Formula BMW: BMW opens Performance Center in Bahrain.

BMW opens Perfomance Center in Bahrain. Manama/Munich. The Middle East
is about to add another chapter to its fledgling motor sport history on
9th January 2005, when the BMW Performance Center Bahrain throws open
its gates for the first time at the Bahrain International Circuit. More
than 20 junior racing drivers from all over Asia will take part in the
three-day inaugural event at the Gulf region's most modern circuit - the
licence course and Scholarship Qualifying for Formula BMW Asia 2005.
The aspiring drivers, some as young as 15, will first be introduced to
the theoretical foundations of the art of motor racing at the Formula
BMW Racing Center Bahrain. They will then have an opportunity to put
their freshly acquired insights into practice in ten brand-new FB02 BMW
Formula cars packing 140 bhp and a top speed of almost 230 km/h. Acting
as instructors are former racing drivers Paul Spooner and Mike
Strotmann, director of the Formula BMW Racing Center Valencia. The BMW
Performance Center in Bahrain is a new home not only for Formula BMW
but also for BMW Driver Training. Starting in spring of 2005, a variety
of training courses will be on offer to all-comers. The range of cars
involved extends from the BMW 1 Series to the BMW M3, and the safety
training courses at varying levels of difficulty will be held within
the Performance Center as well as on the race track. The circuit to
the south of the capital Manama was designed by German architect
Hermann Tilke. It took a mere 16 months from the official start of
construction in December 2002 to the inaugural race on 3rd April 2004 -
the season's opener of last year's Formula BMW Asia, which was held as
part of the Formula One Grand Prix support programme. Today the complex
offers six circuit variants. The Grand Prix Course, which this year
again hosts Formula One and Formula BMW on the first weekend in April,
is 5.417 kilometres long. "We are delighted to have won the
Bahrain International Circuit as a partner of the BMW Performance
Center," says BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen. "The
race track is brand-new and boasts first-rate safety standards. The Gulf
region, moreover, offers good climatic conditions in winter as
well." Background: Formula BMW is the world's leading
entry-level class in Formula racing. In 2005 the series will be held in
Germany, Britain, Asia and the USA. Up-and-coming drivers as young as
15 years of age are given the opportunity of entering motor racing with
the high-tech, standard FB02 race car. This racer has been seen on the
grid since 2002 and has set standards particularly on the safety
technology front. A single-seater propelled by a 140 bhp BMW motorcycle
engine up to 230 km/h, it exceeds by far the safety requirements for
its class. BMW Motorsport has developed the FORS Formula Rescue Seat
especially for Formula BMW, and the HANS safety system is also
mandatory. In 2005, Formula BMW will be 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, Christian Klien and Timo Glock.
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." Press Contact:
BMW Corporate Communications, Dr Claus Hecking, Tel: +49 89 382 22998, Claus.Hecking@bmw.de.