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The 3rd Bahrain International Motorshow is going on in Bahrain for three days (3rd to 5th November, 2011). I was lazy initially to attend, but a few friends were ready to tag along, given them we would go for a go-karting session after that.
The Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) has been news recently, for all the bad reasons. The Formula 1 race, known to bring the deep-pocketed people of the Gulf and beyond to Bahrain, got cancelled this year due to the widespread riots and drivers refusing to participate in the event. We got our tickets refunded, and later in the year, India got to experience the thrill of the stands as the thundering roars of the cars sped through the laps.
The International Motorshow brought back crowds to the BIC after a long pause. The three-day event was primarily a showcase for car manufacturers to attract new customers. A host of companies from around the globe participated in the event, optimistic of digging into the riches of the small Gulf country. One can count on premium cars to attract onlooker, and some potential buys too in Bahrain. Along with the manufacturers, were also a couple of stall for performance shops, where they had heavily souped versions of some of the best production cars in the world. Many drag-spec cars showcased in the show had a few serious enthusiasts looking into the hood and mumbling among themselves. The stalls that attracted the most attention were, of course, Porsche, Ferrari, Maserati and Audi; the least crowd being with KIA, Volvo, Renault and other commuter-oriented brands. The Audi stand had a considerable line in front of it, since they were giving passenger ride on-board an Audi R8, on the F1 track!! One of my colleagues was lucky enough to get the chance, and swore that we should try for getting one as well. The displays were put in the garages beside the pit lane, so many onlooker would run across the pit lane to get a look at the F1 track.
The most interesting display for me was of course the Triumph and Victory motorcycles. The humongous Rocket III at the entrance was the crowd-drawer; every guy passing by wanted to swing a leg over it and capture it on camera. So did I! Inside was an array of the best of Triumph classics and street-fighters. And the star of the show was the pearl-white 2012 Daytona 675, the single unit in Bahrain. I was enticed enough to try the riding posture and chat up with the salesperson. Too bad I am moving around a lot these days to own a bike and maintain it well
. I was so in love with the Speed/Street Triples that I completely missed the Victory motorcycles on display. And yes, there was a Bonneville and a Thurxton as well.
The events at the BIC were the major crowd drawers. A large area had been fenced at a corner, where one could see a monster truck along with a pile of scrap cars. It wouldn't take a genius to know what that meant! People started gathering around the enclosure as time came near the show. The first show was a car stunt session by Terry Grant on a 1937 Ford Sedan! The car looked like a vintage, until Terry took to the wheels and started spinning it around like there's no end. He went on to display amazing control of the car, doing wheel-spins, doughnuts (unmanned ones too!!) and all crazy sorts like riding on roof, clinging onto bonnets, riding without the steering wheel.
Next in queue was the motorcycle stunt show. Oh what a treat! The three riders entertained the crowd with an endless show of wheelies, stoppies, rolling stoppies, flamingos, high chair wheelies, wheel skids, and every trick in the stunters' manual. One of the stunters was a winner in a competition held earlier this year. The bikes were fitted with all the tools of the trade, viz stunt cages, handbrakes, 12 o' clock bars, lightened front-ends, etc. The 30-minute show rekindled my interest in stunting, that I was doing during my Bhubaneshwar days on my CBZ.
A stone's throw away was a tent, where a host of classics and moderns were housed. I sneaked away before the end of the bike stunt event to take a look and saw some amazingly good cars, including a street legal Porsche 911 GT-1, a CLK-GTR, a classic Corvette and a replica of the Shelby GT-500 driven by Nick Cage in Gone in 60 Seconds, and many others. Too bad I was not carrying a wide lens to capture the cars properly. Hearing some intensely high revs, I forced myself out of the tent and back to the show area, where the monster truck was being warmed up for action! The driver did a few deafening revs to the truck, then proceeded towards the dirt mound before the cars lineup to measure his line. The ACTUAL roar came after he backed up and gunned the engine, causing gaping mouths as the colossal vehicle jumped in the air and came down upon the rusting cars. Each jump was wonderfully amazing, and frightening at the same time. In just five jumps, the cars were squashed beyond recognition. The driver came out and bowed away before leaving the arena.
The last performance was a live musical event, which, after a minute of listing, I came to believe was a ruse to drive people away before the next set of events started. We took another round of the cars' showcase and then hurried off to the go-karting circuit, where my friends raced on the tiny machines as I enjoyed a glass of Mocha Ice Coffee.
