Formula BMW Americas - Preview - Rounds 7, 8 and 9
Formula BMW America drivers will be among the first to compete on the newly
revised Lime Rock Park racetrack when they arrive for the Northeast Grand Prix
and Rounds 7, 8 and 9 of the 2008 Formula BMW Americas Championship on
July 11 - 12.
The classic 1.53-mile, 7-turn Lime Rock Park circuit has been repaved and the
Uphill and West Bend corners have been modified so that the new track
measures 1.51-miles, now incorporating 10 turns.
Learning a new track is one of the skills Formula BMW Americas drivers must develop, but Lime Rock Park will offer a challenge no Formula BMW Americas driver has ever seen. For the first time, there will be three Rounds on one
weekend. In this case, from the time they first take to the track on Friday morning
to the end of Round 9 Saturday afternoon, the clock will have shown that only 27
hours have passed.
The young drivers must manage their composure and equipment in every
session as the penalty for a mistake can be costly. The fastest lap in the single
qualifying session will set the grid for Round 7 and the second fastest lap will
lineup Round 9. The Round 8 grid will be set by a driver’s finishing position in
Round 7.
American Alexander Rossi (Eurointernational) has won the last three races,
including a clean sweep at Mid-Ohio, and leads the Driver Championship over
teammate Ricardo Favoretto. Brazilian Favoretto, a BMW Junior, won Round 3
and was runner-up to Rossi in both races at Mid-Ohio. Both have experience at
Lime Rock from last season. Canadian BMW Junior Gianmarco Raimondo
(Autotecnica), with wins in Rounds 1 and 2 and a second in Round 3, stands third
and leads the Rookie Championship.
Brazilian Giancarlo Vilarinho (Eurointernational) has charged to second in Rookie
points following two podium finishes in the last three Rounds. BMW Junior
Alexandre Ruiz (Apex-HBR Racing Team), also from Brazil, is third.
Practice is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Friday, with qualifying set for 1:35 p.m.
Round 7 will start at 5:15 p.m. On Saturday, Round 8 will start at 9:10 a.m. and
Round 9 at 12:20 p.m.
Overall points standings following Round 6: Rossi (91), Favoretto (67), Raimondo
(63), Vilarinho (48), Pelletier (46), Ruiz (44), Goncalvez (44), Grenier (37),
Jovanovic (20), Ostella (13). Rookie points: Raimondo (63), Vilarinho (48), Ruiz
(44), Grenier (37), Jovanovic (20), Ostella (13) Team Points: Eurointernational
(179), Apex-HBR Racing Team (116), Autotecnica (62), Jensen Motorsport (20)
Licensing courses for the 2009 season are scheduled for July 28-29 and August
4-5.They will be held at the Formula BMW Racing Center at the Circuit de la
Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo, in Valencia, Spain. Applications are now
available at www.formulabmwamericas.com.
Background:
Formula BMW is the world’s leading entry-level series in formula racing. In 2008
the three Formula BMW series - Formula BMW Europe, Formula BMW Pacific
and Formula BMW Americas - will be held in the key motor sport markets of
Europe, pan-Asia and North and South America. The end of the year will see the
Formula BMW World Final staged for the fourth time. The winner will be granted
the opportunity of a test drive with the BMW Sauber F1 Team. Formula BMW will
be held on the undercard of Formula One on 12 occasions. The series gives
young racing talents the chance to enter professional motor sport in a safe racing
car - the Formula BMW FB02.
The FB02 has been in use since season 2002. It is powered by a 140 hp BMW
engine that takes it to a top speed of up to 230 km/h. It ranks among the safest
vehicles in its category and exceeds the FIA safety regulations that govern this
class of car. Innovations such as the FORS (Formula Rescue Seat) were
developed by BMW Motorsport specifically for Formula BMW. Following Formula
One, Formula BMW was the first single-seater series outside the US in which the
HANS system was made mandatory.
Formula BMW drivers have the opportunity to take part in an Education and
Coaching Program that runs parallel with the racing season. The program
includes driver coaching at the races by professional race drivers, attending a
Formula One test, fitness courses, tuition in driving technique and strategy, as
well as seminars on sponsoring and sport management.
Among the 20 team drivers in this season’s Formula One, there are now four
Formula BMW graduates: Nico Rosberg, Adrian Sutil, Sebastian Vettel and Timo
Glock. The test and reserve drivers add three more to the tally, namely Christian
Klien, Sebastien Buemi and Nicolas Hülkenberg.
In the words of BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen: “With our worldwide
Formula BMW concept, we offer drivers and teams a platform which, in this
format, is unprecedented in a junior series and which allows them to benefit from
our Formula One involvement. Through Formula BMW the drivers are equipped
with the tools they need to assert themselves successfully in the world of
professional motor racing.”
Formula BMW Americas - Preview - Rounds 7, 8 and 9
[...] Formula BMW Americas - Preview - Rounds 7, 8 and 9 …and was runner-up to Rossi in both races at Mid-Ohio. … 4-5.They will be held at the Formula BMW Racing Center at the Circuit de la [...]