Formula BMW Asia series leader Marchy LEE Yin-Kin is itching to get back on track with the Asian Festival of Speed, after winning the opening two races in support of the Bahrain F1 Grand Prix back in April. This time he will be racing in front of the Japanese GT crowd, as Formula BMW Asia supports the exciting Japanese sports-car series at the Sepang Circuit, Malaysia, on June 18-19, 2004.
Lee will also have a new Meritus team mate at the event, as Moroccan racer Mehdi BENNANI joins Meritus for the rest of the season. Bennani claimed two fifth place finishes in Formula BMW Asia at the Bahrain event, and decided to commit to the full season with Meritus.
"I am really looking forward to racing in Formula BMW Asia, because it one of the best series available to young drivers looking to gain experience. I decided to join Meritus because I saw their performance at the Bahrain event, and because they have a lot of experience with winning in Formula BMW," said Bennani. Team Meritus won all 14 races of the 2003 Formula BMW Asia series.
Marchy Lee was also pleased to welcome his new team mate. "It is always good for a team to grow bigger, because it helps with setting up the car at each circuit. Each driver learns something from the other, with the end result being we all do well in the race," said Lee. Lee recently received the endorsement of Ferrari Maserati China at the official opening of the Shanghai International Circuit, where he was also introduced to Jean Todt, team principle of Ferrari F1.
Despite Lee being the series leader and Bennani being the new-comer, most of the attention will actually be focused on Meritus' third driver at the Sepang event. Young Malaysian rookie Nik IRUWAN will be racing in front of his home crowd, and he is determined to put on a good show and prove his ability. This will be his second ever car racing event, after a successful career in karts, but Iruwan already proved he has what it takes by finishing strongly in the first event in Bahrain.
"The goal that the team and I set for myself in Bahrain was to finish both races, and we achieved that. Now I have the confidence to push harder, and I want to make my mark on the top of the grid, to really give the Malaysian fans something to cheer about," said Iruwan.
Team Meritus Founder and President Peter Thompson was also pleased to see his team moving into new countries. "We saw in Bahrain that the Middle East and the rest of the Arab world are really getting into motorsports, so we are delighted to welcome Mehdi [Bennani] into the team, and we hope that more Arabic drivers will follow. Sepang is like a home race for us, since part of the team is based here, so we will be trying extra hard for good results, especially for our local star Nik [Iruwan]," said Thompson.
