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Thailand Round 5 Race notes

Racing series	FBMW-AP
Date	2005-06-13

Al Fardan takes well-deserved victory



Hamed Al Fardan (BAH/Team Meritus) took a well-deserved maiden win today in Round 5 of Formula BMW Asia. Second was pole-man and BMW Junior Michael Patrizi (AUS/Team Meritus) who led for most of the race, with fellow Rookie Charlie-Ro Charlez, 3rd.

Salman Al Khalifa (BAH/Team E-Rain) still leads the championship, but Charlez now takes second position, just 11 points behind. Thailand’s Robert Boughey (Team Meritus), who finished the race in 4th, is now 3rd on the leaderboard, with fellow BMW Junior Armaan Ebrahim (IND/Team E-Rain) now 4th.

It was victory to savour for the 17-year-old Al Fardan who had come so close to a win in Round 3: “It was a tough race. I got a good start and was following Michael until he made a mistake. It’s my first win of the championship, so I’m very happy.” Said Patrizi: “I made a mistake. I went over the grass which is thankfully very soft at this track, and go airborne. Hamed caught me, and all credit to him. We had a good and fair race.” Patrizi’s rear skid pan came loose on lap four, and the driver did well to keep his pace, actually setting the fastest lap of the race.



Patrizi made a good start off the line, but Al Fardan was challenging into the first turn, with 15-year-old Ebrahim and championship leader Al Khalifa in hot pursuit. However, disaster struck for Ebrahim, who had qualified third, early on when he spun and went off. Al Khalifa was running in third and looking good for a podium finish until a dramatic spin put him out of the running, the first time the 23-year-old has failed to make the podium this season.

Meanwhile, having stayed right on Patrizi for much of the race, Al Fardan was quick to pounce when the Australian made an error, grabbing the lead and holding it to the chequered flag.

It was disappointing for the only Thai driver, Boughey, to miss out on a podium at his home event, but he acquitted himself well and dealt expertly with added pressure of the intense local interest. The 3rd quickest Rookie was Aaron Lim (MAS/Minardi Team Asia). Ebrahim now loses lead in the Rookie Cup Championship, with Charlez taking the top spot with 82 points, while Patrizi is now 3rd.

Round 5 Results.

1 38 Hamed AL FARDAN (BAH) Team Meritus 20:56.860
2 29 •*Michael Tony PATRIZI (AUS) Team Meritus +0.157
3 88 •Charlie-Ro CHARLEZ (MAS) Team Meritus +23.379
4 68 *Robert BOUGHEY (THA) Team Meritus +24.105
5 2 •Aaron LIM Say Joon (MAS) Minardi Team Asia +26.105
6 61 •*AN Suk-Won (KOR) Team E-Rain +27.032
7 58 Mitsunobu ENDO (JPN) Team Meritus +1:08.298
8 22 Jonathan CHAN (HKG) Minardi Team Asia 1 lap
9 9 •*WANG Jian-Wei (CHN) Ao’s Racing Team +5.687
10 7 Salman Rashid AL KHALIFA (BAH) Team E-Rain 3 laps
DNF 4 •Dejan de ZOYSA (SRI) Minardi Team Asia -
DNF 17 •*Armaan EBRAHIM (IND) Team E-Rain -
*Scholarship driver
•Rookie Cup
# Non-Series Registered
Fastest Lap: Michael Patrizi (AUS/Team Mertius) 1:01.569/140.330kph

Formula BMW Asia Points Standings after Round 5:

1.Salman Al Khalifa (BAH/Team E-Rain) 68 points
2. Charlie-Ro Charlez (MAS/Team Meritus) 57 points
3. Robert Boughey (THA/Team Meritus) 52 points
4. Armaan Ebrahim (IND/Team E-Rain) 50 points
5. Hamed Al Fardan (BAH/Team Meritus) 46 points
6. Michael Patrizi (AUS/Team Meritus) 37 points
7. An Suk-Won (KOR/Team E-Rain) 28 points
8. Aaron Lim (MAS/Minardi Team Asia) 26 points
9. Wang Jian-Wei (CHN/Ao’s Racing Team) 13 points
10. Mitsunobu Endo (JPN/Team Meritus) 12 points
11. Dejan de Zoysa (SRI/Minardi Team Asia) 8 points
12. Jonathan Chan (HKG/Minardi Team Asia) 8 points

Rookie Cup Standings after Round 5:

1. Charlie-Ro Charlez 82 points
2. Armaan Ebrahim 67 points
3. Michael Patrizi 53 points
4. An Suk Won 50 points
5. Aaron Lim 39 points
6. Wang Jian-Wei 36 points
7. Dejan de Zoysa 20 points.

Statistics

Winners 2005: Al Khalifa (2), Boughey (1), Ebrahim (1), Al Fardan (1)
Pole Positions: Al Khalifa (5), Michael Patrizi (1)
Podiums: Al Khalifa (4), Charlez (3), Boughey (2), Al Baharna (1), Patrizi (2), Al Fardan (2), Ebrahim (1)
Championship Points: 1.Salman Al Khalifa (BAH/Team E-Rain) 68 points, 2. Charlie-Ro Charlez (MAS/Team Meritus) 57 points, 3. Robert Boughey (THA/Team Meritus) 52 points, 4. Armaan Ebrahim (IND/Team E-Rain) 50 points, 5. Hamed Al Fardan (BAH/Team Meritus) 46 points
Rookie Cup Winners: Charlez (2), Ebrahim (2) Patrizi (1)
Rookie Cup Points: 1. Charlie-Ro Charlez 82 points, 2. Armaan Ebrahim 67 points, 3. Michael Patrizi 53 points

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