Young Malaysian to realise childhood dream
After a triumphant start to the season at the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix, Formula BMW Asia heads to Sepang International Circuit on June 18 and 19 for rounds three and four of the 14-round series, part of the Japan GT Championship Malaysian event.
Drivers from 11 nations across Asia, representing the cream of the region's young racing talent, will do battle on Sepang's 5.6km track in two 10 lap races.
Flying the flag for Malaysia will be 18-year-old Nik Iruwan. Awarded one of the five coveted Formula BMW scholarships, Iruwan is looking forward to his first appearance at the Sepang Circuit. "It has been my dream since childhood to race on a big circuit in my own country in front of the local fans. For every racing driver, racing on their home circuit is definitely special," he said.
With his previous experience confined to karts, single seater racing is completely new to the young Malaysian Formula BMW Junior, but he is determined to take full advantage of the training provided by BMW under the scholarship. "I've achieved a lot of success for Malaysia in karting and now I am taking a big step forward," he said. Iruwan admits that he is slightly daunted by the prospect of racing in front of his home crowd. "But I won't let the pressure take control of me," he said.
Iruwan's Meritus team mate, Marchy Lee of Hong Kong, tops the Driver Championship leaderboard going in to the next rounds, having clinched victory in both races in Bahrain. "I'm very confident I can win the next two races," said Lee who admits he has more racing experience than the other competitors. "It's not going to be easy. The drivers who competed last year will benefit from their knowledge of the track, but I've only raced there once before."
Lee can certainly expect some fierce competition in Malaysia, particularly from the likes of You Kyong-Ouk of Korea. The 23-year-old BMW Korea E-Rain Racing driver won the Formula BMW Asia Rookie Cup last year and is on top form this season having finished 2nd and 3rd respectively in Bahrain.
Newly-formed this year, Minardi Team Asia is already making a name for itself in the series. Its two Filipino drivers Tyson Sy and Dado Pena, both 16, competed last year, and are looking strong this season. Sy put in a brilliant performance in round two to finish second.
Hanss Lin of Chinese Taipei, runner up in the championship last year, is likely to be on the pace and his hard-charging style should see him at the front of the field. This year Lin is driving for another new team, Belgravia Motorsport, which is also fielding three drivers from Bahrain; Hamed Al Fardan, Sheikk Salman Bin Rashid Al Khalifa, and Mohammed Al Baharna.
Said Lee, "Tyson and Hanss will be my biggest threats, especially Tyson who has improved a lot since last year."
The only lady driver in the field this year is Gaby Dela Merced of the Philippines. The 21-year-old is competing with Team T.E.C. PILIPINAS and is making the transition from saloon car racing to single seaters this year as a Formula BMW Junior driver.
The ultra-modern Formula BMW which allows 15-year-olds to enter the world of motor racing has been lining up on the grid since the 2002 season. It sets standards above all on the safety technology front. The single-seater, driven by a 140 bhp BMW motorcycle engine that takes it up to 230 km/h, features a carbon-fibre chassis, fulfils the safety requirements of the much higher-performance Formula 3 cars, and even matches certain Formula One standards.
In 2004, Formula BMW will be staged in four different series held in Germany, the UK, Asia and the USA. Formula BMW events will be part of the Formula One support programme on five occasions around the world. All the series go hand-in-hand with a comprehensive education and coaching programme, as well as substantial financial backing for promising young talent. The most distinguished graduate of this "talent hothouse" is Ralf Schumacher. The star of the BMW WilliamsF1 Team made his racing debut in the junior class in 1992.
BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen: "Our junior talent promotion scheme is an intensive basic education for successful kart drivers who want to move up into Formula racing. Our priorities are to create a level playing field through technically identical vehicles and scrupulously defined regulations, and to ensure maximum safety."
Formula BMW Asia, now in its second season, runs as part of the Asian Festival of Speed (AFOS) organised by Motorsport Asia Limited. This year the series is run over 14 rounds at seven venues in Bahrain, Malaysia, Thailand, Korea, China and Japan. It will culminate in a second Formula One Grand Prix support race at Shanghai in September.
