The region’s most popular one-make racing series is getting all geared up to support motorsport’s top flight in just a few weeks’ time at the 2016 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.
The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East will be taking to the track at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir from April 1 to 3 as part of the stellar racing programme at the Grand Prix weekend.
The professionally run one-make series, which calls BIC its home, will be holding an exhibition round to back Formula 1.
With the 2015/2016 season wrapping up just last week, the participating drivers will have the freedom to push and take chances, which would make for some very exciting and unpredictable racing.
Jeffrey Schmidt was recently crowned the series’ new champion and he is expected to spearhead the field that will be making the most of this chance to showcase their skills in front of an international audience – one that includes the Formula 1 community.
His chief title rivals, namely Zaid Ashkanani, Ryan Cullen and Prince Abdulaziz Al Faisal are also expected to join the fray, ensuring that the exhibition features some of the championship’s top contenders from this past season.
Also expected to take part are Charlie Frijns, Prince Saud Al Faisal, Wolfgang Triller and Bahrain’s very own Shaikh Jaber bin Ali Al Khalifa, to name a few. Each of the drivers will be competing in identical Porsche GT3 Cup Cars 991.
The Grand Prix weekend will feature two exhibition races, one each on Saturday and Sunday (Editor’s note: April 2 and 3). Each will be held over 10 laps or 25 minutes around BIC’s 5.412-kilometre Grand Prix track. A practice session is scheduled for Friday and qualifying for earlyon Saturday to determine the grid for the opening sprint.
Tickets to the Bahrain Grand Prix continue to be available. They cost BD150 apiece for the Main Grandstand and BD120 for the Batelco Grandstand. For the Turn One Grandstand, they are BD100 each, while tickets for both the University Grandstands and Victory Grandstand are BD60 apiece.
Children aged three to 12 years old can get tickets for half the price, while entry is free of charge for those below three years old.
All tickets are for three-day access to the Grand Prix weekend. Tickets are being sold at the BIC stands in Bahrain City Centre and Seef Mall (Seef District), BIC’s official website www.bahraingp.com, or by calling the BIC Hotline on +973-17-450000.