Formula BMW USA - Round 9 - Road America - Race

Elkhart Lake, Wis. Andreas Wirth (HBR Motorsport) scored his third victory of
the 2004 Formula BMW USA Championship taking the Round 9 victory at Road
America today. He completed 8 laps of the 4.048-mile circuit in the 30-minute
contest that ended under caution. Brian Frisselle finished second and Matt
Jaskol was third.

On the opening lap outside pole-sitter Graham Rahal led his first ever Formula
BMW USA lap as he held a slight lead over Andreas Wirth at front of the 14-car
field. A real drafting battle began to unfold as the field snaked through the
Road America circuit. Wirth took the lead on the second lap and as he completed
lap four he held a two second lead over Brian Frisselle. The gap was
short-lived however as James Hinchcliffe spun and the yellow flag was displayed
in order to remove his car from the circuit.

The green flag flew on lap six with Wirth still in the lead. The No. 15 of
Alexis Fenton and the No. 2 of Jonathan Summerton got together in turn 14
bringing out the second yellow of the race on lap 7. The race finished under
caution with Wirth taking his third win of the season and strengthening his
Championship points lead.

Both Hinchcliffe and Summerton did not receive any points, but held onto their
second and third places in the Championship. Jaskol and Johnson stand in fourth
and fifth respectively.

The top-finishing Rookies were Rahal (4), Sutherland (7) and Burseth (10).
Hinchcliffe still leads the Rookie Points. Summerton is second, Milner third,
Rahal fourth and Sutherland fifth.

Round 9 was notable as four drivers scored their season best finishes:
Frisselle (2), Rahal (4), Tom Sutherland (7) and Derek Burseth (10).

"It was a very cool race for me," said Wirth. "The car was great and I had a
very good start. I made a few mistakes as I tried to put some time between me
and second place, but it was okay as the yellow came out anyway. It was an
unfortunate race for both Jonathan (Summerton) and James (Hinchcliffe), but,
for me, I gained a bigger lead in the Championship. "

A delighted Frisselle said, "I felt like I could have won the race. I was
pacing myself as I knew that if I was leading near the end I could be
vulnerable to the draft. The restart caught me out a little, but if I had been
a little closer or if the race had stayed green I think the race could have
been mine."

Jaskol said, "There were very few race laps with two caution periods in an
eight lap race. Two key guys in the Championship did not score any points today
so it was very important for me to reach the podium. I will try to score more
points tomorrow."

The Round 10 race is scheduled to start at 12:05 p.m. tomorrow.

Race 9 - Results 8 laps:

1. Andreas Wirth (HBR Motorsport) 20:42.898 (93.799 mph)
2. Brian Frisselle (PoleVision Racing) 20:43.788
3. Matt Jaskol (Team Autotecnica) 20:44.921
4. Graham Rahal (R) (Vitesse Farm Racing) 20:45.606
5. Billy Johnson (Team PTG Motorsport) 20:46.142
6. Lawson Aschenbach (Team PTG Motorsport) 20:47.289
7. Tom Sutherland (R) (Team PTG Motorsport) 20:48.042
8. Kyle Herder (Atlantic Racing Team) 20:48.543
9. Robbie Montinola (Jensen Motorsport)
20:49.157
10. Derek Burseth (R) (PoleVision Racing) 20:49.964
11. Alexis Fenton (R) (Team Autotecnica) 10:11.767
12. Jonathan Summerton (R) (HBR Motorsport) 10:12.297
13. James Hinchcliffe (R) (AIM Autosport)
4:52.305
14. Tom Milner (R) (Team PTG Motorsport) 13:29.614

Championship points after 9 of 14 races:

1. Andreas Wirth (HBR Motorsport, 135), 2. Jonathan Summerton (HBR Motorsport,
108), 3. James Hinchcliffe (AIM Autosport, 102), 4. Matt Jaskol (Team
Autotecnica, 91), 5. Billy Johnson (Team PTG Motorsport, 62), 6. Brian
Frisselle (PoleVision Racing, 56), 7. Tom Milner (Team PTG Motorsport, 35), 8.
Graham Rahal (Vitesse Farm Racing, 23), 9. Joey Hand (Team PTG Motorsport, 22),
10. Dominik Jackson (Atlantic Racing Team, 20), 11.Kyle Herder (Atlantic Racing
Team, 19), 12. Lawson Aschenbach (Team PTG Motorsport, 19), 13. Federico
Montoya (Atlantic Racing Team, 10), 14. Tom Sutherland (Team PTG Motorsport,
9), 15. Gerardo Bonilla (Jensen Motorsport, 8), 16. Trevor Daley (Atlantic
Racing Team, 4), 17. Daniel Herrington (Jensen Motorsport, 2), 18. Robbie
Montinola (Jensen Motorsport, 2), 19. Alan Sciuto (Team PTG Motorsport, 1), 20.
Derek Burseth (PoleVision Racing, 1).

Rookies: 1. James Hinchcliffe (140), 2. Jonathan Summerton (136), 3. Tom Milner
(95), 4. Graham Rahal (78), 5.Tom Sutherland (69), 6. Alexis Fenton (33), 7.
Federico Montoya (32), 8. Derek Burseth (32), 9. Trevor Daley (26), 10. Alan
Sciuto (16), 11. Daniel Herrington (14).

Background:

BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen adds, "Our junior talent promotion
program is an intensive basic education for successful kart drivers who want to
move up into Formula racing. Our priorities are to create a level playing field
through technically identical vehicles and scrupulously defined regulations,
and to ensure maximum safety."

The ultra-modern Formula BMW racecar, which allows 15-year-olds to enter the
world of motor racing, has been lining up on the grid all around the world
since the 2002 season. It sets standards above all on the safety technology
front. The single-seater, powered by a 140 bhp BMW motorcycle engine producing
speeds up to 140 mph, features a carbon-fiber chassis and fulfils the safety
requirements of the much higher-performance Formula 3 cars.

In 2004, Formula BMW will be staged in four different series held in Germany,
England, Asia and the USA. Formula BMW events will be part of the Formula One
support program on five occasions around the world. All the series go
hand-in-hand with a comprehensive education and coaching program, as well as
substantial financial backing for promising young talent. The most
distinguished graduate is Ralf Schumacher. The star of the BMW WilliamsF1 Team
made his racing debut in the junior class in 1992.