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The chief executive of Bahrain International Circuit has spoken of his admiration for the man who helped bring Formula One to the home of motor sport in the Middle East.
Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa told GulfWeekly this week: “Without a doubt, Formula 1 would not be the global support it is today without the formidable driving force of Bernie Ecclestone.
“He was naturally instrumental in establishing the Bahrain Grand Prix all those years ago and he has remained a loyal and supportive friend of the BIC since then. “We thank him for all his guidance and work in our behalf over the last 13 years and we are delighted that he will retain his involvement in the sport as chairman emeritus and look forward to welcoming him to Bahrain for many years to come.”
Bahrain missed out on the 2011 race after it was cancelled due to unrest on the island. Mr Ecclestone attempted to reinstate it in spite of insurmountable obstacles and protests from what many considered to be ‘fair-weather friends’, political opponents and what appears to be a continuing slanted media smear campaign by some international outlets.
To counter the move GulfWeekly’s Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix campaign editions and thousands of messages of support from readers were hand delivered to the Formula One management offices in London by Editor Stan Szecowka who travelled to England.
The Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix returned successfully the following year and plans are now in full flow to host this year’s event on April 16, the third race of the season. It will also, for the fourth successive year, be held as a night race with BIC’s state-of-the-art floodlighting system brilliantly illuminating all areas of the track.
Shaikh Salman will be flying out to Australia in March to meet with Liberty Media executives ahead of the season’s opener in Melbourne on March 26.
