Formula BMW World Final

[Daisy]

This weekend 35 young drivers will compete in their Formula BMW cars from 4 different championship, to win the Formula BMW World Final and, most important, a Formula 1 test with the BMW.Sauber team during the next event. Previous 2 winners came from Germany, Marco Holzer and Christian Vietoris.

This years favourites include also 2 Germans, Jens Klingmann and Marco Wittmann. Other title candidates are Canadian Daniel Morad, Spanish driver Daniel Campos-Hull, Philipp Eng from Austria, Henry Arundel from the UK and Czech driver Josef Kral. This years Formula BMW UK champion, Marcus Ericsson, will not compete this weekend.

The format is the following (I copied it from the BMW Motorsport website, because they can explain it better than I can):
Accordingly, the schedule is extremely tight, particularly for drivers for whom nothing less than a podium place will do. Before reaching the Sunday Final, the field will have been divided into two groups, with each group participating in three 45-minute free practice sessions on the Friday morning.

Thereafter both groups will participate in two 30-minute qualifying sessions. Following are three elimination races – so-called “Heats” – before a driver will be eligible for a place on the grid for the Sunday Final.

On Saturday morning the top four drivers from each of the two qualifying sessions will contest the ‘’Super Pole’’, run to a flying-lap format. Times set in the session will determine starting positions and the composition of the six scheduled ‘Heats’. These will be contested by four Groups - A, B, C and D. The driver setting the “Super Pole” time will start at the head of Group A, with the times of the drivers in the fastest qualifying group deciding starting positions three, five, seven, etc.

Group C will be headed by the driver clocking the second-best performance in the fastest qualifying group, with the fourth-, sixth-, eighth- etc. placed drivers in that group lining up behind him. Similarly, Groups B and D will be composed of top two drivers in the second-fastest qualifying group, with the rest lining up behind them as above.

Each of these four groups will be pressed into action against each other during “Heats” staged on Saturday and Sunday, with points being allocated to drivers on the basis of their respective performances. The winner of each “Heat” will be allocated zero points, second-placed driver two points and so on down. The driver with the lowest points’ score will start the 2007 Formula BMW World Final from pole position.

Super pole was won by Austrian's Philipp Eng, who also won the first Heat race. The 2nd race was won by Daniel Morad.

Heat 1 (18 drivers)
1. Philipp Eng
2. Josef Kral
3. Sebastien Saavreda
4. Jonathan Legris
5. Marco Wittmann
6. Henry Arundel
9. Daniel Campos Hull
DNF Jens Klingmann

Heat 2 (17 drivers)
1. Daniel Morad
2. Sam Abay
3. Niall Quinn
4. Kevin Mirocha
5. Carlos Huertas
10. Jazeman Jaafar
DNF Adrien Tambay

[Last2LiftOff]

Great post Daisy, thanks for that.

The 2nd race was won by Daniel Morad.

Homeboy...

The 2nd of 6 heats? If I have that right. Results page here (hopefully). I'm all ears.

[Jimmy Magnusson]

Why isn't Marcus Ericsson entered? Sort of devalues the world final if one of the champions isn't there...

[Last2LiftOff]

Kral, and Daniel McKenzie (shown 11th in BMW UK) are.

[Daisy]

Heat 3
1. Daniel Morad
2. Philipp Eng
3. Marco Wittmann
4. Kevin Mirocha
5. Daniel Campos-Hull
7. Henry Arundel
12. Sam Abay

Heat 4
1. Jens Klingmann
2. Josef Kral
3. Carlos Huertas
4. Jonathan Legris
5. Esteban Gutierez
DNF Adrien Tambay

Morad is looking very strong, 2 out of 2 and on his way to pole for the main race. Klingmann back up there after a DNF in the first race. But it doesn't seem to be the weekend of Adrien Tambay.

[Last2LiftOff]

I think the grid should be set now? I'd like to see that race if there were a live stream out there, somewhere.

[Alex K]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Magnusson

Why isn't Marcus Ericsson entered? Sort of devalues the world final if one of the champions isn't there...

Maybe he's more aware of F3 now?

[Last2LiftOff]

I'd guess it had to have been Ericsson's choice Alex, the invitation must've been made. Dunno.

[Daisy]

Final Result
1. Philipp Eng (from pole position)
2. Josef Kral
3. Marco Wittmann
4. Jens Klingmann
5. Jonathan Legris
6. Sebastian Saavreda
7. Carlos Huertas
8. Henry Arundel
9. Daniel Campos-Hull
10. Luuk Glansdorp
13. Sam Abay
15. Adrien Tambay
DNF Daniel Morad

[Mike.ca]

Does anyone know what happened to Morad?

