Formula BMW USA - Mosport - Rounds 13 & 14 - Preview

FORMULA BMW USA - PREVIEW
ROUNDS 13 & 14, MOSPORT INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

Woodcliff Lake, NJ - August 29, 2006... Mosport International Raceway, Canada's
Home of Motorsports, will host the final two Rounds of the 2006 Formula BMW USA
championship during the Labor Day Grand Prix on September 1-3. Racing in
support of the American Le Mans Series on Canada's biggest sports car racing
weekend, Rounds 13 and 14 will decide the 2006 Formula BMW USA Champion and
Rookie of the Year.

After 12 exciting Rounds across North America, the points are the closest in
Formula BMW USA history. The two front runners for both championships are
Canadians who both call the complex 2.46-mile, 10-turn Mosport International
Raceway their home-track. Robert Wickens (EuroInternational) leads the Overall
championship and Daniel Morad (AIM Autosport) leads the Rookie points.

With three wins and seven podium finishes Wickens has led the championship
since Round 3. He enters the final Rounds with an 18 point lead over Matt Lee
(Autotecnica). With 20 points awarded to the winner of each Round, the 17-year
old knows nothing but two good performances will secure him the title. Wickens
can however rely on his home field advantage and count on the support of his
friends and family. "I am really happy to be going into the last two races of
the year as the point's leader. Mosport is a track that I have always wanted to
race. It is very fast with high speed turns so I am sure all the drivers will
enjoy racing there. This year the level of competition has been very close
which would make winning the championship that much more special!"

Matt Lee, with five pole positions and five podium finishes that include two
wins, stands second and will do everything in his power to bar Wickens from
winning the championship title. The 17-year old from Syosset, NY, is eager to
win the championship, "I really want to be the 2006 Formula BMW USA Champion. I
want to be a professional race car driver at the highest level. Team owners
recognize drivers who win championships, and winning this title would help my
career. It would always be something that I would be very proud of because this
series is very competitive and it's hard to win a race in it, let alone the
championship. BMW stands for high quality and this series has excellent drivers
and excellent teams. It would be great to be the champion." He adds, "I think
we've done well this year to be in a position to win the championship. I feel
I've grown as a driver - both with my skills on the track and off."

Third in the championship points stands Californian Reed Stevens (HBR
Motorsport Team USA). Only nine points behind Lee and 27 points behind Wickens
he needs to score two excellent top-three finishes in the final Rounds to get
the chance to come on top of the points - provided that Wickens and Lee have
poor results. After six podiums and three wins the 21-year old looks confident
to the final challenge, "My team and I are working as hard as ever and with a
win rate of 50 percent and a podium rate of 100 percent in the second half of
the season, our only goal going into Mosport is to capture the championship.
Winning the championship was our intention going into the 2006 season though
some mechanical failures have made this much more difficult to realize. It is
tough to think how things would be if I had just taken a few points from those
races when the car broke, but I'll push 100 percent until the final race is
over, hopefully it is enough to win what I really want, the 2006 champion
title."
Wickens' teammate Simona de Silvestro has still hopes to win the championship
title. The most successful woman ever in Formula BMW worldwide de Silvestro
stands fourth in the Overall points. With four podium finishes the 17-year old
Swiss-Italian is ten points behind Stevens and aspires to finish the 2006
championship on one of the podium's steps. She said, "In Mosport we will have
our last races of this season. I still hope to win the championship. This title
would be very special for me because it would be the first championship for me.
I am very confident and I am going to push to win."

The points in the Rookie championship are even tighter than the Overall
championship. Canadian Daniel Morad, who stands sixth in the Overall
championship, is on top of the Rookie points. With one win and another podium
as well as six best-Rookie finishes the 16-year old is looking forward to
racing the final Rounds close to his hometown Markham, Ontario. "I'm really
looking forward to racing at Mosport since it's only minutes from my home.
Hopefully, I would have the results that can make my family, friends and fans
proud."

Only four points ahead of David Garza (EuroInternational) and five points on
top of Sebastian Saavedra (Gelles Racing) Morad has something to prove in front
of his family and friends. "The top-three in Rookie points is the tightest it's
been all year," said Morad. "These are the last two races, and in order to
maintain my lead, I am hoping to finish top-Rookie both days. As I am planning
to return to the series next year, becoming the top Rookie will hopefully allow
me to return as a BMW Junior driver in 2007."
Mexican David Garza shares the same hopes - winning the title 'Rookie of the
Year'. With two third-place finishes, the 18-year old is a hard rival in the
battle for this title. He said, "I have been preparing for this race since I
got back from Denver. I think that this will be the most important race of my
career so far. It would mean the world to me if I could finish the season
winning the Rookie championship. Having put so many hours into preparations
this year and trying my best every day, with this trophy everything would have
been worth it. Hopefully with a lot of hard work and some luck I can claim this
dream."
Two 30-minute practice sessions will be held on Friday, September 1 at 10:05
a.m. and 12:25 p.m., followed by Round 13 qualifying at 3:55 p.m. Round 14
qualifying will be held at 9:35 a.m. on Saturday with the Round 13 race
scheduled to start at 4:25 p.m. After a 20-minute warm-up at 9:30 a.m. on
Sunday, the Round 14 race is scheduled to start at 1:20 p.m. The Championship
Banquet will begin at 6:30 p.m. that evening.

