The Bahrain International Circuit at Sakhir, about 10 kilometres south of Riffa, is one of the newer venues on the Formula 1 calendar and one of the most ambitious: built in the middle of the desert on what was previously flat sand, it opened in 2004 and hosted the first Formula 1 race in the Middle East. On race weekends in March or April the entire area around Riffa fills with international visitors, and the atmosphere spills across Manama and the surrounding towns.
Outside race season the circuit offers track days, driving experiences, and tours of the facilities. The desert setting — the circuit is surrounded by sand on all sides, with the grandstands rising out of the flatness — gives it a slightly surreal quality that no amount of landscaping has fully eliminated. A short drive from Riffa and easily combined with a day out from Manama.