MOTORSPORT – BAHRAIN International Circuit (BIC) hosted a record-breaking 2024-25 season with 424 events being held both on and off the race track.
This was announced by BIC during the Press conference launch for its exciting new campaign, which will once again have plenty on offer, from world-class international championships to adrenaline-pumping fan experiences.
In attendance at the event were BIC chief executive Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, Bapco Energies Group CEO Mark Thomas, BIC chief commercial officer Sherif Al Mahdy, and senior management from both organisations.
The 2025-26 season is scheduled to begin later this month. Ahead of this, Shaikh Salman explained that the packed calendar from 2024-25 included 48 racing events, headlined by international weekends in Formula One and the World Endurance Championship (WEC). BIC also held regional and national series such as drag racing and karting, along with track days and corporate events – making for a packed calendar of motorsport across the year.
BIC’s diverse schedule further included 112 non-motorsport events such as Batelco Fitness on Track, shopping festivals, darts, event space hires, non-track corporate events, the widely popular Bahrain Comic Con, and many others.
Shaikh Salman noted that BIC’s grassroots motorsport facility, Bahrain International Karting Circuit (BIKC), hosted 71 events and 18 races last season. The track welcomed more than 64,000 karters for arrive-and-drive and non-competitive racing experiences, which continue to be available daily, and over 40 per cent of customers were under the age of 25.
Meanwhile, Al Mahdy announced that aside from F1 and the WEC, BIC’s international racing programme this campaign includes the 2025 Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals (RMCGF), which will be taking place November 28 to December 6 at BIKC. The event will feature more than 400 of the world’s best Rotax karters from over 60 nations, who will be competing over a full week of exciting karting action.
The field will be racing across eight categories, including the Micro MAX, Mini MAX, Junior MAX, Senior MAX, DD2, DD2 Masters, and electric classes E20 Senior and E20 Masters. Team Bahrain are taking part in the event, with nine racers flying the kingdom’s flag in six of the classes, including the Micro MAX, Mini MAX, Junior MAX, Senior MAX, DD2, and the E20 Senior.
Al Mahdy also highlighted that BIKC will have a brand-new fleet of karts available to customers from the start of the new season next month. These new karts will continue to enhance the experience for karters and help encourage even more visitors to visit the venue.
Al Mahdy gave details of the kingdom’s national championships, which are run by BIC in cooperation with the Bahrain Motor Federation and all those under its umbrella.
Headlining the local events is the hugely popular Bahrain Drag Racing Championship – the premier drag racing series in the entire Middle East. Top teams and drivers from around the world will be competing in cars and motorbikes over five rounds from November and continuing until March of 2026.The Bahrain Touring Car Championship and the Bahrain Motorcycle Championship headline local circuit racing. They will take place over seven rounds this campaign, beginning in October and wrapping up in April of next year. In karting, BIKC will be hosting plenty of thrills with the Sakhir Rotax MAX Challenge (SRMC) and the Bahrain Rotax MAX Challenge (BRMC). The SRMC will be flagging off next weekend with the first of four rounds, while the BRMC will feature eight rounds, beginning from October and continuing until April.
Circuit racing and karting events feature both day and night racing, adding to the challenge and spectacle for both participants and fans.Aside from these, there will also be competition in drifting, time attack, autocross, and burnout.Al Mahdy explained that the new BIC season includes a wide-range of motorsport experiences and activities on offer to the public. These have all become favourites amongst the kingdom’s adrenaline seekers and are to be held from October to April.
BIC’s widely popular Batelco Fitness on Track will kick the calendar off on October 3, which will be the first of 20 events held throughout the new campaign.
The circuit’s other retail events over the course of the next several months include Open Track days and nights; Ebrahim K Kanoo Drag and Drift Nights; Track Experiences featuring drives and passenger rides in Clio Cup, SR1, and SR3 race cars; and the Kanoo Motors Rolling Drag.
Furthermore, available to the public on a daily basis is the YK Off-Road Experience and the Circuit Tour, in addition to karting. Full details are available at bahraingp.com or by calling the BIC Hotline +973-17450000.
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