The 2022/2023 season at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) is in full swing, and with the temperatures across the Kingdom of Bahrain beginning to cool down, the action and intensity on the tarmac at ‘The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East’ are only heating up.
BIC recently hosted its first major global event of this campaign with the Bapco 8 Hours of Bahrain, the grand finale of the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).
It was an extra special occasion for the elite of endurance motorsport, who were celebrating the end of the milestone 10th anniversary of the WEC in Sakhir, where the series’ newest champions were crowned. The winners were headlined by Toyota Gazoo Racing’s sensational title double, with the triumvirate of Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Rio Hirakawa coming away with the Hypercar drivers’ title and their Japanese team securing the Hypercar manufacturers’ crown.
Also taking to the track during the WEC weekend were the WTCR-FIA World Touring Car Cup and the Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East, both as support series.
The WTCR held the Race of Bahrain, and it marked the series’ debut both at BIC and the region. It was also the first time the WTCR appeared on the same weekend as the WEC, bringing together the very best of touring car and sportscar racing.
The Porsche Sprint Challenge ME once again brought together some of the best gentleman racers from around the world, and the weekend also saw the return of Bahraini motorsport legend Shaikh Salman bin Rashid Al Khalifa to competition after more than eight years away.
With the spirit of Le Mans having had its moment in the spotlight, the focus now shifts towards BIC’s blue riband event, the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix, which is set to flag off the 2023 season.
The region’s biggest sporting and social occasion is scheduled to take place from 3 to 5 March, and the night racing spectacle certainly can’t get here any sooner.
Next year’s F1 calendar features a record 24 races, with BIC in pole position for the third straight year and the fifth time overall. BIC will also be hosting F1 pre-season testing the week before the big race weekend. The tests will take place over three days from 23 to 25 February, offering the last opportunity for F1’s teams and star drivers to get their contenders ready for the brand-new season.
The annual international programme at BIC continues to grow each year and it is no different in 2023.
For the first time ever, the Bahrain ProAm 1000 will take place on 27 and 28 January.The event is a ground-breaking GT endurance race that will feature a high-quality field of GT3, GT4 and Cup cars from around the world doing battle over 1,000km.
Supporting the Bahrain ProAm 1000 will be the Middle East TCR Series, the only championship in the Gulf dedicated exclusively to TCR cars.
The relaunched series will be holding the third round of its ongoing season at BIC.
The 2022/2023 campaign in Sakhir also features a packed calendar of national racing events, headlined by the hugely popular Bahrain Drag Racing Championship, which features many top teams and drivers from around the world including NHRA Champions Bahrain1Racing. The season is set to feature five rounds of head-to-head battles starting in December and continuing until February 2023.
The BIC 2,000cc Challenge will also be a top draw amongst circuit racing enthusiasts, with many of the Kingdom’s best gentleman drivers suiting up for heated bumper-to-bumper competition in their two-litre challengers. This 2,000cc campaign will have five rounds.
BIC’s world-class grassroots racing facility, Bahrain International Karting Circuit (BIKC), has already been busy with plenty of action being held.
The 1.414-kilometre CIK-FIA track has completed its latest campaign in the Sakhir Rotax MAX Challenge (SRMC), and is now hosting action in the Bahrain Rotax MAX Challenge (BRMC.
There are also highly entertaining local championships in autocross and drifting, being held as part of BIC’s all-encompassing racing programme. The BIC season would not be complete without the wide-range of motorsport activities on offer for the public to enjoy.
These include Open Track days and nights, the Ebrahim K. Kanoo Drag and Drift Nights, the Track Experience featuring the BNI Clio Cup Experiences and Radical Experiences, the Kanoo Motors Rolling Drag, the YK Off-Road Experience, and the Batelco Fitness on Track.
All this and so much more is taking place this season at BIC.
