2009 Bahrain Grand Prix

Laaff tops desert race

Luis Fernando Laaff led from start to finish to claim victory in the 2009 Bahrain Grand Prix. The German driver probably enjoyed the quietest of races, while behind him mayhem meant some unexpected results were accounted for.

Controversy surrounded the formation lap, which was unusually slow and resulted in overheated engines claiming early victims such as Ryan McConkey and William Ponissi, whose engines didn't survive the first lap. A collision with Kieran Ryan also meant retirement for Philip Cullen - a race to forget for Synergetic Motorsports.

Championship leader Joe Consiglio was involved in an unusually lacklustre race, being sent into a spin on lap 1 by Dave Carr-Smith and then misjudging Wayne Mullins' pit entrance. The Maltese driver crashed into the slowing Gear F1, scattering debris all over the home straight and ending both drivers' races.

With so many high-profile retirements, the likes of Michelangelo Manrique and Nikos Evangelidakis found themselves fighting for the last point-scoring position, the Greek driver eventually getting the upper hand on the Spanish driver who had to settle for 9th.

Phil Perkins, badly damaged in the opening stages, salvaged a 7th point in the debutant Fusion, while Richard Bayes and Kieran Ryan were 6th and 5th. The other Constant of Mark Stanton closed 4th, while the podium was for the Woods of Mark Wicks and Carr-Smith and triumphant Laaff.