Bahrain could host a Formula One night race next year as it gets set to mark the 10th anniversary of the Sakhir Circuit, organisers said.

They added they were determined to do something special to mark the occasion, although a final decision has yet to be made, according to a report in the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

More than 73,000 fans attended the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, which concluded on Sunday.

It was hailed a resounding success by the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) and is believed to have pumped around $150 million (BD56.7 million) into the economy.

"We are looking at many options," BIC chairman Zayed Al Zayani told the UK-based weekly magazine Autosport.

"A night race could be one of them, but it is not the only one. It is our 10th race, and our 10th anniversary, so we want to do something different. But different doesn't necessarily mean we will race at night.

"There are pros and cons to doing it, and all options are open,” he added.

The report said if plans for a night race in Bahrain were given the green light then the lighting infrastructure would be made permanent so it could be utilised all year around.

Bahrain has already been mooted as potential venue to open the 2014 FIA World Championship, although no firm decision has been made.

"We are ready," said Al Zayani. "We have had a first race before, we have had a third race before and a fourth race before. But it is premature to say when. We will know probably between July and September or October.

"We would love to have the teams here for testing as well. But at the end of the day, that is a decision for them, not us."

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone earlier said he was open to the idea of having Bahrain host the opening race of next year's season. – TradeArabia News Service