Sakhir:Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) launched the 2026/2027 Bahrain Rotax MAX Challenge (BRMC) season with an exhilarating opening round at the Bahrain International Karting Circuit (BIKC).
According to Bahrain News Agency, the event, held under lights at BIKC, saw three defending champions secure victories in the five competition categories. Rayyan Najjar, last season's Mini MAX titleholder, triumphed in the Junior MAX class. Demir Abali defended his Senior MAX champion title, while Rakan Alfayez won in the DD2 MAX category.
Sami Albandak and Abdulaziz Alsarraf also claimed victories in the Micro MAX and Mini MAX divisions, respectively. The BRMC's curtain-raiser was organized by BIC and BIKC in cooperation with the Bahrain Motor Federation and the Bahrain Karting Commission.
The event featured intense wheel-to-wheel battles on BIKC's 1.414-kilometre CIK-FIA track. In the Micro MAX category, Albandak dominated all the sessions, winning the final with a time of 9mins 20.734secs, finishing ahead of runner-up Henry Toon. In the Mini MAX class, Alsarraf took the top spot in the final with a time of 8mins 56.961secs, narrowly beating Enzo Younes by 0.614s.
The Junior MAX division witnessed different leaders in initial sessions, but Najjar secured victory in the final with a time of 13mins 56.409secs. In the Senior MAX class, Abali maintained his champion status with a final race win time of 13mins 31.674secs. Alfayez completed the winning set in DD2 MAX, with a final time of 13mins 20.798secs.
The championship's 2026/2027 calendar includes eight events, concluding in February. The next round is scheduled for October 23, with subsequent rounds continuing through early 2027. For more details, visit bahraingp.com or contact the BIC Hotline.