MOTORSPORT – Bahrain's staging of the 2026 FIA Karting World Championship will be another boost for motorsport development in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, says FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
Ten years after hosting its third world championship in karting, Bahrain International Kart Circuit (BIKC) will organise the Mondokart.com FIA Karting World Championships in the OK and OK-Junior categories from November 4 to 7 next year.
As was the case in 2016, while the young hopefuls battle it out on the karting track, competitors in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) will be on the motor racing circuit on the same dates to close their 2026 campaign with an eight-hour race.
Ben Sulayem said: “Bahrain has played such an important part in the growth of Mena motorsport since it first welcomed Formula One 21 years ago, and this continues with the return of the Karting World Championship, which is so important for the future development of motorsport in the region.”
Meanwhile, Ben Sulayem has praised the new FIA Karting Arrive-and-Drive World Cup as another significant milestone for the future of grassroots motorsport.
The debut of this historic event last week saw local crowds filling the grandstands to witness world-class karting from drivers aiming to prove themselves around the 21 corners of the LYL International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur.
Troy Ferguson from the US and Zach Tucker from New Zealand took home the junior and senior cups respectively.
They, along with the second and third place finishers, now go through to the FIA Karting Shootout to be held in Valencia, Spain from December 2 to 7.
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