Zayed Rashid Alzayani, chairman of the Bahrain International Circuit which holds the Bahrain Grand Prix, told The Associated Press that the Gulf country was ready to “hold the race today.” Alzayani said he was hopeful it will be held in October or November to coincide with the Abu Dhabi GP on Nov. 13.

It was the first time Bahrain has formally said its Bahrain Motor Federation has proposed rescheduling the March race, which was canceled by Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa over anti-government protest that have left 30 dead.

“We feel we are in position to have that event back,” Alzayani said. “Things have calmed down tremendously in Bahrain. Life is back to normal. We are happy to have the race anytime really.” The decision on whether the race goes ahead, and when, will be made during Friday's World Motor Sport Council meeting in Barcelona.

Alzayani argued that rescheduling the race would bolster spirits of Bahrainis and give its battered economy a boost.

He estimated the race alone could infuse $500 million into the country and “could be a nice catalyst to re-ignite the economy.” “We went through a rough patch and we need nice moments in our history now for the nation,” Alzayani said.

“Formula One has always been a time where Bahrain showcases itself to the world not only as a sports arena but as society, a community that Bahrain as a nation has to offer. Formula One can bring back joy to the country.” F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has led the campaign to reschedule the race but doing so has angered some local and international rights groups. The New York-based Human Rights Watch sent a letter last week to the FIA and the Formula One Teams Association asking for them to take into account the abuses of anti-government protesters when making their decision.

“Sadly, serious violations like arbitrary arrest, incommunicado detention, and alleged torture by Bahraini authorities predate the imposition of martial law in mid-March,” said Tom Porteous, deputy program director at Human Rights Watch. “There is little reason to think that ending martial law on June 1 will make much difference in Bahrain's menacing human rights climate.” Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, said on Tuesday his group opposes rescheduling the race because of what he said the government's ongoing crackdown which has included arbitrary detentions and torture of Shiite protesters. All segments of society have been targeted, he said, including at least 29 employees of the race circuit, who were detained for taking part in the protest that kicked off in February.

“Bahrain has had a bloody crackdown where we lost a lot of lives and we see Formula One coming without taking into consideration this misery and sadness,” Rajab said. “It's not a good message to the human rights defenders and reformists in Bahrain.” Alzayani acknowledged that 24 of his 108 employees were detained. But he insisted the circuit is above politics and does not discriminate based on religion or sect.

“There were some employees detained but they were not all Shiites. Some where Sunnis,” he said.

“We still have employees working who are Shiite, Sunnis and Christians. We never looked at race or sect thing. We look at productivity and loyalty to the job. They weren't detained because they were Shiite but because they had cases against them. Some have been released. Some are still under dentition.”