MOTORSPORT – The Bahrain Rotax MAX Challenge (BRMC) kicked off its 2026-27 season and three of the series’ returning champions have secured victories in a thrilling opening round.
Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), ‘The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East’, staged an exciting and action-packed curtain-raising event in the kingdom’s leading national karting championship, with the action taking place under lights at BIC’s world-class grassroots motor racing facility, Bahrain International Karting Circuit (BIKC).
The title winners who triumphed included last season’s Mini MAX champion Rayyan Najjar who emerged victorious in the higher-tier Junior MAX class, defending Senior MAX champion Demir Abali, and defending DD2 MAX title winner Rakan Alfayez.
Also climbing the top step of their respective podiums were Sami Albandak in the Micro MAX division and Abdulaziz Alsarraf in the Mini MAX.
The BRMC’s curtain-raising event was organised by BIC and BIKC in cooperation with the Bahrain Motor Federation and the Bahrain Karting Commission.
The high-octane, wheel-to-wheel battles took place along BIKC’s 1.414-kilometre CIK-FIA track, with the competitors going all out in their very own Rotax-powered machinery.
In the Micro MAX category, Sami Albandak led in all of the round’s sessions, from free practice and qualifying practice to the heat and pre-final.
He then took the chequered flag in the nine-lap final in a total time of nine minutes 20.734 seconds, finishing 14.192 seconds ahead of runner-up Henry Toon.
In the Mini MAX class, last season’s Micro MAX champion Enzo Younes got off to a strong start by topping the free practice timesheet, but Abdulaziz Alsarraf then took charge the rest of the way.
Abdulaziz claimed first place in qualifying practice, the heat, and the pre-final, before winning the nine-lap final in 8:56.961, beating Enzo by a narrow 0.614s.
Liam Boyd joined them on the podium in third place 0.739s from Abdulaziz.
The Junior MAX division saw three different drivers top the first three sessions before Rayyan Najjar powered to victory in the pre-final and final.
Abdulrahman Mohamed was the pace-setter in free practice and then Faisal Alnajjar topped the qualifying practice timesheet.
Bader Faisal was then triumphant in the heat ahead of Rayyan, who then claimed the pre-final just 0.300s ahead of Abdulrahman.
Rayyan later took the chequered flag in the final after a tightly contested 15 laps, winning in 13:56.409 – 0.494s ahead of Faisal.
Abdulrahman finished third only 0.989s back.
Demir Abali lived up to his billing as reigning Senior MAX champion after fending off his closest rivals for the win in class.
Luca Houghton was the early aggressor, leading the BRMC’s largest field in both free practice and qualifying practice.
But Abali shone brightest when it mattered most, winning the heat ahead of Houghton and the pre-final in front of Jude Andrews.
Abali then rode his momentum into the 15-lap final, where he took the win in 13:31.674 and enjoyed a comfortable 3.771s gap from runner-up Vedant Menon.
Khaled Najjar completed the podium placers in third 5.676s from the winner.
Rakan Alfayez completed the BRMC’s winning cast in round one in the DD2 MAX category. Leopold Juch kicked things off by topping the times in free practice, but then Alfayez took control from there, setting the pace in qualifying practice and then winning the heat and the pre-final. In the final, Alfayez overcame a spirited challenge from Juch, whom he beat to the chequered flag with a winning time of 13:20.798 after 15 laps.
Juch crossed the finish line 0.829s behind, while Suliman Alrubaya was third on the classification a distant 17.748s back.
Following all the action, the winners in each of the BRMC’s categories were presented their respective trophies during the podium ceremonies at BIKC.
The championship’s 2026-27 calendar features a total of eight events, culminating in February of next year.
The karters return to action in round two this Friday, to be followed by round three on November 20.
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