Bahrain to get ’06 opener

Bahrain will almost certainly host the first grand prix of next year. With regular kick-starter Melbourne keen to avoid a clash with the Commonwealth Games, it is revealed that March 12 2006 will see the circus line up at sandy Sakhir.

''The date is subject to confirmation,'' general manager Martin Whitaker cautioned, ''(but) all championship dates are. Nobody's got a fixed date yet.''

Bahrain traditionally hosts the third stop on the F1 calendar.

Whitaker told the locally published 'Gulf Daily News' newspaper that temporarily slipping into the opening race slot will be 'very exciting.'