SEPTEMBER 27, 2003

Formula BMW to be launched in the US

BMW North America and BMW Motorsport will announce today the establishment of Formula BMW in the United States of America for 2004. The news will be announced at a press conference this evening featuring Tom Purves, the CEO of BMW North America, and BMW Motorsport director Dr Mario Theissen.

The aim of the new series is to establish a way in which US drivers can get into the international open-wheeler racing world from the start rather than following the traditional routes from the junior formulae to Formula Atlantic and then CART or IRL.

""The US market is the most important for BMW," said Theissen on Friday. "It passed the German market last year and of course we would like to see the importance of F1 growing in the States. We are not only providing the car and the series, but we are also providing an educational programme, an education to become a racing driver to learn everything it takes to develope in the world of motorsport and to be able to make his or her way in motorsport. It's a very big commitment. I think this is the first step to enable drivers to become a Formula 1 driver."