First race, rain, electrical failure and a good push to finish his first
Formula BMW Pacific race - this summons up what Gabby Chaves experienced
today in the afternoon.

After the big question what tires to select, and having them changed twice
at pre-gridding, finally the race was called a wet race and all teams
changed again to full rain tires. Good choice as the tropical skies opened
up and a refreshing downpour was hitting Formula BMW drivers and teams
alike!

Gabby was fast out of the grid, starting in 6th place and prior to the first
turn he had made up three positions. Bad things happened - he called in to
his engineer Lucas Strackerjan that his dash and engine experience cutouts.
Nothing the team could do and he motored on in the rain. At that time the
rain really became a downpour and visibility became an even more urgent
issue,  especially if the driver went too close to the car in front of him.
The # 6 car performance became worse, Gabby losing positions, on lap three
he settled down into 6th place. But on the front straight, for whatever
reason, he was hit from behind by a competitor misjudging his distance to
him. He and Gabby both ended up with broken suspensions, finishing their
first race on the sidelines.

Upon closer inspection after the race the FBMW Technicians and Atlantic
Racing Team engineering found out that the rain light shortened temporarily
the electronics, possibly due to the amount of water spray from the rain.
Sad ending but the spirits are high within the team as Gabby had shown that
he can make great starts and, regardless of technical problems and
circumstances, he will not give in.

For more information about this premier driver development series please
visit the www.afos.com or www.bmw-motorsport.com websites.