Munich, 14th November 2005. Born in June, christened in November: the newly formed BMW Sauber F1 Team has been registered under that name with the FIA ahead of the 15th November deadline for entries for the 2006 season.
As BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen explains: "The new team name more or less chose itself. It reflects the makeup of the team - run by BMW but with a core of almost 300 Sauber employees. Plus, the 2006 car was developed by Sauber's proven engineers."

Sauber's Technical Director, the German Willy Rampf, will continue in his post at the Hinwil location. Heinz Paschen, meanwhile, remains Technical Director in Munich, where not just the engine but now the entire powertrain will be built. Walter Riedl will be responsible for coordination between the two locations in his capacity as Project Manager.

Peter Sauber is looking forward to his advisory role and welcomes the latest decisions: "It's nice to see that the Sauber name will continue in Formula One. I'm particularly pleased for Sauber's many loyal fans, who I'm sure will support the team with unbowed enthusiasm in the future. The new team's name is also an expression of the huge respect which BMW has for the employees in Hinwil."

Following the christening, it won't be long before the team takes its first steps. The BMW Sauber F1 Team will be officially presented on 16th and 17th January 2006 in Valencia, Spain, where the new car will embark on its first round of testing without further ado.

First, though, the team will start winter testing with an interim car and the new BMW P86 V8 engine. The testing programme begins on 28th November in Barcelona, Spain.

Dragster is World's Quickest MINI First Time Out at NHRA Sport Compact Finals
October 26, 2005... The MINI USA/FTR made its drag strip debut at the NHRA Sport Compact World Finals at the Pomona Raceway in Pomona, California this past weekend. In its inaugural run the car posted an impressive time of 12.54 seconds for the Quarter Mile with a top speed of 115.79 miles per hour making it the world's quickest MINI in the quarter mile.

MINI USA has collaborated with the extreme California based tuner FIREBALL TIM RACING (FTR) to create a one-of-a-kind record-breaking dragster. The outrageous carbon fiber MINI dragster stood out, drawing a crowd of onlookers as it tore down the strip, laying its 450 twin-charged-horsepower to the ground.

"For its inaugural run, we certainly managed to get a pretty respectable time." said Hubie Fuh, President of FTR. "This is a very promising shake-down run for us as the car shows tremendous potential to make more power and put down quicker times."

"The MINI Dragster exhibited some pretty impressive performance on the strip" said Jeff Stracco, MINI Product Manager. " The world's quickest MINI' is a pretty nice claim to for us to achieve right out of the box - or in this case the gate."

The car will appear at select events through the end of 2005, including SEMA in Las Vegas, November 1 - 4. The MINI USA/FTR dragster will make its next performance run at the IDRC Finals at Los Angeles County Raceway in Palmdale, CA November 12-13.

Fireball Tim
Fireball Tim is famous for his many maniacal movie car designs from films like SON OF THE MASK, JURASSIC PARK and about 50 others. The Fireball Tim brand includes TV programming, toys, clothing, and candy sold in retail outlets nationwide, including Wal-Mart. More information about Fireball Tim and FTR can be found at www.fireballtim.com.

MINI USA Partners with Fireball Tim Racing to Build Wild Dragster - Steals Coveted "Best Engineered" Award from over 300 Competitors
October 19th, 2005... MINI USA has collaborated with the extreme California based tuner FIREBALL TIM RACING (FTR) to create a one-of-a-kind record-breaking dragster. The extreme MINI made its show debut, beating 300 competitors to win the "Best Engineered" award at the Hot Import Nights in Phoenix, Arizona Saturday, October 15th.

MINI USA provided FTR with a carbon-fiber bodied, 1700lb MINI Cooper S with John Cooper Works and an assortment of parts and accessories to create the 500 horsepower + twin-charged drag monster. The car will appear at select events through the end of 2005, making its performance debut at the NHRA Sport Compact World Finals in Pomona, October 22 followed by an appearance at SEMA in Las Vegas, November 1 - 4.

Hollywood car designer and constructor Fireball Tim (Lawrence), and partner, import drag racer and tuner, Hubie Fuh have built the show-stopping MINI dragster. The two specialize in creating all forms of extreme, record-setting street and race cars. FTR currently holds the title "World's Fastest Street MINI" with a turbo, supercharged and nitrous powered MINI Cooper S pulling 12 second quarter-mile track times.

"MINI USA is excited to collaborate with Fireball Tim Racing to help us promote MINI's prowess in the import drag world." said Jeff Stracco, MINI Product Manager. "With its compact dimensions and lightweight carbon fiber body, this MINI project car will be a true David amongst Goliaths on the drag strip. And of course winning an award right out of the gate is a pretty impressive way to start."

