If the enthusiasm of Sheik Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa is anything to go by, the grandstands for the first two FIA World Endurance Championship races at Bahrain should have been full. The sheik, who is chief executive of the Bahrain International Circuit, believes that there is more to his track than just a yearly Formula One Grand Prix and that sportscar racing is an important part of the mix that must be encouraged.
He cites the case of the failure of the Istanbul Park Circuit which was very much dependent on the Turkish Grand Prix, a race that has not been held since 2011. The sheik wants to continue running a WEC round at Bahrain after the end of a three season contract that expires after this year. However, while a presence in the race might appeal to a manufacturer such as Aston Martin wishing to sell prestige cars in the Gulf states, spectator interest up to this point has been decidedly limited.
Given a sad lack of sizeable fan support for the WEC anywhere outside of Le Mans, this is perhaps not surprising. However, the sheik would like to do something about it, indeed lead the way. For example, he sees a policy of education, even taking the sport into the schools as important. Other sports in other countries do this effectively, What is it the Jesuits say? Give me a child and we will give you then man. However, it is not just a matter of indoctrination, the BIC is involved in the FIA’s road safety initiative with a programme that promotes such as the awareness of child safety and the use of child seats.
He also realises that the lower ranks of the sport need to be built up in Bahrain, leading to drivers and teams who can provide local interest in the WEC itself.
In a world obsessed with Formula One, Sheik Salman realises that there is far more to the sport and it is by appreciating this that he is most likely to succeed. Sportscar racing is just part of the mix. The sheik points to drag racing as having massive potential. The Bahrain strip has been built to FIA international standards and has already proved that it is not only Formula One that can attract the crowds to the BIC. Perhaps not one for the purists, but the BIC also hosts the modern pastime of drifting.
Sportscar enthusiasts should also take comfort when Sheik Salman points out that he has raced such cars himself, mainly Porsches in such as the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup and Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East. He has also competed in 24-hour races, which leads to an interesting comment. ‘I originally wanted the race to be longer than six hours,’ he says about the early discussions that led to a WEC round being held in Bahrain. He fully understands that the WEC is based on the idea of one, flagship 24-hour race plus a number of six hour events, accepting this fact if he wants his track to be included. However, he also knows his motorsport history and that individual races that have stood out from the championships, such as the 12 Hours of Sebring or the Daytona 24-hours, have tended to be longer events. Being interviewed at the Autosport International Show as practice took place for the Dubai 24-hours, he did appear slightly wistful. Given the chance, one feels that he would still like his flagship endurance race to be longer if, at some stage in the future, the championship rules allow it.
There is also the fact that he wants the BIC, which was the first in the region to hold a Formula One race, to be ‘the home of motorsport in the Middle East’. As such he plans it to be a catalyst for a whole, Bahrain-based industry that could support motor racing in the area, perhaps something akin to the way Britain’s motor sport valley grew up to support the garagistes. He also realises that it is not enough just to expect vehicle manufactures to turn up at WEC event because the region is a target area for their products. The circuit organisation needs to assist the manufacturers in marketing their products regionally if it wishes them to support a continued presence at the track.
When the circuit was initially opened, the sheik and his team examined a variety of formulae outside Formula One and, in fact, has ran V8 Supercars and the FIA GT Championship in the past. However, he realises the need for local driver involvement and the overall programme is set up to encourage that; from karting, with free to view local races as well as World Championship events, upwards. The Circuit Racing Club of Bahrain regularly holds national-level events. Its own touring car series, the eight round BIC 2,000cc Challenge may still indicate that there is plenty of progress still to be made, with limited and unreliable fields but, as Sheik Salman points out, motor racing in Bahrain is still in its infancy. Perhaps it should not be judged by comparison with countries that have been involved for over a century.
When the original European Le Mans championship was first mooted it was going to be for races at ‘classic’ tracks. The WEC does not follow that principle with circuits steeped in endurance history, such as Monza and the Nürburgring, notable by their absence. However, it cannot just rely on being simply global and will start to lose some of its significance if it continues to play to limited crowds (although one might cynically observe that in this Formula One, television-dominated world this is the way motor sport is heading). Sheik Salman seems to realise this. He talks of his ‘passion’ for the sport and his desire to create a motorsport community in Bahrain. The kingdom has a population of just one million; success may depend on how many he can infect with his undoubted enthusiasm.
Sheik Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa was talking to Ian Wagstaff
