Formula BMW World Final 2005 - Media Guide

Success Formula BMW. 3 The Formula BMW World Final. 4 Regulations. 6 Bahrain and the Bahrain International Circuit. 8 The official timetable. 10 The drivers. 11 The teams. 29 Formula BMW FB02: The car. 33 Formula BMW World Final: The partners. 36 Media Contacts. 38

The 2005 motor sport year ends much later than usual. From 13th to 16 th
December, when the winter break has long silenced the race tracks across
Europe, Bahrain will host the crowning conclusion to the Formula BMW season -
the first ever Formula BMW World Final. In Bahrain, 36 drivers will be fighting
for the title of "World's Best Formula BMW Driver of the Year" and a total
purse of 60,000 dollars. But that's not all: the winner of the World Final will
be granted a unique opportunity to take a Formula One test drive.

As BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen explains: "The top drivers from the
four Formula BMW series will contest the BMW World Final. This promises some
fascinating motor sport with thrilling battles on the circuit. In order to win
you have to prevail over drivers from four continents. It will be far from
simple to earn that test drive in a BMW Sauber F1 Team car."

Participants from the Formula BMW championships in Germany, Great Britain, the
USA and Asia will make the journey to the Bahrain International Circuit. It
will be an impressive grid line-up including the winner of this year's Formula
BMW ADAC Championship, Nicolas Hülkenberg (GER), alongside his keenest rival
Sébastien Buemi (SUI).

Dean Smith (GBR), winner of the Formula BMW UK Championship, and British Rookie
champ Euan Hankey (GBR) are the best-known representatives of the British
Isles. For the fans at the circuit, the spotlight will undeniably be on local
hero Salman Al Khalifa (BHN) after his Formula BMW Asia title win. Formula BMW
USA will be represented by, among others, Robert Wickens (CAN), Reed Stevens
(USA) and Edoardo Piscopo (ITA).

The 36 participants in the Formula BMW World Final will have plenty of time to
familiarise themselves with the challenging track. The event format will ensure
that fans see plenty of qualifying heats before the grand final takes place on
Friday, 16th December. Three free practice sessions, a 30-minute qualifying
session, a super pole competition and a pre-final are planned.

Well-known racing drivers appear as official ambassadors for the Formula BMW
World Final. Apart from Khalifa, who will be gunning for the title on his home
circuit, both Formula One driver Nico Rosberg (GER) and Alessandro Zanardi
(ITA) will also be involved in this unique event. "The first Formula One test
was a very special moment in my life," Rosberg recalls. "It was a launch pad
for my career." Since winning the 2002 Formula BMW ADAC Championship, the son
of ex-Formula One World Champion Keke Rosberg is experiencing a meteoric rise.
In 2005 he won the GP2 Series and has worked as a test driver for the BMW
WilliamsF1 Team. Rosberg is just one of a number of one-time Formula BMW
drivers who have gone on from winning a national championship to make it into
the higher racing categories.

In September 2005, Sebastian Vettel, winner of the 2004 Formula BMW ADAC
Championship, had his first outing in a Formula One car. Ho-Pin Tung, winner of
the 2003 Formula BMW Asia series, has also been granted a Formula One taster.
He was the first Chinese ever to drive a Formula One car.Zanardi, who is racing
for BMW Team Italy-Spain in the FIA WTCC, is thrilled with the concept of the
World Final: "It's a great opportunity for young drivers to pit their skills
against competitors from all over the world," says the 39-year-old pro. "I
would have been glad of such an opportunity when I started out in motor racing.
The Formula One test for the winner is of course the icing on the cake."

The arena for the Formula BMW World Final is the Bahrain International Circuit.
Designed by German architect Hermann Tilke, it is one of the most
state-of-the-art motor sport arenas in the world. The World Final will be held
on the 3.596-kilometre Paddock Circuit, which omits the northwest section of
the Grand Prix course. This circuit variant is the perfect stage for
spectacular passing manoeuvres and riveting battles for position. In the middle
of the European winter the circuit offers the teams optimal working conditions
in the pursuit of victory. In the last two years, the Formula One caravan has
also stopped off at the desert venue.

The BIC is also home to the new BMW Performance Center where, among other
things, the licence and scholarship qualifying courses of Formula BMW Asia are
held. Then in spring of 2005, BMW Driver Training opened its doors here. A
variety of training courses are offered for
all-comers, with the range of models stretching from the BMW 1 Series
to the BMW M3.