[Leighton Irwin]

Electrical short in steering wheel 3rd lap while in 2nd.

[Kidzer]

Some debate about the legality of Josef Kral and Jonathan Legris' cars at the moment, seems theres a chance they had cars that may not have been within the regulations - crash.net reports both cars still in parc ferme.

Congratulations to Phllipp Eng, rooting for him, 'cause I like him!

[Mike.ca]

Too bad for Morad. He and Eng seemed to be the men of the weekend. It's always better when the top guys get to race for it. I bet it would have been a cracker if Morad's car had held up.

[HitMan13]

Originally Posted by Leighton Irwin

Electrical short in steering wheel 3rd lap while in 2nd.

Ahh. bugger! He was on fire too I couldn't figure out how the BMW's were 12 seconds per lap faster than IFM cars!! then i discovered they were using a shorter version of the track

Looking at the times, seems to have been a processional finish. Shame.

Daniel should kick ass next year! Assuming he is still coming to Europe...

PS: have you ever tried passing on the outside of Mosport turn 4?

[Last2LiftOff]

An electrical problem...WTF!?

But you made your point I think Daniel, well done. Congrats to Philipp Eng (AUT) on the win and an impressive showing, and to Maxime Pelletier for having a go at the World Final this year, running consistently in the top 10 each heat.

[simon drabble]

Originally Posted by Kidzer

Some debate about the legality of Josef Kral and Jonathan Legris' cars at the moment, seems theres a chance they had cars that may not have been within the regulations - crash.net reports both cars still in parc ferme.

Congratulations to Phllipp Eng, rooting for him, 'cause I like him!

do you know the outcome of this yet?

[Jimmy Magnusson]

Originally Posted by Last2LiftOff

An electrical problem...WTF!?

But you made your point I think Daniel, well done. Congrats to Philipp Eng (AUT) on the win and an impressive showing, and to Maxime Pelletier for having a go at the World Final this year, running consistently in the top 10 each heat.

Electrical problem, of course... Can't have a non-germanic driver win the BMW world final can we

[Leighton Irwin]

Yes. Many times. I did 70% of my Mosport passing at 4, usually on the outside. 9 was my other favourite. I also passed on the outside of 2. There is an outside line on 2 that the late Bruce McLaren used. Scarey though. I haven't seen anyone do it recently but I did know it. I instucted at a school at Mosport for a couple of years so I knew all sorts of tricks. Seems I liked left handers.

[Last2LiftOff]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Magnusson

Electrical problem, of course... Can't have a non-germanic driver win the BMW world final can we

Nope, guess not Jimmy, not this year.

[Last2LiftOff]

Originally Posted by Leighton Irwin

Yes. Many times. I did 70% of my Mosport passing at 4, usually on the outside. 9 was my other favourite. I also passed on the outside of 2. There is an outside line on 2 that the late Bruce McLaren used. Scarey though. I haven't seen anyone do it recently but I did know it. I instucted at a school at Mosport for a couple of years so I knew all sorts of tricks. Seems I liked left handers.

That sounds pretty cool Leighton, what were you driving?

[Leighton Irwin]

Stripped but basically stock MGA, mine. 3 different MGB's. 2 stock and road going, one modified for racing. None of them were mine. Lastly my Elva MK6 Climax. Ran out of money after engine self destructed.

[HitMan13]

Originally Posted by Leighton Irwin

Yes. Many times. I did 70% of my Mosport passing at 4, usually on the outside. 9 was my other favourite. I also passed on the outside of 2. There is an outside line on 2 that the late Bruce McLaren used. Scarey though. I haven't seen anyone do it recently but I did know it. I instucted at a school at Mosport for a couple of years so I knew all sorts of tricks. Seems I liked left handers.

Cool! So that would definitely be the old surface. I have raced on old and new surface and found there was a killer outside line on turn 2 with the old surface, as long as the guy on the inside was not a muppet!

I have used outside turn 4 once or twice, but they were slower guys, and not much challenge. That would be an epic maneuver - pass for the lead on outside turn 4! damn.

One of my favoutires was outside turn 8. f'n fast! Except one attempt got me an overnight in the hospital (!) I also enjoyed a hi-lo move between 9 and 10.

Damn, i miss that track. (i know it's still there, but i'm not!)

Wait!! we strayed from topic! Any idea of Maxime's plans next year?

[Last2LiftOff]

Originally Posted by HitMan13

Wait!! we strayed from topic! Any idea of Maxime's plans next year?

No. None, nada, zilch. Pelletier's or Morad's.

And now Philipp Eng waits a year to drive the BMW Sauber? I never quite got the wait, they're testing again in a week AFAIK. But I guess by next year Philipp can just say he drove the BMW.