FORMULA BMW WORLD FINAL 2006 TO BE HELD IN VALENCIA

Munich/Valencia, May 12. The date and venue for the 2006 Formula BMW World
Final have been decided. The highlight of the four international Formula BMW
series, the final, will be held at the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana
Ricardo Tormo in Valencia from November 24 to 26, 2006. Here Formula BMW
drivers from all four series will be competing for overall victory and the kind
of prize that all young racing talents surely dream of: a Formula One test
drive with the BMW Sauber F1 Team.

BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen, "We are very pleased to be staging
another Formula BMW World Final after the successful premiere in Bahrain last
year. In 2006 we will again be offering an attractive platform for all drivers,
teams and sponsors involved."

The Formula BMW World Final thus enters its second year in 2006. The first
World Final was held in December 2005 at the Bahrain International Circuit and
saw 17-year-old Marco Holzer triumphing over 34 drivers from 15 nations.

Before the year is out, Holzer will receive his reward for winning the title
when he is invited to take a test drive with the BMW Sauber F1 Team. "I can
hardly wait to climb inside the Formula One car," says Holzer. "Since winning
the Formula BMW World Final in Bahrain, I've been pushing myself even harder.
It's my neck muscles I'm working on above all, to make sure I can cope with the
crushing g-forces."

As Theissen explains, "It's a case of expanding Marco's motor sport horizons.
This initial taster is meant to give him an impression of the tremendous forces
that a Formula One race car exerts on the driver."

An entertaining support program will accompany the 2006 Formula BMW World
Final. Among other attractions, the BMW Sauber F1.06 will clock up a few laps
of the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo. The association
between BMW Motorsport and the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo
goes back five years: the license and selection courses for the Formula BMW
series have been held at the Formula BMW Racing Center next to the track since
2002.

Background:

Formula BMW is the world's leading entry-level class in Formula racing. In 2006
the series will be held in Germany, the UK, Asia and the USA. Up-and-coming
drivers as young as 15-years old are given the opportunity of entering motor
racing with the high-tech, standard FB02 race car.

The FB02 race car has been seen on the grid since 2002 and has set standards
particularly on the safety technology front. The single-seater is powered by a
140 bhp BMW engine, reaching speeds up to 140 mph and exceeds the FIA safety
requirements for its class. BMW Motorsport has developed the FORS (Formula
Rescue Race Seat) especially for Formula BMW. The HANS (Head and Neck Support)
safety system is also mandatory.

In 2006, Formula BMW will occur five times as a support series to Formula One
races. All of the international series offer a multifaceted Education and
Coaching Program as well as sponsorship for promising racing talents. The
best-known alumni are Formula One drivers Ralf Schumacher, Christian Klien and
Nico Rosberg.

BMW Motorsport Director, Mario Theissen, "Formula BMW offers talented young
drivers more than just a car. In the Education and Coaching Program we have
designed specially for them, they learn everything they need to know to hold
their own in the world of motor racing. Formula BMW has become one of the top
entry-level classes for Formula racing worldwide."

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. The
winner will get a test drive with the BMW Sauber F1 Team.

Press Contact:
BMW Corporate Communications, BMW Motorsport Communication
Benjamin Titz, Tel. +49 (0) 89 382-22998, E-Mail: benjamin.titz@bmw.de