Note: Photos coming up next
The 3rd Bahrain International Motorshow is going on in Bahrain for three days (3rd to 5th November, 2011). I was lazy initially to attend, but a few friends were ready to tag along, given them we would go for a go-karting session after that.
The Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) has been news recently, for all the bad reasons. The Formula 1 race, known to bring the deep-pocketed people of the Gulf and beyond to Bahrain, got cancelled this year due to the widespread riots and drivers refusing to participate in the event. We got our tickets refunded, and later in the year, India got to experience the thrill of the stands as the thundering roars of the cars sped through the laps.
The International Motorshow brought back crowds to the BIC after a long pause. The three-day event was primarily a showcase for car manufacturers to attract new customers. A host of companies from around the globe participated in the event, optimistic of digging into the riches of the small Gulf country. One can count on premium cars to attract onlooker, and some potential buys too in Bahrain. Along with the manufacturers, were also a couple of stall for performance shops, where they had heavily souped versions of some of the best production cars in the world. Many drag-spec cars showcased in the show had a few serious enthusiasts looking into the hood and mumbling among themselves. The stalls that attracted the most attention were, of course, Porsche, Ferrari, Maserati and Audi; the least crowd being with KIA, Volvo, Renault and other commuter-oriented brands. The Audi stand had a considerable line in front of it, since they were giving passenger ride on-board an Audi R8, on the F1 track!! One of my colleagues was lucky enough to get the chance, and swore that we should try for getting one as well. The displays were put in the garages beside the pit lane, so many onlooker would run across the pit lane to get a look at the F1 track.
The most interesting display for me was of course the Triumph and Victory motorcycles. The humongous Rocket III at the entrance was the crowd-drawer; every guy passing by wanted to swing a leg over it and capture it on camera. So did I! Inside was an array of the best of Triumph classics and street-fighters. And the star of the show was the pearl-white 2012 Daytona 675, the single unit in Bahrain. I was enticed enough to try the riding posture and chat up with the salesperson. Too bad I am moving around a lot these days to own a bike and maintain it well
. I was so in love with the Speed/Street Triples that I completely missed the Victory motorcycles on display. And yes, there was a Bonneville and a Thurxton as well.The events at the BIC were the major crowd drawers. A large area had been fenced at a corner, where one could see a monster truck along with a pile of scrap cars. It wouldn't take a genius to know what that meant! People started gathering around the enclosure as time came near the show. The first show was a car stunt session by Terry Grant on a 1937 Ford Sedan! The car looked like a vintage, until Terry took to the wheels and started spinning it around like there's no end. He went on to display amazing control of the car, doing wheel-spins, doughnuts (unmanned ones too!!) and all crazy sorts like riding on roof, clinging onto bonnets, riding without the steering wheel.
Next in queue was the motorcycle stunt show. Oh what a treat! The three riders entertained the crowd with an endless show of wheelies, stoppies, rolling stoppies, flamingos, high chair wheelies, wheel skids, and every trick in the stunters' manual. One of the stunters was a winner in a competition held earlier this year. The bikes were fitted with all the tools of the trade, viz stunt cages, handbrakes, 12 o' clock bars, lightened front-ends, etc. The 30-minute show rekindled my interest in stunting, that I was doing during my Bhubaneshwar days on my CBZ.
A stone's throw away was a tent, where a host of classics and moderns were housed. I sneaked away before the end of the bike stunt event to take a look and saw some amazingly good cars, including a street legal Porsche 911 GT-1, a CLK-GTR, a classic Corvette and a replica of the Shelby GT-500 driven by Nick Cage in Gone in 60 Seconds, and many others. Too bad I was not carrying a wide lens to capture the cars properly
. Hearing some intensely high revs, I forced myself out of the tent and back to the show area, where the monster truck was being warmed up for action! The driver did a few deafening revs to the truck, then proceeded towards the dirt mound before the cars lineup to measure his line. The ACTUAL roar came after he backed up and gunned the engine, causing gaping mouths as the colossal vehicle jumped in the air and came down upon the rusting cars. Each jump was wonderfully amazing, and frightening at the same time. In just five jumps, the cars were squashed beyond recognition. The driver came out and bowed away before leaving the arena.The last performance was a live musical event, which, after a minute of listing, I came to believe was a ruse to drive people away before the next set of events started. We took another round of the cars' showcase and then hurried off to the go-karting circuit, where my friends raced on the tiny machines as I enjoyed a glass of Mocha Ice Coffee.
Note: Photos coming up next
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