Dallas Formula BMW Asia Drive Experience Prize

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Formula BMW Drive Experience winner Ben Dallas with the Formula BMW single-seater he drove at Pukekohe Park Raceway yesterday. Photo: Fast Company/Andrew Bright-Ultrapix

KARTSPORT NEW ZEALAND
Media Release
For immediate release

* 2007 Formula BMW Drive Experience
Pukekohe Park Raceway
Pukekohe
January 30
2007

PRESS RELEASE

31-01-07

DALLAS CLAIMS FORMULA BMW ASIA DRIVE EXPERIENCE PRIZE

New Zealand kart champion Ben Dallas from Auckland will be winging his way to the Formula BMW Racing School in Bahrain late next month courtesy Formula BMW Asia and BMW New Zealand.

There he will compete against promising young drivers from all over the Asia-Pacific region for one of five $US50,000 scholarships to compete in the 2007 Formula BMW Asia Championship.

Dallas, 16, was one of 15 competitors at the weekend's CIK Trophy of New Zealand presented by Karcher kart meeting at Hamilton selected to undergo a day's evaluation in a Formula BMW single-seater at Pukekohe Park Raceway yesterday.

All 15 impressed the selectors but Formula BMW Drive Experience spokesman Mike Eady says Ben was the one who stood out.

"He was the first driver out in the car and as it turned out he set a standard no one was able to better. He's a very talented driver and will make a great ambassador, both for KartSport New Zealand and BMW New Zealand," Eady said.

Dallas, a Year 12 student from St Kentigern College, said today that he was still coming to terms with his win - and the substantial prize that goes with it.

"I still can't quite believe it," he said. "It's something you dream about and now it is real!"

Dallas has only recently moved up to the Senior ranks after a successful karting career in the Cadet, Junior Restricted and Junior Yamaha classes and he and his parents have only just started talking about 'the next step' to cars.

How, and which category to move to, was still very much a work in progress - until now.

"Yes," said Peter, Ben's father," this has really made our decision for us."

KartSport New Zealand President Alan Sherris called the first of what is hoped to be an annual link-up between the Formula BMW Asia organisation and KartSport's New Zealand's CIK Trophy of New Zealand presented by Karcher meeting an unqualified success with benefits to both parties.

"First and foremost," he said this morning, " I would like to thank Formula BMW Asia and BMW Motorsport New Zealand for bringing the car down and allowing our karters not only to see and touch it but also to drive it. A link-up like this can only be good for our sport, and for a company like BMW which has invested so much in a motorsport programme."

Places on the Formula BMW Drive Experience at Pukekohe Park were offered to the first three placegetters in the three international classes at the CIK meeting - Junior Intercontinental A, Formula 100 and KZ2 - and to the winners of each of the eligible support classes.

In addition, a further three competitors considered worthy of the opportunity but who for whatever reason did not finish in the top three in one of the International classes or first in a support category, were selected, making up a total of 15 drivers.

To be eligible, drivers had to be New Zealand resident holders of a KartSport New Zealand competition licence no younger than 15 years and no older than 24 years on January 30 2007.

Formula BMW is a one-make 'wings-and-slicks' single-seater motor racing category which pits drivers of identical 1.2 litre BMW-powered racing cars against each other in official sanctioned series around the world. The category was created by leading motor vehicle manufacturer BMW to help bridge the gap between karts and traditional but larger capacity single-seater formula like the 2-litre Formula 3.

Since its inception in 2002 it has produced a number of drivers who have moved further 'up the ladder' including New Zealand's own Chris Vander Drift and New Zealand A1GP round winner Nico Hulkenberg.

Multi-time New Zealand kart champion Vander Drift, 20, spent two years competing in Formula BMW in Europe, winning the Rookie of the Year title in 2004, then winning races and being one of the contenders for overall series victory in 2005.

Last year New Zealand was represented in the Formula BMW Asia series for the first time by Wanganui's Earl Bamber and Auckland's Dominic Storey.

Bamber went on to win the series after a fantastic season-long fight with top Australian driver Sam Abay, and Storey finishing sixth overall.

ENDS

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