25 YOUNG DRIVERS ENTERED FOR 2009 FORMULA BMW AMERICAS LICENSING COURSES

Formula BMW Americas welcomes 25 young drivers as they prepare for the
upcoming July 28-29 and August 4-5 2009 Licensing Courses. Held at the
Formula BMW Racing Center at the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo
Tormo, in Valencia, Spain, the Licensing Course is the first step the worldwide
Formula BMW program. Following two days of intensive instruction by the
Formula BMW Racing Center staff, successful drivers will receive their
international Class C license and, possibly, a chance to be invited back to
compete in the September 29-30 Scholarship Qualifying to compete for a 2009
Formula BMW Junior scholarship.

This year, Formula BMW Americas awarded $80,000 scholarships and automatic
enrollment in Formula BMW's Education and Coaching program to Canadians
Gianmarco Raimondo and Mikael Grenier, and Brazilian Alexandre Ruiz. They
currently stand first, third and fourth in the Rookie point standings
respectively.

Proving the global reach of Formula BMW, the 25 young drivers represent the
most diverse group ever entered for the licensing courses in the five-year
history
of the Formula BMW Americas Championship. This year drivers from Australia,
Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Jamaica, South Africa, Venezuela, as
well as Brazil, Canada and the United States will attend.

Among the talented participants is Daniel Vela, of the Dominican Republic,
winner
of the Florida Winter Tour promotion in January. Also attending is Spencer
Pigot,
of Windermere Florida, who took advantage of Formula BMW Americas' unique
Stars of Karting Recruitment Day and got behind the wheel of an FB02 at Miller
Motorsports Park in April.

Mid-season update:

With the completion of Rounds 8 and 9 at Lime Rock Park on July 12th, the 2008
Formula BMW Americas Championship has passed the mid-season mark.
Alexander Rossi leads the Overall standings by 19 points over Formula BMW
Junior Ricardo Favoretto. Gianmarco Raimondo, also a Formula BMW Junior,
stands third and leads the Rookie standings. Rossi has scored four wins,
Favoretto one, and Raimondo two. One more win was scored by Daniel
Juncadella, a guest driver form the Formula BMW Europe series, in Round 8.
Round 7 was cancelled.

With strong performances in the last three races, that include two podium
finishes, Brazilian Giancarlo Vilarinho has moved to second in Rookie points.
He is followed by Grenier and Ruiz. Ostella rounds out the top five in the
Rookie
standings.

Eurointernational teammates Rossi and Favoretto have kept the Indianapolis-
based Formula BMW powerhouse at the top of the Team standings.
Eurointernational won the Team title in both 2006 and 2007 while running Robert
Wickens and Daniel Morad to the Driver Championships.

The Championship will hold two official test days at the 1.8-mile Putnam Park
Road Course, in Mount Meridian, Indiana on July 29 - 30 before Rounds 10, 11
and 12 at Road America, in Elkhart, Wis., on August 7 - 10.

Overall points standings following 9 of 17 Rounds:
1. Rossi 122
2. Favoretto 103
3. Raimondo 87
4. Pelletier 67
5. Vilarinho 54
6. Grenier 53
7. Ruiz 50
8. Goncalvez 48
9. Ostella 29
10. Jovanovic 20

Rookie points:
1. Raimondo 87
2. Vilarinho 54
3. Grenier 53
4. Ruiz 50
5. Ostella 29
6. Jovanovic 20

Team Points:
1. Eurointernational 244
2. Apex-HBR Racing Team 153
3. Autotecnica 86
4. Jensen Motorsport 20

Background:

Formula BMW is the world's leading entry-level series in formula racing. In 2008
the three Formula BMW series - Formula BMW Europe, Formula BMW Pacific
and Formula BMW Americas - will be held in the key motor sport markets of
Europe, pan-Asia and North and South America. The end of the year will see the
Formula BMW World Final staged for the fourth time. The winner will be granted
the opportunity of a test drive with the BMW Sauber F1 Team. Formula BMW will
be held on the undercard of Formula One on 12 occasions. The series gives
young racing talents the chance to enter professional motor sport in a safe
racing
car - the Formula BMW FB02.

The FB02 has been in use since season 2002. It is powered by a 140 hp BMW
engine that takes it to a top speed of up to 230 km/h. It ranks among the safest
vehicles in its category and exceeds the FIA safety regulations that govern this
class of car. Innovations such as the FORS (Formula Rescue Seat) were
developed by BMW Motorsport specifically for Formula BMW. Following Formula
One, Formula BMW was the first single-seater series outside the US in which the
HANS system was made mandatory.

Formula BMW drivers have the opportunity to take part in an Education and
Coaching Program that runs parallel with the racing season. The program
includes driver coaching at the races by professional race drivers, attending a
Formula One test, fitness courses, tuition in driving technique and strategy, as
well as seminars on sponsoring and sport management.

Among the 20 team drivers in this season's Formula One, there are now four
Formula BMW graduates: Nico Rosberg, Adrian Sutil, Sebastian Vettel and Timo
Glock. The test and reserve drivers add three more to the tally, namely
Christian
Klien, Sebastien Buemi and Nicolas Hülkenberg.

In the words of BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen: "With our worldwide
Formula BMW concept, we offer drivers and teams a platform which, in this
format, is unprecedented in a junior series and which allows them to benefit
from
our Formula One involvement. Through Formula BMW the drivers are equipped
with the tools they need to assert themselves successfully in the world of
professional motor racing."

Note to editors:

Information and copyright free Formula BMW images for press purposes will be
available at the BMW Motorsport Press Club, www.press.bmw-motorsport.com
(no registration is required).

Press Contact: Press Officer Bill Cobb, Tel. +1215.295.3115, +215.431.7223
mobile, E-Mail: bill.cobb@partner.formulabmw.com.