The Egyptian champion Ahmed Hamada proved highly competitive in the first round of Lumina (CSV) Middle East Championship, which was sponsored by the Egypt Racing Team-Gulf Agency.

Hamada grasped attention when he finished third in the first round of the competition that came as a supporting race to the Desert 400 race for the Australian V8 Supercars Champion Series, at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Engineer Kotb Soliman waving the flag to end the race.

The Egyptian team surprised the crowd in the qualifying session to the first race of the first round winning first place, scoring 1: 41: 5807. Hamada beat the Saudi Abdul Aziz Al-Yaeish, who finished second by 0: 00: 3660. The competition was fierce, with a difference in timing among the first ten competitors ranging between 0: 00: 3660 and 0: 00: 9894.

Hamada also achieved the highest score in the race, 1: 41: 9472 . 

The Egyptian driver, Hamada had ahead start in the first race and although he kept his place in the first curve, after making a strong effort in the qualifying session, the Saudi El-Yaeish, driver of team P1-AFR managed to maneuver and took the lead.

At the same time Fahd El-Muslim, driver of team Likner Raisng Bahrain succeeded in passing Tarek El-Gammal, driver of Castrol Raisng Team, and took second place after surpassing Hamada.  

As the Dutch driver Yab Vandergar of AFI car's was hit and he had to pull over, Hamada, who was fourth, had a great chance to fight for his ranking and forcefully managed to beat El-Gammal in the fifth lap to win third place. The competition between Al-Muslim and El-Yaeish was as strong, with a difference of two seconds between both.

While the first race was heating up, as the lead turned into a thrilling chase between Hamada, El-Muslim and Al-Yaeish, eyes were also on the last cars with Emirati Marwa Al-Eifa, who was ahead of the Saudi driver Hamad El-Saleh. However at the end, El-Saleh managed to beat El-Eifa, the only female driver among 18 male competitors.

Despite Hamada's effort to surpass El-Muslim, he made a mistake in the tenth lap when he gave El-Muslim a chance to widen the gap, allowing the Bahraini driver to stay second after El-Yaeish, the runner-up of last year's championship. As Hamada came third, the holder of last year's title, bizarrely, took the eighth place.

He was surpassed by Sherif El-Sakaf of the Egyptian team RFC, who finished fourth, Sheikh Hamad Ben Eissa Ben Ibrahim Al-Khalifa of Peak Performance, who finished fifth, Saudi Fawaz El-Kebesi of El-Kebesi team, who finished sixth and his Saudi counterpart Fahd Hazam of P1-AFR, who finished seventh. The Austrian Helmot Flishman of Likner Raisng Bahrain took the ninth place, followed by Christophe Marriot of the French team.

At the eleventh place came the Bahraini Adel Shagi of National Motors Team, followed by Saudi Bandar El-Salmi, driver of Balid Raisng Team, and at the thirteenth place came his counterpart Ahmed El-Saleh. The female driver, Marwa El-Eifa managed to take the fourteenth place, as the Dutch Yab Fandergar finished last due to his withdrawal from the race.

Despite coming third in the first race, Hamada finished with the highest score of the race, 01: 41: 9472.

The second race was even more exciting as the drivers switched their places on the start line. According to the rules of the championship, the driver who won first place in race one has to start from the seventh place, the second from the sixth place until the seventh driver starts off from the first place.

Due to that, the Saudi Fahd Hazam got lucky, but still his counterpart, the Saudi Fawaz El-Kesebi managed to surpass him.  

Hamada coming out of the pits.

The first lap also witnessed the sliding of Sheikh Hamad Ben Eissa's car, but while everyone thought he was out of the race, he proved them wrong and came back to give a special and unique performance that made him come fourth.

The surprise was when Hamada, who finished third in the first race, had to pull over, as he lost the back left tire and with it lost the chance to compete in the second race.

The Saudi Fawaz El-Kebesi managed to take the lead only for four laps, as Fahd El-Muslim surpassed the other drivers from the sixth place, in addition to Tarek El-Gammal, the holder of last year's title, who was trying to make up for his retreat in the first race.

Also the Saudi El-Yaeish scored the highest in the fourth lap and passed El-Kebesi. At the same time El-Gammal was seriously competing, reaching third place, right behind Fahd El-Muslim who took the lead of El-Yaeish and therefore El-Kebesi came fourth. 

As El-Muslim was highly performing, the other drivers pushed their limits and El-Yeish scored 01: 42: 2400, the highest in the sixth lap, yet still not surpassing El-Muslim. Meanwhile El-Gammal was doing his best chasing both drivers but El-Muslim scored 1: 42: 1699, the highest score in the ninth lap.

At the same time Sheikh Hamad Ben Eissa was fast moving from the tenth to the seventh place, yet dropped back again to the tenth.

After the holder of the title El-Gammal managed to beat El-Yaeish, the tire of latter blew off. Al-Yaeish insisted on continuing the race, driving on the metal frame of the tire, thus damaging a part of the car and pushing him to retreat, leaving the third place to the French Jack Lafie, the second place to El-Gammal and the first to El-Muslim.

The rest of the result came as follows:

Sheikh Hamad Ben Eissa finished fourth, Fawaz El-Kebesi fifth, Fahd Hazam sixth, National Motors seventh, Helmot Flishman eighth, Bandar El-Slami ninth, Yab Fandergar tenth, the Egyptian driver Raed Sharawi eleventh, Hossam El-Saleh twelveth, Marwa El-Eifa thirteenth.

Then came those who could not finish the race: Abdel-Aziz El-Yaeish and Ahmed Hamada.

After the end of the two races, the CEO of the Bahrain International Circuit, Talal el-Zein, awarded the champion of the race. Adel Faidi, the marketing manager of General Motors, the official sponsor of the championship, presented the award to the second winner, while Abdel-Aziz El-Zewadi, Managing Director of the Bahrain Motor Federation presented the award to the third winner.

Engineer Kotb Soliman, vice president of the Automobile & touring Club of Egypt, the guest of honour of the championship, was the one who give the finish line flag signaling of the two races, the first round that took place as support race of Desert 400 race in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

1. Fahd El-Muslim 38 points
2. Hamad Ben Eissa Al-Khalifa 26 points
3. Tarek El-Gammal 26 points
4. Fawaz El-Kebesi 22 points
5. Abdel-Aziz el-Yaeish 20 points
6. Fahad Hazam 19 points
7. Ahmed Hamada 18 points
8. Jack Lafei 18 points
9. Helmot Flishman 15 points
10. Adel Shagi 14 points
11. Sherif El-Sakaf 14 points
12. Bandar El-Salmi 11 points
13. Hossam El-Saleh 7 points
14. Christophe Marriot 6 points
15. Yab Fandergar 6 points
16. Marwa El-Eifa 5 points
17. Raed Sharawi 5 points

The podium of the first race

1. Likner Raisng Bahrain 38 points
2. P1-AFR 30 points
3. Castrol Raisng Team 26 points
4. Peak Performance 26 points
5. The French Team 22 points
6. RFC 19 points
7. ERT 18 points
8. National Motors 14 points
9. Balid Raisng Team 11 points
10. AFI 6 points 

- Mohamed Gamal Badawy - also photos