Formula BMW Asia - Round 13 - Taebaek - Race

Lee notches up win number eleven.

Taebaek, Korea - Continuing his unbeatable form, Marchy Lee (HKG/Team Meritus)
notched up another victory today in Round 13 of Formula BMW Asia, with a
perfect performance from pole to chequered flag. However, it was also a
winning race for the Belgravia Motorsport team who grabbed the remaining two
podium spots.

Rookie Cup driver Hamed Al Fardan (BRN), 17, continued his marked improvement
in form, taking the runner-up spot for the second time this season after this
superb performance in Shanghai last month. Team mate Hanss Lin Po Heng (TPE)
took the remaining podium place. Lin was full of praise for Al Fardan saying:
"He drove really hard. It's a very good day for our team!"

Tyson Sy (PHI/Minardi Team Asia) was back on form for the race, finishing 4th
having qualified 6th and taking team mate Dado Pena (PHI) on the opening lap.

It was a disappointing race for the two Korean drivers, You Kyong-Ouk (BMW
Korea E-Rain) and Ken Lee Kook-Hyun (E-Rain), when a procedural miscalculation
by the team meant the two had to start the 20-lap race from pit lane. However,
in a sterling example of his undoubted talent, the 24-year-old You determinedly
charged through the field to finish 7th overall and top BMW Junior driver.

You retains his position on the leaderboard behind 2004 champion Lee, and the
runner-up spot could go to any one of the top three drivers.

Despite Al Fardan's 2nd place overall finish, BMW Junior Robert T Boughey
(THA/Minardi Team Asia) still holds second position in the Rookie Cup standings
behind Mehdi Bennani (MOR/Team Meritus) who has already clinched the
championship. Boughey and Bennani had a coming together in the early stages of
the race, but Boughey put in a spirited performance, despite a broken wing, to
finish 9th overall.

Later today, the Formula BMW Asia drivers will take to the track for the last
time this season with Round 14 of the series run again over 20-laps of the
2.5km Taebaek Circuit.

And, as this season was drawing to a close, the series was already looking
ahead to the future as a group of Korean youngsters were given a comprehensive
introduction to Formula BMW Asia. Five young karters were invited to Taebaek
Circuit today where they were given a fitness test, an introduction to the
Formula BMW, an overview of the series - and finally a chance to get behind the
wheel of the racing car itself.

Round 13 Results:
POS No Driver/Nat Entrant Time
1 38 Marchy LEE Ying-Kin (HKG) Team Meritus 18:40.021
2 23 ?Hamed AL FARDAN (BRN) Belgravia Motorsport +1.639
3 88 Hanss LIN Po-Heng (TPE) Belgravia Motorsport +2.553
4 3 Tyson SY (PHI) Minardi Team Asia +5.390
5 21 Salman AL KHALIFA (BRN) Belgravia Motorsport +8.160
6 2 Dado PENA (PHI) Minardi Team Asia +9.817
7 61 *YOU Kyong-Ouk BMW Korea E-Rain +10.247
8 22 Mohammed AL BAHRANA (BRN) Belgravia Motorsport +11.234
9 4 ?*Robert T BOUGHEY (THA) Minardi Team Asia +12.058
10 11 ?*Nik Iruwan NIK IZANI (MAS) Team Meritus +20.159
11 6 ?*Han HAN (CHN) Team E-Rain +20.725
12 24 ?Mehdi BENNANI (MAR) Team Meritus +21.799
13 7 #LEE Kook-Hyun Team E-Rain 1 lap
*Scholarship driver
? Rookie Cup
# Non-Series Registered

Fastest Lap: Hamed Al Fardan (BRN/Belgravia Motorsport)/0:55.246

Championship Standings:
Drivers: 1.Marchy Lee (HKG/Team Meritus) 230 points, 2. You Kyong-Ouk (KOR/BMW
Korea E-Rain) 124 points, 3. Mehdi Bennani (MAR/Team Meritus) 112 points, 4.
Hanss Lin Po Heng (TPE/Belgravia Motorsport) 105 points, 5. Tyson Sy
(PHI/Minardi Team Asia) 100 points, 6. Dado Pena (PHI/Minardi Team Asia) 83
points, 7. Salman Al Khalifa (BRN/Belgravia Motorsport) 76 points, 8. Hamel Al
Fardan (BAR/Belgravia Motorsport) 70 points, 9. Nik Iruwan Nik Izani (MAL/Team
Meritus) 37 points, 10. Robert T. Boughey (THA/Minardi Team Asia) 36 points,
11. Han Han (CHN/Team E-Rain) 30 points, 12. Mohammed Al Baharna (BRN/Belgravia
Motorsport) 31 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 203 points, 2. Robert T. Boughey 150 points, 3. Hamed Al
Fardan 142, 4. Nik Iruwan Nik Izani 140 points, 5. Han Han 134 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, drawing to the end of its second season this weekend, runs as
part of the Asian Festival of Speed (AFOS) organised by Motorsport Asia
Limited. This year the series was 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 last month.

In 2004, four different Formula BMW series were staged in Germany, the UK, Asia
and the USA. Formula BMW events were 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.

Ends.