Bahrain's Circuit is ahead of schedule.

[Bostik]

Gulf Daily News - 24th Feb.
BAHRAIN'S Formula One racetrack in Sakhir will be ready ahead of schedule, it was declared yesterday.

The BD56.2 million Bahrain International Circuit will be ready on March 5.This is two days before its actual deadline, said Works and Housing Minister Fahmi Al Jowder."The circuit is in its final stages and all that it is left to do is the third layer of the track," he said.

More than 100,000 visitors are expected in the country for the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, to be held from April 2 to 4.
Bahrain's infrastructure will be ready to cope, said Mr Al Jowder. "We have many complementary projects which will help in the operation of the circuit," he said.

"A new road which will take people straight away through Hamad Town to the circuit will also be ready for the event, in addition to renovations to existing roads."

Main contractor for the circuit, Cebarco Bahrain, will use these two days ahead of the deadline to clean up the track.

The company has proved wrong those sceptics who thought it would not be ready in time, said company chairman and chief executive officer Khalid Abdul Rahim.

"We have worked very hard to ensure that the project is ready on time and is up to the government and people's expectations," he said.

Mr Al Jowder and Mr Abdul Rahim were speaking at a one-day seminar entitled Building A Better Future, at the Diplomat Radisson SAS Hotel.

The seminar focused on culture change in construction relationships, construction dispute resolution and critical success factors of joint venture companies.

It was led by Glasgow Caledonian University's School of the Built and Natural Environment dean Professor Cliff Hardcastle, school associate dean Peter Kennedy and Nottingham Trent University researcher Hamimah Adnan.

[Sodemo]

2 days before the deadline?
Hmm, and thats what they call "well ahead of schedule"?
Reminds me of when I used to have a piece of coursework to do within a semester (15 weeks) and i'd start it in the final week, and be up all night until 3 finishing it.

[twig]

Amazing how after so many many days and weeks and months it took to make it, it was finished within 2 days of its expected date.

And i think everyone at school is the same as you The Monster

[DriverT]

And what if they don't make it?

[Bostik]

Unlike you, Monster, they didn't wait until the very last moment to do the work!
They started it on schedule on November 8th 2002, stayed ahead of schedule, and it will finish ahead of schedule.
The man behind this brilliant piece of professionalism is Project Manager, Gordon Calder.

[twig]

meh...i still think they could have started a few weeks ago and they would have been right.

[Bostik]

.........and they've even found time to slip an International Rally in too!

MANAMA (Bahrain): The Bahrain Motor Federation (BMF) today (23/2/04)announced plans for the forthcoming Bahrain International Rally, which will be held on March 11-12th, 2004.

The rally is the second of eight rounds of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship and takes place a mere three weeks before the Kingdom of Bahrain hosts a round of the prestigious FIA F1 World Championship at the new Sakhir race circuit for the first time.

"These are unbelievably busy times for motorsport in Bahrain," admitted Sheikh Tariq Bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Motor Federation. "It is the busiest time in our history. Everyone here is so
excited about the Grand Prix in April, but we mustn't lose sight of other motorsporting disciplines and we have a strong background of running first class international rallies on the island."

The Bahrain International Rally returned to the regional series in 2000 and was voted the most popular round of the championship in only its second year. The event will feature a pair of new special stages in a two-day
route, which offers 18 timed sections.

"We will run a brand new stage at Zayed town, near Manama," said Clerk of the Course Elie Semaan, who was the Chairman of the Stewards for the first time on the recent Qatar International Rally. "There will also be a stage
very close to the new race circuit. This will start by the Sakhir circuit's perimeter fence and finish close to the nearby airstrip.

"The stages are twisty, quite technical and should offer a good challenge for drivers. We will take advantage of the new GPS tracking system, which was introduced on rounds of the FIA Middle East Championship at the start of the season. This should alleviate the possibility of individuals
straying off the designated rally route."

The BMF will also benefit from a 500-strong team of fully-trained marshals. They will assist with the running of the special stage event. "We have been busily training our team ready for the Grand Prix and instructors have been flown in from Australia to support our preparations for the next six
weeks," added Semaan.

[Smokey 6 litre]

its good that its ahead of schedule, although i still think ti would have been better to have its first F1 race in 2005, giving time for other series to lay rubber down on the track and for marshalls and officials to get used to the track.

[Bostik]

Bahrain originally planned to run its first GP in October 2004 - but Bernie persuaded them that as it was going to be an early GP (following logically on from the trip back from Oz and Sepang) they would need to avoid the serious problem this caused Malaysia when they ran their first two GPs only 6 months apart.
So - they decided to take the risk and go for the 04/04/04.
Pretty brave if you ask me!
Malaysia has since recovered and is going well now - race day attendance at 101,485 is now higher than Silverstone!

[DriverT]

That's because they have much bigger grandstands.

[cos]

What happened to the Euro F3000 opener which was going to take place at Bahrain?

[Rennen]

Doh!

[Mal]

Well I hope it all goes to plan as I will be there!

[Sodemo]

Apparently the F3000 opener has been scrapped.

[cos]

It was canned because the circuit would not have been ready... so much for good planning.

[Jukebox]

what a waste...

[Bostik]

Was it ever really on?
I mentiomed this to Hans Geist the week after F3000 announced in Autosport that they were going to open in Bahrain (November 6th?) - and he looked quite surprised - and he was not aware of any such plan.
Also strange really as the Bahrain contractors (Cybarco) have been ahead of schedule all the way through, and clearly still are - especially now with the announcement that they are handing it over two days early (clearly to demonstrate what they have achieved for Bahrain).
My guess is that there are other factors at work here.

[bahraini spirit]

ive never heard of a plan for F3000, so am not quite sure if it was supposed to happen before the f1 race.

[gttouring]

i hope the track won't be too slick when the cars get there...could be scary.
and a rally - why don't they run through the track as well, to rub some into it. some more reconnaisance laps by some club cars or touring or something should be done the two days before the F1 race, it should be worn in a bit.