Bahrain GP: Jordan preview

Following a strong two-car finish at Melbourne and Sepang, Jordan Grand Prix is eagerly awaiting to race at the magnificent complex of the one-year old Bahrain International Circuit, a track unknown to Tiago Monteiro, Narain Karthikeyan and Robert Doornbos.

Both Jordan cars have proved to be very reliable, especially from an engine point of view, with all four cars powered by Toyota finishing the first two races of the 2005 FIA Formula One World Championship.

Due to a 40'000-strong Indian Community in Bahrain, Narain Karthikeyan received a special invitation from the Bahrain Royal Family to fly directly from Sepang to Bahrain for a one-day promotional tour before he returned to India.

His schedule for the day was hectic: a meeting with 4,500 students of the six Indian-based schools followed by a question-and-answer session, a lunch with key Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) officials after being driven around the track by the BIC PR Director, Shaikh Salman Bin Essa Al Khalifa and a tour of the brand new offroad course that will be launched during the Grand Prix weekend.

After lunch, Narain hosted a press conference and an autograph session at Bahrain's largest shopping mall, where more than 300 people attended. His day ended with a reception held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel with the Indian Ambassador, Martin Whitaker, the General Manager of BIC and over 200 people from the Indian community.

Narain Karthikeyan:

"After the race in Sepang, I went straight to Bahrain for a one-day promotional visit before returning to India for a couple of days. I met about 4'000 Indian school children, some Bahrain International Circuit officials and the Indian Ambassador."

"Although it was a very short stay, I have really enjoyed being in Bahrain and I am looking forward to the weekend. I have acquired a bit more experience after the first two Grands Prix so I am hoping I will also finish the race and make a better result here in Bahrain."

"I have been around the track and I have to say that it is fantastic. I am sure the race will be competitive, as there are at least three genuine overtaking opportunities. However, the sand might make the circuit tricky but at least it will not be as hot and humid as in Malaysia."

Tiago Monteiro:

"Bahrain is another circuit where we have a lot to learn. I feel more confident as I know more and more people in the team now and we work better together so it is very interesting to feel these improvements from a human and technical point of view. Hopefully the cars will be as reliable as they were in Melbourne and Sepang and we will finish the race again."

Trevor Carlin, Sporting Director:

"Our goal here at the Bahrain International Circuit is to build on the positive results from Australia and Malaysia and keep the cars at 100% reliability rate. The drivers are performing better and better so hopefully we will keep on improving."

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