The 2006 Formula BMW UK season was the third Formula BMW season based in United Kingdom whose mission was to develop talented young drivers and introduce them to auto racing using full-size cars. The series was part of the support race package for the BTCC.
All cars were Mygale FB02 chassis powered by BMW engines. Guest drivers in italics.
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Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, currently racing in Formula One as Williams Racing, is a British Formula One team and constructor. It was founded by Sir Frank Williams (1942–2021) and Sir Patrick Head. The team was formed in 1977 after Frank Williams's earlier unsuccessful F1 operation: Frank Williams Racing Cars. The team is based in Grove, Oxfordshire, on a 60-acre (24 ha) site.
BMW has been involved in Formula One in a number of capacities since the inauguration of the World Drivers' Championship in 1950. The company entered occasional races in the 1950s and 1960s, before building the BMW M12/13 inline-four turbocharged engine in the 1980s. This engine was the result of a deal between BMW and Brabham, which resulted in the team's chassis being powered by BMW engines from 1982 until 1987, a period in which Nelson Piquet won the 1983 championship driving a Brabham BT52-BMW. BMW also supplied the M12/13 on a customer basis to the ATS, Arrows, Benetton and Ligier teams during this period, with various degrees of success. In 1988, Brabham temporarily withdrew from the sport and BMW withdrew its official backing from the engines, which were still used by the Arrows team under the Megatron badge. Turbocharged engines were banned by the revised Formula One Technical Regulations for 1989, rendering the M12/13 obsolete.
Andrew Graham Priaulx, MBE is a British racing driver from Guernsey. In 2019 he raced for Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK in the FIA World Endurance Championship, and Cyan Racing Lynk & Co in the FIA World Touring Car Cup, having been a former BMW factory driver.
Throughout its history, BMW cars and motorcycles have been successful in a range of motorsport activities. Apart from the factory efforts, many privateer teams enter BMW road cars in touring car racing. BMW also entered cars or provided engines in Formula One, Formula Two and sportscar racing. BMW is currently active in IMSA, the Isle of Man TT, the North West 200, the Superbike World Championship and the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters.
The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by TOCA. It was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and was renamed as the British Touring Car Championship for the 1987 season. The championship, currently running Next Generation Touring Car regulations, has been run to various national and international regulations over the years including FIA Group 2, FIA Group 5, FIA Group 1, FIA Group A, FIA Super Touring and FIA Super 2000. A lower-key Group N class for production cars ran from 2000 until 2003.
Robert Józef Kubica is a Polish racing and rally driver, competing for AF Corse in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship. He previously competed for Team WRT where he won the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship in the LMP2 class. He was the first and so far holds a record as of 2023, for being the only Polish racing driver to compete and win a race in Formula One which was the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix, making his latest appearance in the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.
The 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 60th season of Formula One motor racing. It featured the 57th Formula One World Championship which began on 12 March and ended on 22 October after eighteen races. The Drivers' Championship was won by Fernando Alonso of Renault for the second year in a row, with Alonso becoming the youngest ever double world champion at the time. Then-retiring seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher of Scuderia Ferrari finished runner-up, 13 points behind. The Constructors' Championship was won by Renault, which defeated Ferrari by five points.
The 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 61st season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship, which began on 18 March and ended on 21 October after seventeen events. The Drivers' Championship was won by Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen by one point at the final race of the season, making Räikkönen the third Finnish driver to take the title. An appeal by McLaren regarding the legality of some cars in the final race could have altered the championship standings, but on 16 November, the appeal was rejected by the International Court of Appeal, confirming the championship results. Räikkönen entered the final race in third position in the drivers' standings, but emerged as champion after the chequered flag, a feat first accomplished by Giuseppe Farina in 1950.
Sauber Motorsport AG is a Swiss motorsport engineering company. It was founded in 1970 by Peter Sauber, who progressed through hillclimbing and the World Sportscar Championship to reach Formula One in 1993. Sauber operated under their own name from 1993 until 2005 and from 2011 until 2018. They were known as BMW Sauber from 2006 to 2010 and as Alfa Romeo F1 Team from 2019 to 2023 in a partnership deal with BMW and Alfa Romeo respectively. Sauber will return in 2024 as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, and is set to be the Audi factory team from 2026 onwards.
Formula BMW was a junior racing formula for single seater cars. It was positioned at the bottom of the motorsport career ladder alongside the longer established Formula Ford category. Like Formula Ford, it was intended to function as the young kart racing graduate's first experience of car racing.
The 2007 Formula BMW UK season was the fourth and final Formula BMW season based in United Kingdom whose mission was to develop talented young drivers and introduce them to auto racing using full-size cars. The series was part of the support race package for the BTCC.
The 2008 Formula BMW Europe season was the first season of a new open wheel racing series that resulted by the merging of the Formula BMW Germany and Formula BMW UK championships. Formula BMW Europe is a continental series for junior drivers, whose mission is to develop talented young drivers and introduce them to auto racing.
Philipp Eng is an Austrian professional racing driver, and BMW Motorsport works driver.
Jesse Kurki-Suonio, more commonly known as Jesse Krohn, is a Finnish professional racing driver, and BMW Motorsport works driver.
Alexander George Oliver Sims is a British professional racing driver, currently competing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Whelen Engineering Racing. Previously Sims has driven in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship for Mahindra Racing and BMW i Andretti Motorsport, winning one race in Saudi Arabia.
The 2007 Formula BMW ADAC season was a multi-event motor racing championship for open wheel, formula racing cars held across Europe. The championship featured drivers competing in 1.2 litre Formula BMW single seat race cars. The 2007 season was the tenth and the last Formula BMW ADAC season organized by BMW Motorsport and ADAC before it was merged with Formula BMW UK series into Formula BMW Europe in 2008. The season began at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben on 5 May and finished at the Hockenheimring on 14 October, after eighteen races.
The 2006 Formula BMW ADAC season was a multi-event motor racing championship for open wheel, formula racing cars held across Europe. The championship featured drivers competing in 1.2 litre Formula BMW single seat race cars. The 2006 season was the ninth Formula BMW ADAC season organized by BMW Motorsport and ADAC. The season began at Hockenheimring on 8 April and finished at the same place on 29 October, after eighteen races.
Nicholas Jon Yelloly is a British professional racing driver, and BMW Motorsport works driver. He is also currently a test and simulator driver for the Aston Martin F1 team.
The 2005 Formula BMW UK season was the second of four Formula BMW seasons based in United Kingdom for young drivers making the transition to car racing. The series supported every BTCC round apart from round three at Rockingham where it was part of a Kumho BMW and Miltek BMW event. Dean Smith won the championship at his second attempt with new team Nexa Racing after scoring in every round, his championship rival Sam Bird won six races but lost a lot of points with five DNFs during the season.
The 2004 Formula BMW UK season was the inaugural season of the British Formula BMW championship for young drivers making the transition to car racing. The series supported every BTCC round apart from round nine at Rockingham which supported the Days of Thunder championship. Tim Bridgman won the championship with his small family fun team after scoring in every round. Ayrton Senna's nephew Bruno Senna also took part in the championship towards the end of the season.