BIKC hosts a thriller in SWS endurance championship
- Mattar and Alsaie steer Batelco Racing to fine overall victory
- Batelco Racing Mechanics, Menascope Ice and Mahla Angels also triumph
- Record turnout of 27 teams for exciting second round
Batelco Racing eked out an exciting victory last Saturday in action-packed second round of the 2015/2016 Bahrain SWS Endurance Championship, held under floodlights at Bahrain International Karting Circuit (BIKC) in Sakhir.
Mohammed Mattar and Khaled Alsaie came away with the narrowest of wins for the telecommunications giants. They finished the three-hour event a mere 0.095 seconds ahead of sister team and runners-up Batelco Racing Mechanics, who were comprised of Ali Baslar and Abdulla Buhindi.
Both teams completed the endurance challenge with 137 laps apiece, but it was Mattar and Alsaie who enjoyed the slimmest of leads at the chequered flag.
In third place overall were the Zain Racing tandem of Raed Raffii and Saeed Al Mehairi. They completed the race just a single lap behind while claiming the final podium step in the overall classification.
The result made it a perfect two-for-two for Batelco Racing so far in the national endurance series. They previously won round one held in November of last year at BIKC, and are now heavy favourites to secure a clean sweep of the championship when it holds its third and final round next month, which will be a 24-hour event.
Saturday’s race took place with a record number of 27 teams taking part – the most for any SWS endurance race at BIKC. Teams were composed of a minimum of two and a maximum of four drivers, and they raced in identical 13-horsepower RT8 Sodikarts.
Aside from the overall top three, competition was fierce for positioning in the three different race classes.
Mattar and Alsaie also managed to steer Batelco Racing to first place in the Professional category. Zain’s Raffii and Al Mehairi were second, while Mahla EKT featuring pro Emirati karter Ramez Azzam and promising Bahraini youngster Hussain Hassan claimed third.
In the Nationals class, Batelco Racing Mechanics’ Baslar and Buhindi teamed up for the win. The Zain Dangerous pair of Essa Al Kooheji and Khalifa Al Yaqoubi followed, while in third were the ANL Racing trio of Alex Longden, Neil Harris and Lee Stones.
The Corporate category, which had 15 teams vying for the podium, was won by Menascope Ice Racing’s Ali Dadi and Qamar Saleem. BISB Menascope’s Mohammed Al Waery and Ahmed Al Kooheji were the runners-up, while the BBK Racing duo of Faisal Al Shafie and Nasser Al Alawi were third.
Also rising to the occasion were the Mahla Angels team. They won the women’s category and were comprised of Shatha Alzadjali, Reem Al Qatani, Amani Al Tublani and Rana Fathalla.
Following the race, the winners were presented their respective trophies in an awarding ceremony.
Organisers later thanked all the teams for competing, and invited them to race in the championship finale, scheduled for March 11 and 12 at BIKC.
For more information on the 2015/2016 Bahrain SWS Endurance Championship or other events happening at BIKC, visit www.bahrain-karting.com or call the BIKC on +973-1745-1745.
Teams’ Final Laps
137 laps – Batelco Racing, Batelco Racing Mechanics.
136 laps – Zain Racing, Zain Dangerous, Mahla EKT, Rainbows 4 Kids, ANL Racing, Menascope Ice Racing.
135 laps – BISB Menascope, BBK Racing, FM Racing, Laser Racing, BISB Racing 1, Vertice, Redline Racing 2, BISB Racing 2.
134 laps – Redline Racing 3.
133 laps – Redline Racing, BBK Online.
132 laps – WP Time Bandits.
131 laps – Al Zayani Investment 1, Redline Racing 5.
130 laps – Euro Trading Blackhawks, Redline Racing 4.
129 laps – Al Zayani Investment 2.
128 laps – Mahla Angels.
126 laps – Sadara Secondee Racers.