A packed grid of 30 teams will be lining up at Bahrain International Karting Circuit (BIKC) on Saturday for the highly anticipated opening round of the 2016/2017 Bahrain Endurance SWS Championship (BESWS).
Another exciting season awaits race fans in this ultra-competitive series, which kicks off with a three-hour challenge in Sakhir.
It will be the first of three rounds in the BESWS. The second round will be another three-hour race on December 3, while the championship finale will be a 24-hour event taking place January 27 and 28 next year.
All the action will be held along the world-class 1.414-kilometre Commission Internationale de Karting (CIK) track at BIKC. The track has been homologated for international racing and it combines a great mix of corners and level changes that will test even the most experienced of drivers.
Teams will be competing in identical 390cc RT8 Sodikarts.
In Saturday’s season-opener, the field will be competing in three different categories, including the Professionals, Nations and Corporate.
Those competing in the Professional category include Batelco Racing 1, Zain Racing, Al Najma Club Racing, 3S Racing, Omantel Ozone and Ice Racing.
The Nations class is made up of Redline Racing France, Desperado, Supercars Club Arabia, Beshara Racing, Trouvay and Cauvin Group, Overtake Racing 1, Overtake Racing 2, FunXtreme, 6-Speed KSA, Zain Dangerous, Batelco Racing 2, Batelco Racing 3 and Omantel Makaseb.
The Corporate category includes Redline Racing, Redline Racing 2, Eighth Wheels, Bootleggers Rosvari, Grendizer, Texel Air Racing, WP Time Bandits, BBK Racing, BBK Online and Euro Trading.
Racing is scheduled to begin at 5.15pm with Free Practice and Qualifying. The three-hour race is then scheduled to flag off at 6.40pm, with the chequered flag coming down at 9.40pm. The action will be followed by the podium ceremony.
All are welcome to attend and watch the action live. Entry at BIKC is free of charge.
Aside from the awards won in each round, there are also grand prizes up for grabs.
The first and second-placed teams at the end of the 24-hour third round qualify directly to the Sodi World Finals, to represent the Kingdom of Bahrain, in July of next year.
The winners will also be entitled to a free entry to the 24 Hours of Paris held at Racing Kart de Cormeilles, RKC-2017. BIKC will only cover the race registration fees for the qualifying team to the RKC 24 Hours and Sodi World Finals events only. The qualifying teams will have to cover their own travel, transport and accommodation expenses.