Formula BMW USA - Mosport - Round 14 - Race

MOSPORT INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY - ROUND 14 - RACE

Wickens wins 2006 Formula BMW USA championship as Lee takes Round 14 victory;
Morad takes Rookie title

Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada - September 3, 2006... Matt Lee (Team Autotechnicia)
took the Round 14 Formula BMW USA victory today at Mosport International
Raceway, finishing 5.658 seconds ahead of Reed Stevens (HBR Motorsport Team
USA) in the 16 lap race. Eliminated from a run at the championship following
his third place finish in yesterday's Round 13 contest, Lee's second win of the
season gave him a well-deserved second place in the final standings. Dicing
with Stevens in the closing stages of the race, Lee recorded a new race lap
record (1:24.408) on lap 15. Steven's eighth podium finish, that included a
season-best four wins, finished third in championship. Adrien Herberts (Gelles
Racing) finished third for his second podium of the year.

Race Johnson (HBR Motorsport Team USA) finished fourth today. Robert Thorne
(Team Autotechnica) finished a season's-best fifth, today's top-finishing
Rookie.

With a sixth place finish today Canadian Robert Wickens (EuroInternational) won
the 2006 Formula BMW USA championship. The 2005 Formula BMW USA Sportsman of
the Year led the 2006 title chase from Round 3, amassing three poles, three
wins and seven podium finishes on the way to his first major open wheel
championship.

Wicken's EuroInternational teammate Simona de Silvestro did all she could to
race Wickens for the championship. Second in points entering Round 14, the
18-year old was forced to start at the rear of the 25-car field following
post-qualifying technical inspection. She finished a fine 10th, but dropped to
fourth in the Overall standings. EuroInternational won the 2006 Formula BMW USA
Team championship.

The 2006 Formula BMW USA Rookie championship was won by Canadian Daniel Morad
(AIM Autosport). His ninth place finish today was enough to give him the title
after a season-ending battle with David Garza (EuroInternational) and Sebastian
Saavedra (Gelles Racing). Saavedra and Garza had contact on lap eight and
disappointing finishes today, 23rd and 25th respectively.

The final race of the 2006 Formula BMW USA season began under drying skies with
each driver starting on wet tires. Only Herberts selected to change to slick
tires before the start, forfeiting his 11th qualifying position to start from
the back of the grid. Polesitter Wickens took the early lead, but Stevens and
Lee were soon able to get by. By the fourth lap Stevens and Lee had built a gap
to Wickens while de Silvestro had already broken into the top-10 after starting
last. On lap seven the complexion of the race changed as the caution flag flew
for contact between Saavedra and Garza. Some drivers elected to use the slowed
pace to pit for dry tires, among them Lee. After the restart on lap 10 Lee led
the charge from the rear of the field and by lap 14 was back to second and
closing on Stevens. As the drying track favored those with slick tires Lee
drove past Stevens on lap 15 for the win. Stevens held onto second, just ahead
of Herberts and Johnson.

The top-five finishing Rookie drivers were Robert Thorne (P5), Maxime Pelletier
(P7), Daniel Morad (P9), Jordan Dick (P12) and Steven Guerrero (P16).

The top-four drivers in Overall points are BMW Junior driver Wickens (149), Lee
(143), Stevens (142) and de Silvestro (133). Stefano Coletti (77) rounds out
the top-five.

The top-five in Rookie points are Morad (189), Saavedra (166), Pelletier (163),
Garza (161) and Thorne (104).

"I am very excited about this win today," said an elated Lee. "After the last
race in Denver I found that first place in the championship was really out of
reach and so I am very happy to be second. I made the first recommendation to
pit and then my team and driving coach agreed. So at the caution I came in,
changed to slicks, and went right back out. Under the yellow the field
tightened up and the cars were very close. That made it a lot easier for me to
pass them."
A disappointed Stevens said, "We had a good start and we were able to overtake
Wickens and take the lead in the race. Weather-wise it is such a gamble and
just luck if the slick tires paid off. Loosing the championship is very
disappointing. We had a good shot at it, but we didn't have the luck with us
today with the weather."

A very pleased Herberts said, "It was probably the best race in my entire
career. At the beginning after changing tires we were pretty nervous, but the
track dried quickly and we started moving up to the field. I made two passes on
the final lap to get on the podium. This is extremely pleasant for me."

Wickens, the happy 2006 Champion, stated, "How can I explain how excited I am
right now? I was going into the race as nervous as I have never been in my
life. I knew that I just needed to score a top-seven finish to win the
championship. I was running in the top-six the whole time and I thought
everything was going very well, but then I saw people on dry tires started to
pass me and I became very concerned. As soon as I saw that Matt Lee was taking
the lead I did the math and Reed Stevens could not win the championship. I just
tried to finish the race and score sixth place points. It was not an
outstanding result for the end of the year. I would have liked to stand on the
podium in my home town race, but I think to be on the top-step of the
championship is even better. The title means a lot to me. I improved two steps
from last year when I finished third in the championship. I had a much more
difficult season this year. I had a lot more ups and downs and a lot more
confusions than in 2005. It is very good the win the championship and to put it
on my resume."

Equally pleased, Morad said, "It is an incredible feeling. I thought our Rookie
championship hopes were gone after San Jose, but I was able to win three out of
the four remaining Rookie races. It feels great to be able to come back next
year to Formula BMW USA as a Junior driver."

A total of 32 drivers competed in at least two Formula BMW USA races this year
and while the titles have been decided at Mosport, the season will not be
completely finished for some. 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 14 of 14 races:
1. Robert Wickens (EuroInternational, 149), 2. Matt Lee (Team Autotecnica,
143), 3. Reed Stevens (HBR Motorsport Team USA, 142), 4. Simona de Silvestro
(EuroInternational, 133), 5. Stefano Coletti (EuroInternational, 77), 6. Daniel
Morad (AIM Autosport, 72), 7. John Zartarian (Gelles Racing, 69), 8. Race
Johnson (HBR Motorsport Team USA, 47), 9. David Garza (EuroInternational, 44),
10. Ryan Phinny (Hearn Motorsports, 43), 11. Sebastian Saavedra (Gelles Racing,
40), 12. Adrien Herberts (Gelles Racing, 31), 13. Tom Sutherland (Jensen
Motorsport, 23), 13. Tobias Hegewald (Atlantic Racing Team, 23), 14. Doug Boyer
(AIM Autosport, 21), 15. Maxime Pelletier (Gelles Racing, 20), 16. Ryan
Campbell (Gelles Racing, 15), 17. Robert Thorne (Team Autotecnica, 14), 18.
Scott Schroeder (American Spirit Grand Prix, 12), 19. Yannick Hofman (HBR
Motorsport Team USA, 8), 20. Philip Major (Atlantic Racing Team, 5), 20. Jordan
Dick (Team Apex Racing USA, 5), 21. Marco Di Leo (Hearn Motorsports, 4), 22.
Steven Guerrero (HBR Motorsport Team USA, 3), 23. Alex Navejar (Jensen
Motorsport, 1), 24. Jules Duc (Hearn Motorsports, 0), 24. Marco Santos
(Haberfeld & Walker Racing, 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 (189), 2. Sebastian Saavedra (166), 3. Maxime
Pelletier (163), 4. David Garza (161), 5. Robert Thorne (104), 6. Jordan Dick
(103), 7. Steven Guerrero (96), 8. Joel Jackson (71)

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.