Difference between revisions of "Bahrain International Circuit"
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Revision as of 12:33, 15 November 2005
Template:F1 circuit The Bahrain International Circuit was the venue for the inaugural Bahrain Grand Prix in 2004.
The construction of the Bahrain circuit was a national objective for Bahrain, initiated by His Highness the Crown Prince, Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. The Crown Prince is a motor sport enthusiast and the Honorary President of the Bahrain Motor Federation.
Race organisers were worried that the circuit wouldn't be complete in time, and asked for the inaugural Bahrain Grand Prix to take place in 2005 instead. However, Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone refused this request. In the end, the circuit was not quite fully complete, but was good enough for the grand prix to go ahead.
The circuit posed a unique problem. Positioned in the middle of a desert, there were worries that sand would blow onto the circuit and disrupt the race. However, organisers were able to keep the sand off the track by spraying an adhesive on the sand around the track.
The circuit was designed by German architect Hermann Tilke and cost approximately US$150 million to construct.
Facilities
There are six different tracks.
- Grand Prix track (pictured above)
- Inner track (the middle section of the track - turns 5 to 12 of the main circuit with a complex of corners joining turns 5 and 12)
- Outer track (the entire track, but bypassing turns 5 to 12)
- Paddock track (turns 4 through to 9 are removed)
- Drag Strip (ran on the straight over a quatre of a mile with shutdown area)
- Oval track