Series newsletter 2010-03-25

First tests point towards thrilling Formula BMW Europe season.

The drivers and teams completed their first official tests in Monza (IT) and Barcelona (ES) ahead of the 2010 Formula BMW Europe season.

At the “Autodromo Nazionale di Monza” the rookies wasted no time in proving just how quick they are, occupying the top spots on the time sheets. The fastest lap was set by Russia’s Daniil Kyvat, who was followed in second by his Eurointernational team-mate Carlos Sainz (ES).

On the first test day, the weather at the Italian circuit was bitterly cold with the thermometer never getting above three degrees Celsius. While the morning had been dry, at the end of the afternoon session it started to snow. This did not put the youngsters off, as it was a very successful day of running with no incidents.

In Barcelona, the drivers continued their preparations for the new season in unsettled conditions. At the end of the two-day test session, Robin Frijns (NL/Josef Kaufmann Racing), who won the 2009 Rookie Cup, led the field. His time of 1:50.442 minutes was a second faster than last year’s pole position time. Formula BMW Junior Sainz finished second fastest again, 0.120 seconds behind Frijns.

The next official test session takes place on 6th and 7th April 2010 in Silverstone (GB). The new Formula BMW Europe season gets underway in Barcelona on 8th May, where it will share the bill with the Spanish Grand Prix.

Formula BMW Pacific opens with record field.

The registration deadline has also passed for the 2010 Formula BMW Pacific season. No less than 18 young guns are aiming to follow in the footsteps of Indonesia’s Rio Haryanto, who emerged triumphant from last season’s championship. They will be joined by four guest starters from Formula BMW Europe, who complete the field for the curtain-raiser in Sepang (MY) on 3rd April 2010.

Three Formula BMW Pacific will contest their first race event as Formula BMW Juniors. Jesse Dixon (AU), Jordan Oon (AU) and Kotaro Sakurai (JP) want to prove their worth in race conditions after qualifying for the successful Formula BMW talent promotion scheme in last year’s Scholarship Course.

An overview of the provisional Formula BMW Pacific entry list:

Nabil Jeffri (R), Malaysia, Eurasia Motorsport
Duvashen Padayachee (R), Australia, Eurasia Motorsport
Kotaro Sakurai (R), Japan, Eurasia Motorsport
Richard Bradley (R), Great Britain, Eurasia Motorsport
Dustin Sofyan, Indonesia, Team Meritus
Pasin Lathouras (R), Thailand, Team Meritus
Afiq Yazid (R), Malaysia, Team Meritus
Oscar Tunjo (R), Columbia, Team Meritus
S.H. Tom Mun, Korea, E-Rain Racing
Jordan Oon (R), Australia, E-Rain Racing
Jesse Dixon (R), Australia, Atlantic Racing Team
Daniil Kvyat, Russia, Eurointernational
Carlos Sainz Jr., Spain, Eurointernational
Michael Lewis, USA, Eurointernational
Calvin Wong, Malaysia, PETRONAS Mofaz Racing
Ryan Ritchie (R), Malaysia, PETRONAS Mofaz Racing
Natasha Seatter (R), Malaysia, PETRONAS Mofaz Racing
Amirrul Khirudin (R), Malaysia, PETRONAS Mofaz Racing
Mun Shien, Malaysia, Mango Racing
Fahmi Ilyas, Malaysia, DAMS

R=Rookie

First dates announced for Formula BMW Racing Experience.

Start your engines! Once again, this goes for everybody in the 2010 season. The Formula BMW Racing Experience makes you a racing driver in a day. Motor racing fans can demonstrate their driving skills at the wheel of a FB02 race car.

The events confirmed for the new season have everything to offer: eight dates at six fascinating circuits throughout Europe, including classic venues like the “Circuit Park Zandvoort”, Hungaroring and the Nuerburgring’s Nordschleife.

Date - Venue - Circuit
15.04.2010 - Nuerburg, Germany - Nuerburgring (sprint circuit)*
16.17.04.2010 - Nuerburg, Germany - Nuerburgring (sprint circuit)
29./30.04.2010 - Lausitz, Germany - Lausitzring
04.05.2010 - Valencia, Spain - Circuit Ricardo Tormo
25./26.05.2010 - Budapest, Hungary - Hungaroring*
07.06.2010 - Zandvoort, The Netherlands - Circuit Park Zandvoort
13.09.2010 - Nuerburg, Germany - Nuerburgring-Nordschleife*
18./19.09.2010 - Budapest, Hungary - Hungaroring

*This event is sold out.

Formula BMW alumni round-up.

- Seven former Formula BMW drivers were involved when the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship got underway in Bahrain. For a long time, Sebastian Vettel (DE) looked on course for victory, until he was slowed down by a technical problem. The winner of the 2004 Formula BMW ADAC Championship still managed to cross the line in fourth. Nico Rosberg (DE) finished just behind Vettel in fifth place. Adrian Sutil (DE) came 12th, while Nico Huelkenberg (DE) ended his first Formula One race in 14th. Sebastien Buemi (CH) took the chequered flag in 16th. Timo Glock (DE) and Bruno Senna (BR) endured a less successful afternoon, both failing to finish. The second Grand Prix of the year will take place on Sunday in Melbourne (AU).

- This season, Simona de Silvestro lines up in the American Indycar Series. For the HVM Racing team the Swiss will be contesting her maiden season in this category. Alongside Danica Patrick (US) and Milka Duno (CO), she is the third woman in the Indycar Series. De Silvestro raced in Formula BMW USA in 2006, where she scored 113 points for the Eurointernational team and achieved numerous podium finishes, including two second-place finishes in Lime Rock (US) and Mosport (CA). The 21-year-old has been competing in the Atlantic Championship for the last three years, and made history in 2009 when she became the first woman ever to win claim four victories in this championship. De Silvestro joins Graham Rahal (US) as the second Formula BMW graduate in the 2010 Indycar Series.

- The Team of Peter Sauber has taken 18-year-old Esteban Gutierrez (MX) under its wing. The 2008 Formula BMW Europe champion will attend a number of the Grands Prix in 2010, observe the goings-on in the pits, listen in to the radio communications and be present at meetings. Added to which, he will be incorporated into the team’s driver development programme. This means that he will follow the same training regime as race drivers Pedro de la Rosa (ES) and Kamui Kobayashi (JP), and his physical condition will be monitored and evaluated in the same way. “We view this link-up as a kind of sponsorship arrangement,” explains team boss Peter Sauber. “Nowadays you can only give young drivers a very limited amount of help in gaining a foothold in Formula One. With the limited number of testing opportunities, it is important for the teams to have the race drivers in the cars during those sessions. However, the world of Formula One is so complex that you can learn a great deal just by watching and listening to what’s going on. That’s the opportunity we’re giving Esteban. And we will also help him to get himself in F1-trim physically.”

-source: fbmw