Winning Formula - Young Singaporean racers get F1 chance.

[ryan]

From PML,

In a move that could make a career in international motorsport a bigger reality for Asian youth, BMW Motorsport has increased the funding levels for the five Formula BMW Asia Scholarships to US$50,000 each. And the search for a new Asian star to follow in the footsteps of inaugural champion Tung Ho Pin from China went underway at the start of the year.

Applications for the chance to qualify for one of the five Formula BMW Asia Scholarships for the 2004 season were open to anyone in Asia born between 1982 and 1988, with no international racing experience. The US$50,000 goes towards the cost of competing in the 2004 Formula BMW Asia season, plus a full Education and Coaching programme, free-of-charge.

Full article here.

http://www.pml.com.sg/bmw/news2/newsmotorsportapr04.html

 

[Shaun]

Read about the Formula BMW Scholarship last year. It certainly is a good thing, but it is sad that racing beyond that (at an international level) costs a ton more money. Still would be interesting even if it was just for a year of competition. A lot better way to spend time vs rotting in the NS though. Ryan you were born in 1982 right? Go for it!

Seriously though, selection is likely to be quite stringent. I have a friend who did ran the Skip Barber program and they are selective.. just like the Russell scholarships. They pick the best who generally have the intent and money to carry it through fully because it brings recognition to the school. They don't want to waste the money and effort training people.

The road to F1 from Formula BMW is next to non-existent for anyone who has not raced karts competitvely since childhood and whose family has extreme amounts of money, and extremely good connections. Big businesses, govt. Even to run at F3 requires multiple millions. Ernesto Viso, a promising young Brazilian driver now in F3, even with his family millions and connections currently can't progress to F2 (formerly F3000), because of the costs, though he has the skill. He has a real good shot at F1 though, potentially even straight from F3.

Assuming one had the skill, money, connections, even at this age, and from this part of the world, the road to F1 would be looooooong.

 

[russo]

Damn, If only I was born younger :furious:

 

[Racebred]

if you have like $200k you can enter the asia carrera cup.