A total of 31 drivers have competed in at least two Formula BMW USA races this
year and while the titles will be decided at Mosport, the season will not be
completely finished. All Formula BMW drivers worldwide can participate in the
Formula BMW World Final at the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo
in Spain on November 24 through 26. Formula BMW drivers from the Asian, German,
UK and North American Formula BMW series will compete for the World Final crown
and a test with the BMW Sauber F1 Team.

Championship points after 12 of 14 races:
1. Robert Wickens (Team Apex Racing USA, 134), 2. Matt Lee (Team Autotecnica,
116), 3. Reed Stevens (HBR Motorsport Team USA, 107), 4. Simona de Silvestro
(EuroInternational, 97), 5. Stefano Coletti (EuroInternational, 77), 6. Daniel
Morad (AIM Autosport, 67), 7. John Zartarian (Gelles Racing, 60), 8. David
Garza (EuroInternational, 44), 9. Ryan Phinny (Hearn Motorsports, 42), 10.
Sebastian Saavedra (Gelles Racing, 39), 11. Race Johnson (HBR Motorsport Team
USA, 38), 12. Tom Sutherland (Jensen Motorsport, 23), 12. Tobias Hegewald
(Atlantic Racing Team, 23), 14. Doug Boyer (AIM Autosport, 21), 15. Adrien
Herberts (Gelles Racing, 19), 15. Maxime Pelletier (Gelles Racing, 19), 17.
Ryan Campbell (Gelles Racing, 15), 18. Scott Schroeder (American Spirit Grand
Prix, 12), 19. Yannick Hofman (HBR Motorsport Team USA, 8), 20. Jordan Dick
(Team Apex Racing USA, 6), 20. Philip Major (Atlantic Racing Team, 6), 20.
Robert Thorne (Team Autotecnica, 6), 23. Alex Navejar (Jensen Motorsport, 1),
24. Jules Duc (Hearn Motorsports, 0), 24. Marco Santos (Haberfeld & Walker
Racing, 0), 24. Steven Guerrero (HBR Motorsport Team USA, 0), 24. David Rangel
(Haberfeld & Walker Racing, 0), 24. David Farias (Jensen Motorsport, 0), 24.
Joel Jackson (Gelles Racing, 0), 24. Frankie Muniz (Jensen Motorsport, 0), 24.
Maryeve Dufault (Hearn Motorsports, 0)

Rookies: 1. Daniel Morad (155), 2. David Garza (151), 3. Sebastian Saavedra
(150), 4. Maxime Pelletier (142), 5. Robert Thorne (87), 6. Jordan Dick (85),
7. Steven Guerrero (73), 8. Joel Jackson (61)

Statistics:
Winners 2006: Coletti (3), Wickens (3), Stevens (3), Morad (1), Lee (2)
Pole Positions: Lee (5), Wickens (2), Coletti (2), Garza (2), Morad (1)
Podiums: Wickens (7), Stevens (6), Lee (5), de Silvestro (4), Coletti (4),
Morad (2), Zartarian (3), Garza (2), Herberts (1), Sutherland (1), Phinny (1)

Background:
Formula BMW is the world's leading entry-level championship in Formula racing.
In 2006 the series will be held in Germany, the UK, Asia and the USA. More than
80 up-and-coming drivers, some as young as 15-years old, will compete
worldwide. Racing five times in support of the Formula One World Championship,
Formula BMW offers a worldwide stage, training through a multifaceted Education
and Coaching Program and BMW's longstanding Junior scholarship for deserving
drivers.

The FB02 race car is propelled by a 140 bhp BMW engine, reaching speeds up to
140 mph. The design exceeds the FIA safety requirements for its class, with the
BMW Motorsport developed FORS (Formula Rescue Race Seat), and the mandatory
HANS (Head and Neck Support) safety system.

From November 24 to 26, 2006 the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo
Tormo will host the second Formula BMW World Final. Young racing drivers from
the four regional Formula BMW series will compete against each other with the
winner receiving a test drive with the BMW Sauber F1 Team.