Nara and Moss take pole apiece in Malaysia

22/3/2008


Japanese newcomer Ryuichi Nara (19/Team E-Rain) and Formula BMW Junior Simon Moss (16/RSA/Mahara) took a pole apiece for Rounds 1 and 2 of Formula BMW Pacific, which gets underway this weekend as an official support race to the Formula One Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix.


It was a good start to the season for Team E-Rain with Sean McDonagh (18/USA), embarking on his second year with the series having finished 3rd in the Rookie Cup in 2007, starting both races from second on the grid.


The top five drivers' best times, which also included Hong Kong‘s Ross Jamison (17/Meritus) and Malaysia’s Melvin Moh (19/Team Holzer PFX), also both returning for a second season, were within a single second of each other.


Second quickest Rookie was Eurasia Motorsport‘s Aditya Patel of India (19), 7th and 6th fastest, ahead of Arvin Roslan (18/MAS/Meritus).


The best times from the single 20-minute qualifying session, which started out damp, set the grid for Round 1, with the second-best times counting for the Round 2 starting order.


Initially the main pole-contenders were McDonagh and Nara who switched positions at the top of the time sheets several times. Late on in the session, Moss seized provisional pole with a lap of 2:13.866 with just minutes to spare. But it was the Japanese, who made his car racing and Formula BMW debut with just one outing in Shanghai last year and is now back for a full season, who had the last word. In the final lap of the session, the clocked 2:13.407 to take pole, with team mate McDonagh grabbing second place.


Likewise, Jamison put on a late charge to also jump ahead of Moss and will start from the second row of the grid for the first race alongside him.


Of the five Malaysian drivers competing it was Moh who was quickest, qualifying 5th fastest for both rounds. Said Moh: "It was a good result, but I made a mistake on the last corner of my flying lap. The conditions are quite tricky and it’s hard to find the grid. But racing is racing!"




Prepared by Formula BMW Pacific