Everything about Formula Bmw totally explained
Formula BMW is a junior racing
formula for
single seater cars. It is positioned at the bottom of the motorsport
career ladder alongside the longer established
Formula Ford category. Like Formula Ford, it's intended to function as the young
kart racing graduate's first experience of car racing. The new formula was created by
BMW Motorsport in 2001, with the first of its championships being inaugurated in
Germany in 2002. Selected competitors from each series meet in the World Final at the end of each season, with the promise of a
Formula One test for the winner.
Origins
BMW has prior experience of junior
formula racing, as a successful engine supplier in
Formula Two and, more briefly,
Formula Three in the 1970s. Its European F2 Championship program, which ran from 1973 to 1981, contributed to six drivers' titles in partnership with
March. The company ended its participation prior to its first entry into
Formula One in the 1980s.
BMW returned to the junior categories in
Germany in 1991, as the engine supplier to the
Formula ADAC championship. The first champion was
Christian Abt. It was in 2001 that BMW decided to significantly increase its involvement in the series;
ADAC remained the sanctioning body, but BMW Motorsport devised the package of regulations and commissioned the new chassis. The new formula made its debut at
Hockenheim in April 2002.
Among the series' more notable teams was
Team Rosberg, founded by former
Formula One world champion
Keke Rosberg, which entered the original Formula BMW ADAC in 1999 and continued into the all-new championship. The team took Rosberg's son,
Nico, to the 2002 championship title in his rookie year. By 2006, Nico Rosberg had progressed to Formula One.
Formula BMW has since expanded to encompass four championships across three continents. The German series was followed by a
south-east Asian championship in 2003, and series in the
United Kingdom and the
United States were launched the following year. The UK and German championships will be merged into a new pan-European series in 2008.
Overview
Competitors benefit from BMW Motorsport's Education and Coaching Program, which is based at two Formula BMW Racing Centres at the
Circuit de Valencia in
Spain and the
Bahrain International Circuit at
Sakhir,
Bahrain. The centres provide courses in race driving, chassis setup, fitness and nutrition, media management, and sponsorship searching.
To be eligible to compete in Formula BMW, drivers must be at least 15 years old, and must not have competed in any international racing series other than karting. They must hold an International racing license no higher than Grade C. (FIA International racing licenses are graded from A to D, with an additional
super-license above Grade A.) Competitors must take part in a Licensing Course at one of the Racing Centres.
BMW also provides an annual scholarship for five young drivers in each championship, between the ages of 15 and 18, who are chosen through a selection process. It provides each driver with a budget of £35,000 in the UK, US$50,000 in Asia and US$40,000 in the USA.
The best drivers from each championship are invited to the Formula BMW World Final, which takes place at one of the Formula BMW Racing Centres in December of each year. The 2006 event was held at Valencia. It is composed of a series of elimination heats followed by a final race. The winner is awarded a
Formula One test with
BMW-Sauber.
Technical information
Formula BMW is what is sometimes referred to as a "slicks and wings" formula, which describes the use of
slick tires and
downforce-generating wings at the front and rear. The addition of wings results in cornering speeds that are faster than that which is achieved by the wingless
Formula Ford cars and comparable to
Formula Renault, and provides drivers with valuable first-time experience of the unique characteristics of aerodynamic downforce.
Formula BMW is strictly a "control" formula. This term describes a formula in which every major aspect of equipment and suppliers is restricted. Control formulae normally have only one chassis specification, one engine, and single suppliers of tires and fuel. Modifications to the chassis, bodywork and engine are not permitted and this is strictly enforced through
scrutineering. In the case of Formula BMW, tuning is restricted to basic adjustment of the
gear ratios,
suspension, brake balance and wing angles. The engines are sealed to prevent illegal modifications and are serviced by
Schnitzer Motorsport.
Designworks/USA, a subsidiary of BMW, led the design of the car in cooperation with the French chassis constructor
Mygale, which is responsible for production. At 3.975m (156.5in) in length, it's larger than a Formula Ford 1600, and slightly smaller than a Formula Renault 2000.
The engine was sourced from BMW's motorcycle division: it's a near-standard
K1200RS motorcycle engine, in an
inline four-cylinder configuration, with a capacity of 1171 cc, and a power output of . Drive is through a single-plate
clutch and a six-speed
sequential gearbox, produced by
Hewland. The complete car weighs 455 kg without fuel and driver.
Sporting regulations
As part of the effort to tightly control costs, Formula BMW follows the lead set by most junior single seater formulae by strictly limiting testing. During the season, teams and drivers are primarily limited to a small number of official test days, the cost of which is reimbursed by the series organisers. The teams are allowed to test at circuits that don't host championship events, provided they don't use a driver that competes in the championship. On-board data-loggers are used to monitor each team's on-track activity between race weekends, and illegal running is likely to incur a fine or suspension.
Each chassis is subject to safety inspections by the scrutineers, and may be replaced only if it's deemed necessary due to irreparable accident damage. If this occurs after a qualifying session, that driver's times have to be annulled and the driver must start at the back of the grid. Spare cars (second cars for use in the event of a problem with the first car) are not permitted. At the end of each session or race, the cars have to be submitted to the scrutineers under
Parc fermé conditions.
