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 - are being 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, with Formula BMW Pacific being part of the Malaysian, Chinese and Singaporean Formula One World Championship rounds. Having raced in Malaysia and Indonesia so far this season, Formula BMW Pacific next travels to Shanghai, and the season Grand Finale will be part of November’s Macau Grand Prix for the first time this year.

The series, which incorporates BMW Motorsport’s decades of motor racing expertise, gives young racing talent the opportunity to enter professional motor sport in a safe racing car - the Formula BMW FB02.

The FB02 has been in use since the 2002 season and 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 Programme that runs parallel with the racing season. The programme 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.

From Asia and the Pacific, since its launch in 2003 the series has already seen its drivers graduate to GP2, the British and Euroseries Formula 3 championships and A1GP. The global nature of Formula BMW has also given youngsters from the Asia Pacific region the opportunity to enter the sport locally, and then move to Formula BMW Europe for a second season where they both learn the European circuits and compete with teams who also run in Formula 3. This system provides the optimum environment in which to take the next step in their careers.

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.”

Hong Kong’s Ross Jamison (18/Meritus), competing in his second Formula BMW Pacific season this year, currently leads the Driver Classification. His four victories so far give him a 22 point lead over arch rival Sean McDonagh (19/USA/Team E-Rain) who is also in his second year in the series. Formula BMW Junior Simon Moss of South Africa (17/Mahara), one of the three scholarship recipients this year, has battled with more than his fair share of bad luck this year, but his undoubted talent has put him 3rd in the Driver Classification and top of the Rookie Cup standings.

Melvin Moh (20/Team Holzer PFX) is the leading Malaysian driver. A graduate of the Petronas Formula Xperience academy, Moh is improving with every outing. Complete dedication, talent and team work gave Moh and his team their first series victory in Indonesia in July. Moh is partnered at Team Holzer PFX by fellow Malaysians Imran Shaharom (20) and Dominic Ang (19). Fellow countrymen Arvin Roslan (Meritus), who has just turned 19, and Mahara racer Huzair Harun Rasip bring the strong Malaysian contingent to five.

Sixth overall and second in the Rookie Cup standings is Formula BMW Junior Chris Wootton of Australia (19/Meritus). After a halting start to the season, which saw him miss the opening two rounds due to a licensing hitch, Wootton has ploughed his way up the leaderboard with impressive results.

Exciting talent Gabby Chaves (15) is the first ever South American series-registered driver for Formula BMW Pacific, and the youngest driver in the field. Both Chaves and his Atlantic Racing Team are newcomers to the Asian series, and are faring well on circuits which are completely unfamiliar to them.

Eurasia Motorsport entries for 2008 are Swiss-Filipino Formula BMW Junior Marlon Stöckinger (17), third in the Rookie Cup standings, and Indian rookie Aditya Patel (20).