www.bahrainthismonth.com March 2014 71 As Bahrain gears up for one of the main events on its annual calendar, the Gulf Air Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix, the country’s state-of-the-art motor sports facility, the Bahrain International Circuit, has been preparing for its first-ever Formula One night race. At the helm of affairs is Shaikh Salman Bin Isa al Khalifa, chief executive of the BIC, who joins George Middleton as they discuss, in the comfort of the All-New Range Rover Sport, the circuit’s 10th anniversary celebrations and the scope for motorsports in the country. George: It’s been 10 years of Formula One in Bahrain. Sh Salman: It’s been a really exciting time; a fantastic 10 years and we’re looking forward to the next 10 and, hopefully, more. In terms of the celebration, it is best illustrated by the company’s investment into this project and by turning the tenth year F1 race into a night race. George: Apart from the Bahrain GP, are there any other big events planned for BIC in 2014? Sh Salman: Of course. So far this year we’ve had quite a busy first quarter. We started with co-hosting Bahrain International Air Show, which was a really big event for us and we’re very proud of it. After that we’ve had testing, for not just Formula One, but a lot of World Endurance Championship teams are choosing Bahrain for their testing, which is great for us both in terms of exposure and revenue. George: In terms of off-track entertainment, the last year it was Calvin Harris and Neyo. Can you let us know who’s going to be here this time? Sh Salman: Every year we try to build the best package for everyone who attends the Grand Prix and make sure no one misses that opportunity. This year as well, we’ve got some special bands for the older crowd and at the same time something that will appeal to the younger crowd. The announcement hopefully will come out soon. [See page 32 for details.] George: We notice a lot of developments taking place at the BIC. Can you tell us a little bit about that? Sh Salman: The lighting project has been our biggest undertaking so far. This is not just restricted [to the] track. When you move to a night race, the track is probably the easiest part, because everyone is concentrating most on putting 1,500 [lights] around it. What’s important to realise is the grandstand, the vending area, wherever there is activity during the day, all necessary upgrades need to be made to make them operational for a night time event. George: Some of the more grassroots motorsports seem to be more popular here in Bahrain. Is the BIC doing anything to improve the potential for this? Sh Salman: We are trying, which I think the purpose of the track and our duty is, to pull the people to the race track. So the drag racing nights, which are every Monday, are open to any car. It is a BD5 ticket for the whole night. The idea is to encourage people to come on the tracks and it has been very popular. We’ve had on an average 80 to 90 cars coming in every Monday night. The same goes with the drifting element in the parking lot outside. George: Sh Salman, the Bahrain International Karting Circuit has been responsible for developing lots of motorsport interest among young Bahrainis. How have you dealt with that? Sh Salman: We’re very happy that the karting circuit was built and has been generating the drivers that’ll hopefully be our future racers. As a grassroots level of racing, that is probably the most important to grow and foster, so you have a proper base in motorsport. We’ve have over 60.000 people coming through the doors of the circuit. And from there we’ve started championships, races; people come in and learn race craft and engineering. George: Can you single out a particular individual who’s sort of poised for greatness? Sh Salman: There’s HH Shaikh Abdula Bin Hamed’s son Isa, who’s now racing in the KF Championship in Europe. We’ve had Adeeb Kuzbar along with many other racers; even the Batelco karting team is great. George: I think your son is also a bit of a racer too. Does he really beat you nowadays? Sh Salman: I was waiting for that. Has he beaten me? Yes! Does he beat me these days? There are always more races to be had! George: Shaikh, the 4X4 track at the BIC has proved to be hugely popular. What do you think has led to its popularity? Sh Salman: The purpose of the track is to drive around easy and let the car do the work. The idea is to utilise the technology of the machine. Let me give you an example of how you can go down the slope without touching the breaks. The All-New Range Rover Sport is now available from Euro Motors, the exclusive distributor for Jaguar Land Rover in the Kingdom. BLIPP THIS PAGE TO: WATCH THE BACKSEAT CHAT VIDEO WITH SH SALMAN BIN ISA AL KHALIFA DRIVE WITH SH SALMAN AROUND THE BIC 4X4 TRACK EXPLORE THE ALL-NEW RANGE ROVER SPORT WATCH A VIDEO OF THE TECHNOLOGY BEHIND THE ALL-NEW RANGE ROVER SPORT CONTACT EURO MOTORS
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