MOTORSPORT – ALI Almansoori secured a fantastic double in the 2025-26 Bahrain Touring Car Challenge (BTCC), held as part of the season-opening round of National Race Day at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir.
The meeting featured the BTCC and Time Attack, with plenty of exciting action from day to night along BIC’s 2.550-kilometre Inner Track.
Almansoori won both BTCC races, while emerging victorious in Time Attack were Omar Adel Alkhudhur, Fares Almutari, Yazeed Alsaheel, Hamad Salah Albalooshi, Ibrahim Al Sharidah, Sulaiman Alsaheel, and Hisham Bediea Al Bediae.
The event was organised and run by BIC in cooperation with the Bahrain Motor Federation, the Circuit Racing Commission, and the Auto X and Drift Commission.
In the BTCC, Ahmed Algaidy driving a Honda Civic kicked things off by topping the practice session with a best lap time of one minute 21.568 seconds. Almansoori then stepped it up in qualifying and secured pole position for race one with a time of 1:18.758 behind the wheel of his Honda Civic.
Almansoori defended his position well over the first 15-lap race and took the chequered flag in 20:19.298 – enjoying a 6.375-second gap from runner-up Moaaz Elzahrawi, also driving a Honda Civic. Ahmed Bajnaid completed the podium placers in third a distant 26.300s from the winner.
James Taylor in an Acura RSX DC5 claimed fourth place, while Hamad Khamis and Rakan Al Fayez, both in Honda Civics, were fifth and sixth, respectively, to round out the final classification.
In race two, Khamis started at the front but Almansoori emerged victorious once more. This time, he had a bigger gap at the finish, completing the distance in 20:37.175 – 7.379s clear of Bajnaid in second place. Elzahrawi came third 13.249s back.
Taylor was fourth while Al Fayez took fifth.
Meanwhile, in Time Attack, Alkhudur triumphed in the competition’s MA class with a best time of 1:15.915. Fahad Abdulrahman Almulhem and Abdulla Sahel Shukri joined him on their podium.
Almutari secured his victory in the MB class with a fastest time of 1:20.167. Mazen Dabbous and Maan Mahmoud Aljabrah were second and third, respectively.
Yazeed Alsaheel claimed the SA category, posting a top time of 1:11.373 for first place. Mohamed Sami Aldosseri was second and Mohamed Abdulla Alghamdi finished third.
Albalooshi was the victor in the SB class with a mark of 1:24.765, while Fahad Saleh Alkuwari was the runner-up and Layla Hasan Alqasmi came third.
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