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Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) is all geared up to host one of the most unique and exciting events of the year: the Six Hours of Bahrain endurance race, Stan Szecowka reports.
Taking place on September 28 and 29 on the Sakhir track, the event is being described as an all-new festival of racing with historic overtures.
Top international teams from around the world will be represented in all of the classes. Many of them are leading car manufacturers such as Audi, Toyota, Nissan, Porsche, Ferrari, Aston Martin, etc. Each team will consist of more than one driver who will take turns behind the wheel during the course of the race.
There will be familiar faces getting in the driver’s seat of some of the challengers, as some ex-Formula One talents have entered into The World Endurance Championship (WEC) season. Among them are former Bahrain resident Sebastien Buemi, his Toyota Racing teammates Alexander Wurz, Anthony Davidson and Kazuki Nakajima; Nick Heidfeld of Rebellion Racing; and Karun Chandhok of JRM, to name a few.
Some of the other top names who are doing well so far are Allan McNish of Great Britain, Dindo Capello of Italy and Tom Kristensen of Denmark.
“The Six Hours of Bahrain will be a very special event,” said the circuit’s chief executive, Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa.
The race is part of the 2012 FIA WEC Championship, co-organised by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) from France. It had previously been running as the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup before coming under the FIA umbrella for its inaugural season this year.
This maiden series features eight rounds taking place in eight different countries across four continents. The Six Hours of Bahrain will be the season’s sixth meeting, and it is the WEC’s only event taking place in the Middle East.
Shaikh Salman added: “I’m extremely delighted that we have the privilege of hosting such an incredible race. This is a very exciting opportunity for us. This category of motorsport has a very rich history; its very essence has been derived from the legendary 24-Hours of Le Mans race in France, which is also a part of the WEC.
“The 24-Hours of Le Mans is one of the most famous annual races in history. It is the single biggest yearly event in Europe in any sport, and the same teams, drivers and cars that compete in Le Mans will be coming to Bahrain to put on a show.”
The Six Hours of Bahrain will be run along the BIC’s 5.412-kilometre grand prix track. It is scheduled to flag off at 4pm and end under the stars at 10pm, giving Bahraini race fans a fresh and captivating spectacle of night racing to enjoy.
A massive field of no less than 32 cars will be lining up on the grid for the event. They will be battling it out in four different competition categories, including the Le Mans Prototype 1 (LMP1), the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), the Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance Professional (LMGTE Pro), and the Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance Amateur (LMGTE Am).
LMP1 and LMP2 cars are not your typical road vehicles. They are a special breed used specifically for this category of motorsport. They are the fastest closed-wheel cars in circuit racing today, and they can reach maximum speeds even higher than Formula One cars. LMGTE cars, meanwhile, are grand tourer race cars.
The 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship flagged off in March with a 12-hour race in Sebring, Florida in the US. A six-hour event at Spa in Belgium was then held in May, followed by the world-famous 24 Hours of Le Mans in mid-June.
The fourth round will be held in late August when the WEC heads to Silverstone in the UK and then another six-hour race in Sao Paulo, Brazil, will take place in mid-September.
That will set the stage for the highly anticipated Six Hours of Bahrain. The season will culminate with another pair of six-hour events in Japan and China in October, capping the WEC’s historic maiden campaign.
As part of BIC’s preparations for the Six Hours of Bahrain, a team led by Chairman Zayed R Alzayani and Shaikh Salman attended the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. Bahrain Motor Federation President Shaikh Abdulla bin Isa Al Khalifa was also on hand, and together they held a special meeting with ACO President Pierre Fillon and with WEC management.
“The WEC is very pleased with all our preparations for the race,” Shaikh Salman said. “We have their utmost support, and we are looking forward to having a most wonderful and festive occasion at BIC for the Six Hours of Bahrain.”
The Six Hours of Bahrain will be BIC’s second major event of the year, eclipsed only by the 2012 Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix held last April.
It will also be the third major international endurance race ever to take place in Sakhir.
It follows the 24 Hours Race for Bahrain that was held in December of 2006, and another six-hour endurance race for superbikes in 2009. Both previous events were one-off races, and they featured several top international teams from across the globe.
The Six Hours of Bahrain weekend will feature plenty of other attractions other than the WEC. There will be support series featuring some of the kingdom’s top local championships as well as plenty of off-the-track entertainment.
In signature BIC-style, all that will be on offer can be enjoyed by the whole family, including live music, games, carnival rides, food and beverage stalls and souvenir shops.
The circuit’s management has also promised ‘some mind-blowing surprises’ for the public and these will be revealed closer to the event’s date.
*For tickets or for other information on the Six Hours of Bahrain, visit www.bahraingp.com or call 17450000.
