Unstopabulls Top Series Leader Board
Khalid Al-Thahranee of the Bahrain Motor Federation (BMF) racing team took his first win of the MINI Challenge, the Middle East's first one make car series, by racing to victory in the 'Seef Sprints' event held at a special track at the Seef Mall.
A new addition to the calendar, the event was a break away from typical circuit racing and was designed to offer a different forum for the teams to compete. Drivers had three attempts to set the fastest lap in individual sprint races around a tightly wound track.
In the fourth race of the now eight-round challenge, organised by Euro Motors - the exclusive importer for MINI in the Kingdom - Al-Thahranee finished ahead of Fahad Al Mussalam of HH Shaikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Khalifa's 'The Unstoppabulls' Racing Team, and KSA racing's Khalid Al-Faisal, whose times placed them in second and third places respectively.
"By adding a different element to the MINI Challenge Series, we were able to 'mix up' the event and allow others to excel who perhaps hadn't in previous races at the Bahrain International Circuit," said Nawaf Al Zayani, Deputy Managing Director, Euro Motors. "The fundamentals of this race series are to promote the use of safe and responsible driving and we need to get that message across to as many people as possible.
"The Seef Mall was the perfect place to stage the races as it is accessible to everyone."
Al Musalam now leads the series on 73 points with Al-Faisal trailing by two, both having received their third podium finish of the series. Castrol's Ali Al-Kobaisi falls to joint third with Ebrahim Kanoo of Al Ayam, who just missed out on a top three placing in the 'Seef Sprints'.
The event was organised by Euro Motors and held in conjunction with the Bahrain Motor Federation. It featured 14 Mini Cooper Club Sport cars, each sponsored by local companies, with identical specifications and engine capacity.
The 'MINI Cooper Club Sport' Edition, a modified racing version of the MINI Cooper, features a fully FIA-approved roll cage, a racing seat with five point racing harness, a fire extinguisher and both external and internal electronic and fuel safety cut-off switches. The car also comes with up-rated brakes, lowered and stiffened suspension with up-rated dampers and springs to ensure optimum handling under both road and race conditions.
The 'MINI Cooper Club Sport' is converted by the renowned John Cooper Garages in the UK, which have over 40 years of motorsport experience. Featuring a standard 115 bhp MINI Cooper, 4-cylinder engine with 1.6 litre displacement, the conversion has been designed to be a dual-purpose car satisfying requirements of both daily road use and competitive motorsports.
The participating teams are (in given numbers order) 1. Unstoppabulls, 2. Intercol, 3. Al Ayam Al Riadi, 4. Total Floor Solutions, 5. NoNoo Exchange, 6. Castrol, 7. AFI, 8. DHL, 9.GOYS 10. BMF, 11. National Car Rental, 12. KSA Racing, 13. Al Wardi Group, 14. Bison Energy Drink Racing Team.
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History of the 'MINI Challenge'
Back in the hay days of motor racing, in the 50's and 60's, many privately owned Cooper racing cars competing in Formula One were driven by self-funded independents knows as "privateers".
The late John Cooper, racer and owner of Cooper Car company which later became the John Cooper Works brand name and company worked in the mid 50's to develop this concept and take it further into the future.
He created with his team the rear-engine Formula 2 car with a large 2-liter engine. The Cooper Car Company won consecutive F1 Constructors World Championships in 1959 and 1960 with drivers, Jack Brabham and Bruce McLaren.
In the 60's and 70's privateers were racing with MINI Coopers designed by John Cooper Works. From there the work continued and in the 1990's John Cooper Works was asked to work on the new MINI project, which would ultimately replace the classic car and carry the Cooper brand into the Millennium. John Cooper Works decided to commence work on production of an engine conversion and chassis enhancements for the new MINI Cooper.
Michael Cooper conceived the idea of the 'MINI Challenge' in memory of his father John, a one-make challenge series placing the Cooper name firmly back on the motor sport calendar.
For further information, please contact:
Sam Dulka,
Action Bahrain
Tel: +973 3 996 8806;
Email: sam.d@actionprgroup.com
© Press Release 2004
