Formula BMW - Rounds 13 and 14 - Shanghai - Preview

Shanghai Showdown for Title Decider.

The battle for the 2005 Formula BMW Asia title will be decided next weekend at
the Formula 1 Grand Prix of China in Shanghai, and never have the stakes been
higher after the closest season in the series' history.

Hoping to follow in the footsteps of 2003 champion, Ho-Pin Tung, currently well
in to a successful Formula 3 career in Europe, and last year's winner, Marchy
Lee, is 24-year-old Salman Al Khalifa of Bahrain (Team E-Rain). Al Khalifa
comes to Shanghai having taken two victories in Japan last month, opening up a
29 point championship lead over exciting BMW Junior and Rookie, 21-year-old
Michael Patrizi of Australia (Team Meritus). Al Khalifa has shone this year,
taking six victories so far, but the determined young Australian has put more
than his fair share of ill luck behind him to get back in the championship
game.

But, with 40 points up for grabs this weekend two other drivers are still in
contention for the title. Al Khalifa's fellow Bahraini driver, Hamed Al
Fardan, 18, (Team Meritus), has notched up six podiums this season and is just
one point behind Patrizi in the title chase. Charlie-Ro Charlez, 20 (Team
Meritus) a Rookie in his first ever season of car racing, has taken an
impressive seven podiums this year and, although he would need to take victory
in both races this weekend to win the title - making him an outside chance - he
has already done enough to get himself noticed in this ultra-competitive sport.

However, the contest for second place in the Driver Classification will be as
hard-fought as that for the title. With Al Khalifa just outside the age
regulations to take the prize of a full free season in the Formula BMW UK
Championship in 2006 (should he win the title, he would instead be awarded USD
20,000 in prize money), Patrizi, Al Fardan and Charlez will be doing battle for
the chance to make the all-important next step to Europe.

And there is all to play for in the Rookie Cup Classification too with a USD
50,000 scholarship and a full season of the Education & Coaching Programme on
offer for the winner. Patrizi currently leads Charlez in the standings by just
nine points. Theoretically, Indian sensation and BMW Junior Armaan Ebrahim, 16
(Team E-Rain) could also take the title by just one point if he were to win
both remaining rounds and his two rivals were not to score points. Ebrahim was
just 15 when he joined the series at the beginning of the year and recorded his
first victory in only his fourth outing. Evidently there is far more to come
from the talented youngster who is a driver on Team India's A1GP team.

Although no longer in the running after a superbly exciting season, the rest of
the field is guaranteed to provide some exciting on-track thrills in Shanghai.
BMW Junior, Thailand's Robert Boughey (Team Meritus), has had a disappointing
second season despite a promising early win in Bahrain, while another Junior,
South Korean An Suk Won (Team E-Rain) has shown immeasurable improvement since
the start of the year. Karting ace Aaron Lim (Minardi Team Asia) joined the
series after the first two rounds which put him back in the points, but he has
shown glimpses of his undoubted talent all year.

Chinese racing fans will have their own driver to cheer on this weekend in the
form of BMW Junior Wang Jian Wei (Ao's Racing Team). The 20-year-old,
Hebei-born driver has learned much from his first single seater season, having
competed in rallying and saloon car racing in China previously.

Formula BMW Asia is unique amongst junior single seater series in the diversity
of nationalities represented on the grid and in its geographical reach. This
year, the series has competitors from as far West as Bahrain and India, and as
far East as Japan and South Korea. And the search is about to begin for next
year's crop of BMW Junior drivers.

In addition to the BMW Scholarship awarded to the winner of this year's Formula
BMW Asia Rookie Cup, a further three are on offer to youngsters who wish to
make the step from karting to single seaters - or even to begin a motorsport
career from scratch. The BMW Junior Scholarship trial will be held from October
27 to 30 at the BMW Performance Center Bahrain located at the Bahrain
International Circuit. The three-day trial, after which a decision will be
made on the lucky winners, is open to anyone aged between 15 (16 during the
2006 season) and 21.

Although the Formula BMW Asia Driver and Rookie Cup titles will be decided this
weekend, the season will not be over as, in December, the Bahrain International
Circuit will host the first Formula BMW World Final. Drivers from the four
regional Formula BMW series will compete against each other and the winner will
earn what young drivers everywhere dream of - a Formula One test drive.

Background:

Formula BMW is the world's leading entry-level class in Formula racing. In 2005
the series was held in Germany, the UK, Asia and the USA. Up-and-coming drivers
as young as 15-years-old are given the opportunity of entering motor racing
with the high-tech, standard FB02 race car.

This racing car has been seen on the grid since 2002 and has set standards
particularly on the safety technology front. The single-seater is propelled by
a 140 bhp BMW engine up to 230km/h and exceeds by far the safety requirements
for its class. BMW Motorsport has developed the FORS Formula Rescue Race Seat
especially for Formula BMW. The HANS safety system is also mandatory.

In 2005, Formula BMW has been staged five times as part of the Formula One
support programme. All the series offer a multifaceted Education and Coaching
Programme as well as sponsorship for promising racing talents. The best-known
alumni of this talent hothouse are Formula One drivers Ralf Schumacher and
Christian Klien.

BMW Motorsport Director, Mario Theissen: "Formula BMW offers talented young
drivers more than just a car. In the Education and Coaching Programme we have
designed specially for them, they learn everything they need to know to hold
their own in the big wide world of motor racing. Formula BMW has shot out of
the blocks to become the top entry-level class for Formula racing worldwide."