Gasoline Bomb Explodes Near F1 Circuit

Posted: Apr 08 2012

A bomb exploded near the Formula 1 track in Bahrain. Four team member of Force India driving in a rental car, were nearby. Fortunately no one was hurt.

The Formula 1 Grand Prix of Bahrain takes place this Sunday. But drivers and team members are on edge given Tuesday’s gasoline bomb explosion nearby.

During the night heavy fighting continued in several Shiite villages not far from the racetrack.

The bomb exploded during a protest march between the capital city of Mamanah and the Sakhir circuit.

A bomb exploded nearby Bahrain's Sakhir Formula 1 race track. Photo Credit: AEP

Eyewitnesses said hundreds of people came together in protest near Mamanah. “They want the regime to fall,” said one witness. “Gone with Hamad,” read one slogan, referring to King Hamad ben Issa Al-Khalifa.

Protestors threw teargas and Molotov cocktails as they marched towards the city.

The protest, a response to the ‘Day of Rage’ call, coincides with the three day Formula 1 event, which has been labeled the ‘Grand Prix of Blood’, by the opposition.

Amnesty International, a human rights organization, questioned the sensitivity behind a very expensive racing event during times of unrest and political upheaval in that region.