"As MINI enthusiasts we are very excited to be partnering with MINI USA to create a unique one-of-a-kind rocket," said Fireball Tim. "To have this car beat out 300 others for "Best Engineered" is not only an awesome testament to the platform but to all the hard work everyone has put into the project so far - just wait till we get it on the strip!"

Fireball Tim
Fireball Tim is famous for his many maniacal movie car designs from films like SON OF THE MASK, JURASSIC PARK and about 50 others. The Fireball Tim brand includes TV programming, toys, clothing, and candy sold in retail outlets nationwide, including Wal-Mart. More information about Fireball Tim and FTR can be found at www.fireballtim.com.

MINI in the US
MINI is an independent brand of the BMW Group. In the United States, MINI USA operates as a business unit of BMW of North America, LLC which has been present in the United States since 1975. ROLLS-ROYCE Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand, the MINI brand, and the ROLLS-ROYCE brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, an industrial design firm in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group's global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all Z4 Roadster and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 340 BMW passenger car centers, 327 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 148 BMW motorcycle retailers, 80 MINI passenger car dealers, and 25 ROLLS-ROYCE Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group's sales headquarters for North, Central and South America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Chinese Grand Prix - RACE 16th October 2005
Weather: Sunny, dry. Temp: Air 25°C, Track 27-29°C

Shanghai (CHN) The last race of the 2005 season, which also marked the end of the 6-years partnership between BMW and WilliamsF1, saw Mark Webber taking 7th place while team-mate Antonio Pizzonia was forced to retire on the last lap when he was running 11th, due to a puncture to his right rear tyre.

Mark Webber: 7th
Best time: 1:34.271 (lap 53, 7th overall)
Chassis: FW27 04 / BMW P84/5 Engine: 1st GP
It has been quite a frustrating Grand Prix I don't think many drivers enjoyed it. The safety cars destroyed the race for many of us but that's the way it goes sometimes. It was a shame I could not get Barrichello earlier. He had absolutely no speed in the corners but good top speed so I could not attack him on the straight.
I want to thank all the team, because throughout the season we had zero retirements related to the work they did. An absolutely incredible job from all of them.

Antonio Pizzonia: 13th (retired on lap 56 - last lap)
Best time: 1:34.560 (lap 52, 9th overall)
Chassis: FW27 03 / BMW P84/5 Engine: 1st GP
It was a difficult race for me. It was a very hard decision for the team to take both Mark and myself in for our pit-stops when the second safety car came out. We took a risk and unfortunately it didn't go our way, but this is racing. Track conditions changed a lot throughout the race and that made everything more difficult. Also, we lacked speed on the straight which is vital for over-taking. We couldn't finish this season as we had wished but in general I think for me this was again a very good experience which enabled me to learn another new circuit.

Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1):
It is not really the end that we would have liked to have had to the season because the car was stronger today than the result. Anyway, that's it for the 2005 season. Now we're looking forward to returning to our winning form next year. With Mark's race strategy we should have been further up if we hadn't been held off for so long by Barrichello. Congratulations to Renault for taking both Championships, they really deserved it more than any other team.

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
Due to the incidents and safety car phases it was quite a turbulent race today. In the end, the two drivers who have dominated the entire season were at the front. Behind them just about anything was possible today. Mark got stuck behind Rubens Barrichello after his second pit stop and therefore missed out on the chance of a podium finish, which would have been a very nice conclusion to our six years partnership with WilliamsF1. However, one can say that our team performed well in the last few races. Congratulations to Renault for a well deserved constructors' title.

34 drivers from four series gunning for the title.
Munich/Manama, 11th October 2005. The season's final rounds in the four international Formula BMW series are fast approaching, and preparations are in full swing for the Formula BMW World Final. Two months before the inaugural event the field of starters has been confirmed: from 13th to 16th December at the Bahrain International Circuit, 34 drivers from 15 nations will be vying for the honour of fastest Formula BMW driver in the world. Awaiting the winner is an invaluable prize: a test drive with the BMW run Formula One team.

Formula One remains in Asia after the Japanese Grand Prix, and travels west to China for the final round of this year's Championship. Following its successful debut on the F1 calendar last year, the team returns to one of the more favoured GP.
The close of the 2005 season also marks the end of the alliance between BMW and WilliamsF1. After six seasons, the partnership has celebrated ten Grands Prix victories together.

Mark Webber:
Last year's inaugural Chinese Grand Prix was one I enjoyed a lot. I went to Beijing beforehand and visited the Forbidden City and the Great Wall. All those monuments and venues are very interesting and one really must go and see that part of the world. I think it's a good thing that China is hosting a Formula One race, especially in Shanghai, which is an incredibly modern city.

The circuit itself is unique, especially the first sector which has a great layout and includes a long back straight where you can get some good overtaking done. The facilities are world class and the atmosphere at the track is better than we anticipated it to be for a new venue. I enjoyed last year's event and I'm now looking forward to returning.

