Formula BMW Asia - Round 12 - Shanghai - Race

Soeprapto triumphs in Shanghai after dramatic race.

Shanghai, China - If ever there was a perfect way to whet the appetites of
China's F1 fans, Formula BMW Asia provided just that today in a thrilling
10-lap race. Indonesian youngster Moreno Soeprapto (Team Minardi Asia) emerged
victorious after teenaged racing sensation and team mate Tyson Sy (PHI), who
crossed the finish line first, was penalised for jumping the start.

BMW Junior Nik Iruwan Nik Izani took the first podium finish of his career,
reaping the rewards of the comprehensive Formula BMW Asia Education and
Coaching programme, while 23-year-old You Kyong-Ouk (KOR/BMW Korea E-Rain)
drove a storming race from 12th on the grid to take the final podium spot.

Soeprapto comes from a family with a long motorsport tradition. His elder
brother has been racing for many years in Europe and Asia, while his father is
the boss of Indonesia's Sentul Circuit and a former racer himself. The
21-year-old has struggled to find backing for this year, and his high-profile
win in China will do much to further his career.

Izani was deservedly thrilled to finally be on the podium and make up for the
bad luck which seemed to have plagued his team: "I feel as though I've saved
the team this weekend, and am truly relieved to have put my recent run of ill
luck behind me. Any bad memories have now completely gone!"

It was non-stop drama from start to finish, with newly-crowned champion Marchy
Lee (HKG/Monarch Lubricants Redbull Meritus) was passed off the grid by Sy and
Hans Lin Po-Heng (TPE/Belgravia Motorsports). In to the first corner, Sy took
the lead, but Lin closed the door on the hard-charging Lee, putting both of
them into a spin. It was the end of the race for Lee, who had an injured hand
after his clash yesterday with the same driver, but Lin was able to continue
until the final lap. He didn't take the finish line after being called in to
the pits because of damage to his car.

Meanwhile, the weekend didn't get any better for Rookie Cup champion Mehdi
Bennani (MOR/Team Meritus) who started from 3rd on the grid. He was running
4th when a spun put him back to 5th, but he reclaimed the position before the
finish line.

Despite the damage caused to Lin's car, he was determined to work his way back
up through the pack, and an epic struggle ensued between him and on-form Salman
Al Khalifa (BRN/Belgravia Motorsport). The two diced it out for 6th and 7th
until Lin had to pull off.

Another BMW Junior and local Shanghai resident, Han Han (CHN/Team E-Rain) came
in 11th, a result he was disappointed with, he but enjoyed the experience of
racing in front of his home crowd: "I want to improve gradually - I know I
must take it step by step, so I'm looking forward to the next rounds."

BMW Junior Robert Boughey (THA/Minardi Team Asia) drove well and crossed the
line in 9th, but was later disqualified for failing to pit with a damaged car.

BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen: "This is an exciting second season for
Formula BMW Asia. After the opening rounds of the season as a support race for
the Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix, the series is once again in front of the
Formula 1 crowds at China's first Grand Prix. My congratulations to Moreno
Soeprapto and Minardi Team Asia. The race had a lot of exciting overtaking
action and the drivers were able to show all that they have learned this
season. Although Marchy Lee was out of this particular race, he's still a great
Formula BMW Asia champion."

The final two rounds of the Formula BMW Asia series will be held at South
Korea's Taebaek Circuit on October 16 and 17.

Round 12
POS No Driver/Nat Entrant Time
1 5 #Moreno SOEPRAPTO (INA) Minardi Team Asia 22:32.815
2 11 ?*Nik Iruwan NIK IZANI (MAS) Team Meritus +4.729
3 61 *YOU Kyoung-Ouk (KOR) BMW Korea E-Rain +5.681
4 24 ?Mehdi BENNANI (MAR) Team Meritus +6.104
5 21 Salman AL KHALIFA (BRN) Belgravia Motorsport +13.391
6 2 Dado PENA (PHI) Minardi Team Asia +18.832
7 23 ?Hamed AL FARDAN (BRN) Belgravia Motorsport +19.787
8 22 Mohammed AL BAHRANA (BRN) Belgravia Motorsport +25.444
9 52 #Mark Patterson (USA) Team Meritus +29.827
10 6 ?*Han HAN (CHN) Team E-Rain +42.875
11 33 #AO Chi Hong (MAC) Team E-Rain +52.200
12 3 Tyson SY (PHI) Minardi Team Asia +56.506
13 15 #Tobia KIPPER (HKG) Team Meritus +65.898
14 86 #Michael TING Chi-Hwa (HKG) Team E-Rain 1 Lap
DNF 88 Hanss LIN Po-Heng (TPE) Belgravia Motorsport
NC 38 Marchy LEE Ying-Kin (HKG) Monarch Lubricants Redbull Meritus
*Scholarship driver
? Rookie Cup
# Non-Series Registered

Fastest Lap: Mehdi Bennani (MOR/Belgravia Motorsport): 2:13.605/lap 7

Championship Standings:
Drivers: 1.Marchy Lee (HKG/Team Meritus) 210 points, 2. You Kyong-Ouk (KOR/BMW
Korea E-Rain) 120 points, 3. Mehdi Bennani (MAR/Team Meritus) 112 points, 4.
Hanss Lin Po Heng (TPE/Belgravia Motorsport) 93 points, 5. Tyson Sy
(PHI/Minardi Team Asia) 90 points, 6. Dado Pena (PHI/Minardi Team Asia) 77
points, 7. Salman Al Khalifa (BRN/Belgravia Motorsport) 68 points, 8. Hamel Al
Fardan (BAR/Belgravia Motorsport) 55 points, 9. Nik Iruwan Nik Izani (MAL/Team
Meritus) 36 points, 10. Robert T. Boughey (THA/Minardi Team Asia) 34 points,
11. Han Han (CHN/Team E-Rain) 30 points, 12. Mohammed Al Baharna (BRN/Belgravia
Motorsport) 28 points,13. Maekkasit Weraporasu (THA/Autosport with Arto) 9
points, 14. Tohru Jitsukawa (JPN/Autosport with Arto) 4 points, 15. Gaby Dela
Merced (PHI/Team E Rain) 1 point.

Rookie Cup Standings:
1. Mehdi Bennani 195 points, 2. Robert T. Boughey 135 points, 3. Nik Iruwan Nik
Izani 128 points, 4. Han Han 124 points, 5. Hamed Al Fardan 122 points, 6. Gaby
Dela Merced 60 points.

Background
The ultra-modern Formula BMW which allows 15-year-olds to enter the world of
motor racing has been lining up on the grid since the 2002 season. It sets
standards above all on the safety technology front. The single-seater, driven
by a 140 bhp BMW motorcycle engine that takes it up to 230 km/h, features a
carbon-fibre chassis, fulfils the safety requirements of the much
higher-performance Formula 3 cars, and even matches certain Formula One
standards.

Formula BMW Asia, now in its second season, runs as part of the Asian Festival
of Speed (AFOS) organised by Motorsport Asia Limited. This year the series is
run over 14 rounds at seven venues, including Bahrain, where it was a support
race to the Formula One Grand Prix, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Japan and Korea,
with the second Formula One Grand Prix support race in Shanghai this weekend.

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