AP: Series renamed Pacific for 2008

New name reflects motorsport boom as Formula BMW Pacific announced.

Asia Pacific's premier entry-level single seater series has been renamed Formula BMW Pacific in recognition of its increasing popularity across the world's most dynamic region.

Asia Pacific is witnessing extraordinary growth in the popularity of motorsport, with the addition of Singapore to the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship race calendar bringing the total number of rounds in the region to six. As the most professional and comprehensive training ground for fledgling racing talent, Formula BMW Pacific is at the very forefront in the race to groom youngsters in the region for future stardom.

With increasing interest from Australia -- nine of the 25 Formula BMW scholarship candidates for next season hailed from that country -- and a field made up of diverse nationalities, the new name is a logical step in the development of the series.

The series is also receiving unprecedented levels of interest from Japan, and the 2008 calendar will include a stop there, with mid-term plans for expansion across the Pacific region.

The calendar will once again include support races to rounds of the FIA Formula One World Championship, exposing young racers to the Formula One fraternity, as well as visits to Asia's best race tracks.

In addition to the enormous driver interest for the 2008 season, a number of new teams are looking seriously at Formula BMW Pacific with a view to entering the series. GP2 Team DAMS has already confirmed it will enter two cars next season.

In Asia Pacific, Formula BMW has seen champions from China, Hong Kong, Bahrain, New Zealand and Indonesia since its launch in 2003, with many of its graduates now competing in GP2, Formula 3 and A1GP. The ground-breaking Formula BMW Education & Coaching programme, which forms an integral part of the series, is the most comprehensive and professional course of its kind in the region.

-credit: pacific/fbmw