The historical 10th Formula SimRacing Season is few days from its opening race, which, deviating from the norm, will take place in the hot desert of Bahrain. As already outlined in our season preview article, 2010 has brought plenty of changes in FSR - both in terms of racing and line-ups. In the following we take a quick look at the track facts and discuss the crucial points for the AutoGP World Championship race, assisted by who else than our expert analyst himself.

Bahrain Flyer Track facts:

Length: 6.412km

Race distance: 57 laps / 308.238km

Direction: clockwise

Number of corners: 13 (left: 6, right: 9)

Full throttle: 63%

Tyre wear: Low

Engine wear: Medium

Brake wear: High

Downforce: Medium

Lap record: Roy Kolbe 1:28.413 (2007)

Previous winners:

2009: Bruno Marques

2008: Bruno Marques

2007: Ondrej Kuncman

2005: Christian Neumann

2004: Roy Kolbe

Hello and nice to see you back in 2010. So we are now less than a day away from when the engines start to roar. What is the atmosphere at the moment in the paddock?

Hello, I must admit I've looked forward to this moment since quite a while already. I have to say things are still relatively silent, but there is definitely excitement in the air, maybe more than in earlier years. This year the teams will fight for a concrete prize, a test drive in a real car, which, if possible, will bring even more professionalism and seriousness into the league. Times are changing...

Let's talk a bit about the weekend's venue, Bahrain International Circuit. What are the key features of the track?

The circuit, built in 2004, represents a typical modern design artwork - long straights combined with slow corners and plenty of run-off space. The track combines 15 corners with four main straights and is notably one of the best circuits to overtake at in the calendar. The only fast corners are seen in the S-bend in sector 2, but apart from this the track is mainly stop-and-go character. Tire wear is relatively low and the setup characteristics are towards soft settings, with low to medium downforce.

What is the biggest challenge in setting up a car for a circuit like Bahrain?

The main challenge will be corner entry and exit balance, mid corner is of little importance here. The entries should be stable to allow late braking and the corner exits will require maximum traction as early as possible from rear tires, in order to be competitive. Watch out for how the cars brake into the tricky turn 10. The corner is off-camber and the driver must progressively increase steering while braking, which might caues some locked wheels in the race.

Do the new rules add some strategical aspects into the race?

The full tank fuel setting will no doubt be the most interesting change. Basically it will allow a lot more freedom in the race strategy, as it will be only tire-dependent. The first laps with new tires are naturally much faster, which is why drivers might jump cars ahead by pitting earlier. I also expect gaps in the field to be very close, since the car setup doesn't require as much endless fine-tuning as last year. Regarding the choice of strategy I won't tell more at this point...

Let's talk a bit about drivers shall we. As an observant guy, what are your views on the developments on this front?

I have a feeling this season could be the start of a new generation's era in the AutoGP World Championship, even if "old generation" is only a relative term here. With Kolbe, De Angelis and Hirrle gone, none of the original 2001 drivers are left. Of the remaining long-term racers Bruno Marques and David Greco are the most noteworthy and will no doubt take another go at the championship if their motivation remains high through the long season. But rising stars Domagoj Malezic, Bono Huis and Ronny Hähnel will give them a tough time.

Considering the track and mod, can you outline some drivers who are at advantage?

Well, considering Bruno Marques has won here 2 out of 3 times, it would hardly be surprising to see the Portuguese in the top fights again. If not by other means, Marques can compensate a lack in pace by his strategical sense and experience. However, based on the winter season David Greco is the favourite, followed by Bono Huis in close distance, but history has told prediction based on off-season is somewhat dangerous. Regarding our flying Dutchman Patrick De Wit, Bahrain has never been the most favourable track. Possible dark horses for Sunday include Lee Morris and Ronny Hähnel, both from who you could expect either everything or nothing. Overall there are more than half a dozen of potential winner candidates, and what wouldn't be better than that?

Very well, we'll resume the discussion after the race. Before tuning your multibc streams, be sure to watch the track onboard from Bono Huis below.