Sean McDonagh (18/USA/Team E-Rain) recorded his second Formula BMW Pacific win today, taking victory in the 15-lap Round 8 at Indonesia’s Sentul International Circuit. In a perfect lights-to-flag run, McDonagh converted his pole position into an emphatic win to put him within six points of championship leader Ross Jamison (18/HKG/Meritus).
Jamison, who started alongside McDonagh on the grid, finished 2nd, ahead of Formula BMW Junior Chris Wootton (19/AUS/Meritus), who took his maiden Rookie Cup victory.
McDonagh has vowed to be top of the leaderboard by the time he leaves Indonesia on Monday, but Jamison so far holds his position as championship leader.
Meanwhile, the heroic efforts of Rookie Cup points leader and Formula BMW Junior Simon Moss (16/RSA/Mahara) means he stays at the top of that points table. Moss charged through the field to finish 7th, having started from the back of the grid after failing to qualify due to car damage. Fellow scholarship driver Marlon Stöckinger trails Moss by 14 points after a disappointing outing, with Wootton, who missed the opening two rounds of the season, 3rd.
Said McDonagh: "After Turn 4, I felt really comfortable and just tried not to make any mistakes. It was a good race!"
Jamison was far from relaxed, however: "Melvin (Moh) got by me, and I knew I had to get straight back otherwise I could have had a problem later on. Melvin went wide at the last corner, and I went on the inside at turn one."
"The track was very slippery compared to this morning’s qualifying session. The tow was different, so I’m very happy with the result," said Wootton after recording his first Rookie Cup win.
Off the start, McDonagh got away well set about creating a gap to the rest of the field, eventually opening up an impressive margin of more than three seconds by the flag. Behind him, Team Holzer PFX racer Melvin Moh (19/MAS) made a good move to get past Jamison on lap 3. However, Moh’s gain was short-lived with Jamison grabbing back second just one lap later.
Behind them, Wootton, Colombian youngster Gabby Chaves (Atlantic Racing Team) and McDonagh’s team mate Ryuichi Nara (19/JPN) were battling it out.
Moh was not giving up on his fight with Jamison, keeping him well within his sights until the closing laps of the race when he made a mistake which allowed Wotton grab the final podium place.
Round 8 Results.
1 22 Sean MCDONAGH (KOR) Team E-Rain 23:33.535
2 88 Ross JAMISON (HKG) Meritus +3.101
3 68 Chris WOOTTON*• (AUS) Meritus +5.593
4 8 Melvin MOH (MAS) Team Holzer PFX +5.983
5 53 Gabriel CHAVES (COL) Atlantic Racing Team +7.414
6 34 Ryuichi NARA (JPN) Team E-Rain +8.699
7 38 Simon MOSS*• (RSA) Mahara +13.455
8 3 Aditya PATEL• (IND) Eurasia Motorsport +15.395
9 7 Imran SHAHAROM (MAS) Team Holzer PFX +21.752
10 78 Arvin ROSLAN• (MAS) Meritus +25.670
11 2 Marlon STÖCKINGER*• (PHI) Eurasia Motorsport +26.285
12 9 Dominic ANG• (MAS) Team Holzer PFX +29.935
13 58 Huzair HARUN RASIP (MAL) Mahara +1:07.05
*Scholarship driver
•Rookie Cup
#Non-Series Registered
Championship Points Tables after Round 8
Drivers Ross Jamison (HKG/Meritus) 107 points; 2. Sean McDonagh (KOR/Team E-Rain) 101 points; 3. Ryuichi Nara (JPN/Team E-Rain) 71 points; 4. Simon Moss (RSA/Mahara) 65 points; 5. Marlon Stöckinger (PHI/Eurasia Motorsport) 51 points; 6. Gabriel Chaves (COL/Atlantic Racing Team) 47 points; 7. Melvin Moh (MAS/Team Holzer PFX) 38 points; 8. Chris Wootton (AUS/Meritus) 38 points; 9. Dominic Ang (MAS/Team Holzer PFX) 32 points; 10. Arvin Roslan (MAS/Meritus) 30 points; 11. Aditya Patel (IND/Eurasia Motorsport) 26 points; 12. Imran Shaharom (MAS/Team Holzer PFX) 25 points; 13. Tasmin Pepper (RSA/Meritus) 22 points; 14. Huzair Harun Rasip (MAS/Mahara) 2 points; 15. Omer Younas (PAK/Team E-Rain) 1 point.
Rookie Cup 1.Moss; 2. Stöckinger; 3. Wootton; 4. Ang; 5. Roslan; 6. Patel; 7. Younas.
Teams 1.Meritus, 197 points; 2. Team E-Rain, 168 points; 3. Team Holzer PFX, 94 points; 4. Eurasia Motorsport, 77 points; 5. Mahara, 65 points; 6. Atlantic Racing Team, 47 points
Statistics:
Winners 2008: Jamison (2); Moss (2); Nara (2); McDonagh (2)
Pole Positions: Moss (2); McDonagh (5); Nara (1); Moh (1)
Podiums: Jamison (6); Moss (3); Patel (1); McDonagh (5); Moh (1); Chaves (1); Nara (3); Manzur (1); Stöckinger (1); Wootton (2)
Rookie Cup Winners: Moss (3); Stöckinger (3); Roslan (1); Wootton (1)
Background:
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 – will be 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. The series gives young racing talents the chance to enter professional motor sport in a safe racing car – the Formula BMW FB02.
The FB02 has been in use since season 2002. It 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.
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."
- Nikki KEMP, Hong Kong - also photo
