MANAMA, 23 November 2004 — Former Formula One driver Karl Wendlinger and David Brabham, son of three-time F-1 champion Sir Jack Brabham, will be the star attractions at the two-day Bahrain Grand Touring (GT) Festival to be held on Nov. 25-26 at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Australian Brabham, 39, was the F-1 test driver with Footwork Team and a F-1 driver with Simtek Team.
“The Bahrain GT Festival is a brand new race and I am looking forward to it. The track itself looks amazing; it’s big, wide and fast. It’s going to be a massive race,” said Brabham.
Austrian Wendlinger, 35, raced for the Sauber team in the early 90s and survived a horrendous accident during the Monaco GP in 1994.
“I am really looking forward to racing here and it should be a fantastic race for the spectators,” said Wendlinger who was at the BIC in October.
“I was hugely impressed with the BIC.”
Over 70 cars from the most rich and famous sports car families will be seen in action during the two-day event held at the $150 million desert circuit. Some of the famous cars on view will include Chrysler Viper GTS, Saleen S7-R, Ferrari 575 M Maranello, Ferrari 550 Maranello, Ferrari 360 Modena, Porsche 996 GT3RS and Porsche 996 GT3 Cup.
The leading teams in the fray include Force One Racing, Graham Nash Motorsport, JMB Racing, Coopers Racing, Konrad Motosport, Larbre Competition and Proton Racing.
GT racing takes the world’s most glamorous cars, made by the likes of Ferrari and Porsche, and turn them into lightweight racing machines that are even faster and louder than their road-run counterparts.
GT cars can have a fixed or open roof, but must contain a minimum of two side-by-side seats. The maximum permissible engine capacity of supercharged engines is four liters; no size limit is prescribed for normally-aspirated engines, but the bigger they are, the more the car’s handling and agility will be dulled by their weight.
Some GT drivers are extending their careers after their time in Formula One, others are young tigers, who are eager to show they can match the speed of the established stars.
The speed differential between cars and drivers can be great. The best GT drivers are efficient at working their way through slower traffic, are gentle on their machines and are capable of going consistently fast lap after lap.
Two or three drivers take it in turns behind the wheel of each car in GT races and the rules forbid any one driver from completing more than 55 percent of the total race distance without a one-hour break.
Tickets for the event are being sold at outlets in the Bahrain International Airport, Dana Mall, Seef Mall, via their website www.bahraingp.com and call center 00973 17450000.