Antonio Pizzonia:
Shanghai is another new track for me, just like Suzuka, and another learning curve. I went to last year's race though so I have some idea of what the track looks like. To get to know the layout a bit better I've been on the simulator in Grove and will watch last year's GP, as I always do before a race. Most of the drivers say they enjoy the circuit so I am really looking forward to this, the last race of the year. Hopefully we can close the season with a good result for the team.

Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1):
Shanghai circuit has a unique layout, particularly at the first corner, with a good mixture of corner speeds and straights. It is quite twisty in areas and the back straight leads into a corner where you can overtake under the right circumstances. Strategy will be straight forward as we can apply the rule changes to last year's race results.

After Suzuka, we are looking forward to finishing the year well. Although this year has not yielded the results that would be satisfactory for WilliamsF1, it has given us added incentive to correct our position in 2006. In China, we also bid farewell to BMW with whom we have enjoyed many successful races over the last six years.

Weather: Sunny, dry. Temp: Air 27°C, Track 34-36°C
Suzuka (JPN) The FW27 proved strong and competitive today with Mark Webber running the entire race in the top 6 positions, having started seventh, and eventually achieving fourth place, helped by his strong pace, a well-planned strategy and some excellent pit-work. Team mate Antonio Pizzonia retired from the race on lap 10 when he spun off and his car ended up in the gravel.

Mark Webber: 4th Best time: 1:33.022 (lap 21 , 7th overall)
Chassis: FW27 04 / BMW P84/5 Engine: 2nd GP
We did pretty well today, but I am not completely happy with my position, because this is not the result we wanted, after all. The most positive part today was the job the team did at both pit-stops, when we passed Coulthard first and then Button, but in the final laps I just could not hold Alonso behind me. The car has clearly improved because the guys in the aerodynamic department keep pushing and BMW is giving us a strong engine but today we couldn't compete on the straight.

Antonio Pizzonia: DNF (retired on lap 10)
Chassis: FW27 03 / BMW P84/5 Engine: 2nd GP
I spoiled my race just making a mistake really. I hit a curb on the inside, which I shouldn't have done and lost the rear of the car. That was it, really. All I can take for me is the experience of learning the track and putting another race under my belt. Unfortunately it didn't end the way we wanted.

Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1):
It was a good effort by Mark, he drove well. We also had a good strategy and our crew did a good job on the pit stops to beat David Coulthard's Red Bull and also later on Jenson Button in his BAR. The pace of our car has improved. Unfortunately Antonio was out early. However, we are a winning race team so we continue to push until we get back there.

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
It was a great Grand Prix with many battles and overtaking manoeuvres. Mark drove a clean race. He only finally had to bend under the pressure of Kimi Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso. The pit crew did a fantastic job by gaining Mark two places and therefore enabling him to finish fourth. It is a shame Antonio retired early. Compliments to Kimi, one doesn't see often a driver winning a race from grid position 17.

Jörg Müller wins for BMW in Spain - title to be decided in Macau.
Valencia (Spain), 2nd October 2005. After races 17 and 18 of the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) in Valencia, Dirk Müller (GER) of BMW Team Deutschland snatched back the World Championship lead from his fellow BMW driver Andy Priaulx (GBR). The 29-year-old runner-up stepped onto the podium after the first race along with winner Jordi Gené (ESP) and his SEAT team-mate Peter Terting (GER). In the second race Dirk Müller failed to make the podium after finishing fourth, but BMW Team Deutschland nevertheless had cause for celebration: Jörg Müller (GER) took his third win of the season before a crowd of 52,000. Alfa Romeo driver Fabrizio Giovanardi (ITA) and Priaulx of BMW Team UK came second and third.

Piscopo Takes his Third Win of the Season in Round 13
Braselton, Ga. - Sept. 29, 2005... 17-year old Italian Edoardo Piscopo (EuroInternational) continued to make the front of the Formula BMW USA field his second home, taking the Round 13 victory today at Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Ga. Starting from outside the front row, Piscopo passed polesitter Kevin Lacroix (AIM Autosport) on the second lap of the 13-lap contest to take the win by .328 seconds over Reed Stevens (HBR Motorsport Team USA). The win was Piscopo’s third in his last four starts and moves him to fifth in the Championship and Rookie point standings.

Stevens Wins Round 14; Philippe Wins Championship
Braselton, Ga. - Sept. 30, 2005... Reed Stevens (HBR Motorsport Team USA) saved his best for last to take his first win of the season in the final round of the 2005 Formula BMW USA Championship. The 20-year old BMW Junior driver, runner-up in yesterday's Round 13 race, led every lap of the 13-lap contest, finishing .374 seconds ahead of fellow Junior Richard Philippe (Team Autotecnica).