Smiles and Frowns in Montreal for BMW Squad
Mixed Weekend for AIM's Drivers at Canadian Grand Prix

2006.06.27: Following a promising outing at Lime Rock Park and a four-week break, the AIM Autosport Formula BMW team felt confident and rejuvenated as they headed to Montreal for rounds five and six, at the Canadian Grand Prix. Both drivers scored top ten finishes in Montreal - Doug Boyer a fourth and Daniel Morad a sixth - but both were also knocked out of promising runs and everyone on the team knew they had been denied some well-deserved points.

Qualifying
Due to schedule constraints, track time for the Formula BMW USA Championship was limited so qualifying for both races was condensed into one session. Each driver's fastest lap would set their starting position for race one and the second fastest time gridded them for race two.

Daniel posted times of 1:46.630 and 1:46.650, which netted starting positions of twelfth and sixth while Doug's times of 1:46.600 and 1:47.093 placed him tenth and fourteenth on the grids.

Race One
Round five of the 2006 Formula BMW USA season took place on Saturday, June 24th, under sunny, afternoon skies. The start was clean and incident free, treating race fans to the sight of 26 hungry young drivers fighting their way through the first lap. Daniel, who had started twelfth, lost a few places as drivers battled frantically through the back section, but sadly, Doug's race ended at the hairpin when contact with a another car resulted in broken suspension and damage to the front wing.

Left to carry the AIM Autosport flag alone, Daniel put his first-lap losses behind him and used the remaining thirteen laps to storm back and cross the finish line in sixth place.

Race Two
The Formula BMW teams arrived bright and early Sunday morning for round six. Once again, the weather was ideal and, once again, the field roared away from the starting line without incident. With seven of fourteen laps in the books, Daniel was fifth and Doug, looking racey, was ninth. On lap eight after a two cars slowed and stopped with mechanical problems so out came the yellow flags and the safety car.

With the track clear and the safety car pulling into the pits, a cheeky restart maneuver by the leader caused the cars behind him to check up in a sudden fashion. The accordion effect caused a collision involving three cars, including Daniel. With the front wing tucked firmly under the car, Daniel had no choice but to retire from fifth place.

Meanwhile, in the mid-field, Doug was driving with determination. After the restart, there were just just three laps remaining, but Doug forged his way from ninth to fourth. He had driven impressively from start to finish, gaining a total of ten places.

Afterthoughts
Using the aggression he'd first showed at Lime Rock, Doug overcame a midfield starting place to take his best finish of the season. Daniel's unfortunate exit from race two saw him slip from second to fifth in the Championship Standings, but it's a close battle at the top of the points list and things could quickly swing Daniel's way again.

Next up, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the USGP.

<< Back Home
<< Back to News