Start your engines!

Round five of National Race Day is back on this weekend, giving motorheads two of the island’s premier local racing series.

The Bahrain Touring Car Challenge (BTCC) and the Bahrain Motorcycle Championship (BMC) are both set to hit the track in Sakhir and action will be held along BIC’s 2.55-kilometre Inner Track from 9am onwards.

National Race Day is organised and run by BIC, in cooperation with the Bahrain Motor Federation, the Circuit Racing Commission, the Bahrain Motorcycle Commission, and the Motorsport Marshals Club.

The BTCC is the region’s longest-running national circuit racing championship, and it continues its legacy this season in its current format. It was formerly known as the BIC, 2,000cc Challenge.

Moaaz Elzahrawi clinched a fantastic double behind the wheel of his Honda Civic in the series’ previous round, and he will be looking to repeat that success this Saturday.
 
Elzahrawi will be up against Andreas Buelow, Wiebke Buelow, Ali Baqer, Hamad Khamis, and Isa Ebrahim, all of whom will also be in Civics, along with the Radio Bahrain entrant in a Honda Integra.

Saturday’s events in the BTCC will feature a practice session, to be followed by qualifying and then two races.

Meanwhile, the BMC will see a large group of 18 riders battling it out in the championship's two categories – the 600cc and 1,000cc.

Mohamad Alzaidan took the overall and 600cc victories in the last round, while Nawaf Al Shuaibi won in the 1,000cc category.

Alzaidan is back in his Kawasaki ZX6 bike this weekend, and in his class will be up against Shaikh Khalid Al Khalifa and Mohamed Al Sadiq in Triumph Daytonas, Nasser Al Khadra and Saif Al Buainain in Yamaha R6 bikes, Ali Bu Sahri and Abdulrahman Ahmed in a pair of Honda CBR600RR contenders, Achraf Hamoud in a Suzuki GSXR600, and Faisal Bader in a Honda CBR600.

Amongst the 1,000cc competitors, Al Shuaibi is returning in his Honda CPR 100 RR. He will be going wheel-to-wheel against Hassan Al Awadhi and Mujahed Alkhashram in a pair of Yamaha R1 bikes, Bander Bahlul in a BMW 10004R, Fahed Al Hashash in a Suzuki GSXR, Saud Al Toura and Abdulrahman Al Tayeb in BMW S 1000RR contenders, Bradley Stewart in a Ducati 848 Evo, and Fahad Algosaibi in a BMW 1000RR.

The BMC schedule will consist of a practice and qualifying session, followed by a single race.
After all the action, the podium ceremonies will take place for both series.
  
All are welcome to attend, with tickets priced at BD2 for adults and BD1 for children.

They can be purchased online at bahraingp.com, by calling the BIC Hotline on 17450000, or at the gate.

For more information on National Race Day or other events, follow BIC's official social media accounts.