes and suspension set-up. Stuff we didn't know in the past we are now trained to do.
"Most of the Bahrainis are used to tuning and upgrading their cars for street use and drag racing, but circuit racing is something new and different. With the guidance of Neil Harker I think everyone is doing well in delivering the best cars out there."
Another member, Ali Hussain Mohammed, 26, an auto-mechanic, from Bani Jamra, said: "I am a huge motorsport enthusiast. I have a passion for it and this is a dream of mine to build a car from scratch. Any mechanic who loves cars would wish to be a part of a programme such as this.
"To me the best part of the programme was to be able to work on everything. But honestly, this is something I have always wanted the chance to do and now I can.
"When I see the car I built on the track it is just an amazing feeling. You feel satisfied with your accomplishment."
Crew member Tareq Al Tajer, 36, from Mahooz, said: "I find the programme good fun. It is the first of its kind in the Gulf and can be a challenge. Once all the cars are ready we will feel really proud when our babies are on the grid. All the cars are the same so it's all down to the driver at the end of it."
The world-class Chevrolet Supercars Middle East Championship will run on globally-renowned tracks across the region, including Bahrain International Circuit, Dubai Autodrome, the recently launched circuit in Riyadh - REEM International Circuit and hopefully Losail International Circuit in Qatar. The format of the season will include two races per round and will run from November through to April 2010.
To double the action, the third season of the Chevrolet Supercars ME Championship will include two class categories - SC09 and SC06. The eight vehicles built in Bahrain are part of the SC09 class while the other eight cars are from the SC06 class.
The 12 Bahrain-built cars will line up the grid in the SC09 category and will be driven by top resident drivers from around the region, with several faces returning from last season to take part in this month's exhibition race.
Fahad Al Musalam, winner of last season's championship, will be participating in the upcoming exhibition race. Having won the prize of testing in Australia last season with the Garry Rogers Motorsport Team, he will be competing against Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Saudi Abdul Aziz Al Yaeesh, Prince Khalid Al Faisal, Tarek El Gammal and legendary Omani rally driver Hamad Al Wahabi as he returns to motor racing in his debut performance in the Chevrolet series. Bahrain's Salah Salahuddin will also join in the action.
Meanwhile, the SC 06 category will see the 2007/08 cars line up on the grid with Husam Saleh, Bander Al Silmi, Castrol Racing Academy champion Faisal Raffii, Christophe Mariott, Jaap Vandreger, Guy Holmes and Anthony Raymond - all behind the wheel.
Sherif Al Mahdy, sporting championship manager, said: "There are many drivers competing in the exhibition race from Bahrain, Saudi, UAE, UK, France, Holland and Argentina. We are extremely proud of this.
"We are also really proud of our engineering department because we keep our cars up to date and fine tuned.
"Pirelli is supplying the tyres for the entire season and Castrol is our official oil supplier for the championship."
