Asian Motor Sports

The Bahrain International Circuit staged the inaugural Formula BMW World Final today with drivers from 15 different countries competing with one sole objective in mind, the chance to test for the new BMW Sauber F1 team and a generous winner’s purse of $60,000. A ten-second penalty meant that the race winner German hopeful Nicolas Huelkenberg actually came third with his fellow countryman Marco Holzer taking the coveted prize. Holzer was followed by Sebastien Buemi of Switzerland in a close third.

The start of the race saw a spectacular crash on the start-finish straight which left the remaining drivers fighting to maintain their positions and create space between them and their immediate rivals. Nicolas Huelkenberg dominated despite a second minor collision which saw the first of the host nation’s hopefuls, Sh. Salman Bin Rashid Al-Khalifa, exit the race due to damaged suspension leaving young Hamed Al-Fardan to fight for Bahrain’s glory.

The other attractions of the day included the Mini Cooper Challenge, which is a regular crowd pleaser at the BIC and acts as a proving ground for young local drivers looking to gain a foothold in competitive motorsport. And there was another first for the BIC in the form of the Arabia Motors - Ride to the Side Drift Competition which saw five local drivers take on two BMW Works drivers in a battle of sideways action and flair with the objective of demonstrating each contestant’s ability to tackle turns on a race course without traction. The winner of the Drift competition was then awarded the honour of a lap in a BMW M3 driven by Formula One legend, Nigel Mansell.

“It was a fantastic race with plenty of action for the spectators,” said General Manager of the BIC Martin Whitaker. “I really enjoyed watching the potential stars of the future getting to grips with the circuit here in Bahrain, so many of them came up to me after the race and told me how challenging and enjoyable they find the track.”

Source: F1 Live