The use of treaded rain tires in place of the normal slick tires is permitted only when the race director deems it necessary in any given session or race, and he reserves the right to mandate their use when conditions are severe. For safety reasons, the
pitlane is subject to a 60km/h (37.5mph) speed limit, violation of which will result in a drive-through penalty. Drivers must wear
FIA-specification helmets and use the
Head And Neck Support (HANS) restraint system.
Each race begins with a
formation lap behind the
safety car, prior to the start itself. During this lap, the drivers must maintain position and not perform dangerous actions such as brake-testing, excessive weaving, and practice starts.
Event schedule
Each weekend begins with a 40-minute free practice session, except at events that support a Formula One Grand Prix, where the schedule is subject to change. Each race is preceded by a 20-minute qualifying session, in which competitors must set a time within 130% of the fastest time in order to qualify for the race. The time set in the qualifying session determines the driver's starting position for the race. If only one qualifying session can take place, each driver's second best time will determine his grid position for the second race. If no qualifying sessions can take place, the current championship standings will decide the grid for both races.
Each race must cover a minimum distance of 60km (37.5 miles), with that figure determining the number of laps according to the length of the circuit. If the race duration exceeds 30 minutes, it'll be stopped at the end of that lap. In the event of a race being stopped prematurely, full points are awarded if the race leader completed at least 75% of the distance, while half points are awarded if at least 50% is completed. If a race is stopped prior to half-distance, it'll be restarted where possible. Full points are awarded as follows:
| Position | 1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
5th |
6th |
7th |
8th |
9th |
10th
|
| Points | 20 |
15 |
12 |
10 |
8 |
6 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1
|
The UK championship is composed of ten rounds, with two races per round. The German championship previously ran for ten rounds, but was reduced to nine in 2006. The US championship has only seven rounds, each with two races. The Asian championship is a little different: it used to run seven rounds with two races per weekend, but now has six rounds with
four races per weekend at all bar one round. Having fewer events, but with more races at each, helps to reduce transport and travel costs without reducing the number of races.
Championships
Germany
Formula BMW ADAC is sanctioned by the
Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil Club e.V., Europe's largest automobile association. It was immediately popular with teams and drivers alike, attracting 32 entries in its first season. Since 2004, the ADAC championship has included a support event for the
European Grand Prix at the
Nürburgring.
2002 champion
Nico Rosberg joined the
Williams Formula One team in 2006 and the 2004 champion
Sebastian Vettel became a test driver for the
BMW Sauber team later the same year. He has since secured a race drive with
Scuderia Toro Rosso. The 2005 championship was decided in an appeal court, which penalised Switzerland's Sebastian Buemi with a 60-second penalty for a driving infringement. This handed the title to
Nicolas Hülkenberg. In the immediate aftermath of the incident in question, both drivers had been given 30-second penalties. The 2006 champion,
Christian Vietoris, went on to dominate that year's World Final in Valencia, in which he secured pole position, finished in 1st place in all three qualification heats, and won the final itself.
Asia
Formula BMW Asia was the second championship to be created. It was inaugurated in 2003 under the management of Motorsport Asia Limited, and functioned as a replacement for Asian
Formula 2000. Its creation is part of the growth in popularity of organised single seater motorsport in east Asia, and it forms the start of a career ladder below the
Asian Formula 3 Pacific Series and Formula V6 Asia. Events have been held at
Sepang in
Malaysia;
Bira in
Thailand;
Sentul in
Indonesia; and
Shanghai,
Zhuhai and
Beijing in
China. It has appeared on the support bill at the
Malaysian,
Chinese, and
Bahrain Grands Prix.
USA
The U.S. racing tradition of
stock cars is supported by a career ladder that has many opportunities for
oval and
dirt track racing, with more limited opportunities for young drivers who want a single-seater career. That made Formula BMW's expansion into the U.S. motor racing scene a bold, but positive, development. As the number of young American drivers aiming for Formula One (rather than
NASCAR) began to increase, there became a need for a starter series positioned between karting and Formula Ford 2000. The series is sanctioned by
IMSA, and it has appeared on the support bill for
ALMS,
Champ Car,
Grand-Am,
Indy Racing League and
Formula One events. This season, it supported both the
Canadian and
US Grands Prix.
The 2007 BMW USA champion is last season's Rookie of the Year, Daniel Morad of
Canada, who secured the title with six wins.
Mexico's Esteban Gutierrez took over the Rookie title.
UK
The
UK has a long history of national motorsport, and it has rarely lacked choice at this level. When Formula BMW UK was formed, it had to compete in a crowded marketplace with a number of series based on Formula Ford and Formula Renault regulations, together with smaller series such as Zip Formula. However, as with the other BMW championships, the UK series quickly proved to be a success. It attracted 25 entrants in its inaugural season in 2004, which increased to 28 the following season. Former Formula One and Indycar champion
Nigel Mansell became involved as an ambassador for the series after his sons,
Leo and
Greg, began their single seater careers in the championship in 2006. He also works as a mentor with the BMW Education and Coaching Programme. It was recently announced that 2007 would be the last year for Formula BMW UK, as it makes way for the new pan-European championship, which leaves
Marcus Ericsson of
Sweden as the last UK champion.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Formula Bmw'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://formula_bmw.totallyexplained.com">Formula BMW Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
