<< The Aim Autosport Formula BMW USA team came away from the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, Quebec holding on to the points lead in all three of the series categories: overall driver championship, rookie driver championship and team championships.

The team, including rookie drivers Rob Bunker and Kevin Lacroix were looking forward to extending their points lead at the only stop this year in Canada for rounds five and six of the fourteen race championship.

Practice & Qualifying:
“We got caught out by the full course yellows,” said team manager Keith Willis. “Kevin could have easily been on pole for both races and Rob in the top ten but we just didn’t get the fast laps when we needed them .”

Saturday Race: (Round Five)
AIM Autosport BMW Junior and Rookie driver Kevin Lacroix won the most important race of his 16-year old life as he drove from the fourth starting position to win Round five of the Formula BMW USA Series. Kevin overtook pole sitter Tobias Hegewald on the first lap and went on to take the victory in front of his home Canadian Grand Prix crowd, extending his lead in both the Overall and Rookie points.

Jumping into the lead on the first lap, Kevin was shadowed by fifth place starter Jonathan Summerton throughout the 12 lap contest, ultimately finishing 1.409 seconds ahead of Jonathan.

AIM Autosport teammate Rob Bunker also had a great drive in race five, moving from 16th to 12th after a terrific start and strong run- contributing to the teams point total.

Sunday Race: (Round Six)
Race number six had the same scenario going: Kevin started from fourth again, passed for third in the first corner and was about to overtake for second at the hairpin when there was a wheel contact between him and Daniel Herrington. Kevin adds: "I was beside him at we exited turn 10 and he was following the track edge. At one point the tracks bends to the right before the long stretch. That's when the contact happened and my suspension was bent.
My race was over. I feel very sad for my crew because my car was capable of winning again. We have to turn the page and look ahead to Indianapolis."

Rob Bunker is a quick study. His coaches say the 16- year-old has an uncanny ability to grab a concept and speed it to reality. He did just that at le Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in the Sunday race, capping the double-race weekend with a fifth-place finish, after moving up nine positions in the 12-lap race- Rob’s best finish yet!

Kevin Lacroix #22 (AIM Autosport /Auto Parts Plus-Uni-Select
/Pennzoil/CR/ SKF Motor sports/Raybestos/Tenneco Automotive/Les Pièces d'auto Lacroix)
Saturday Race: Qualified- fourth (1:48.107) / Finished- first.
Sunday Race: Qualified- fourth (1:48.464) / Finished- dnf.

Quotes from Kevin:
"The victory in Montreal was very exciting, said Kevin. Competition was fierce and I had to concentrate after taking the lead at the end of the first lap. My car was very good and I increased my lead lap after lap. This is a moment I will never forget: to win in Montreal and get my trophy from Dr. Thiessen, the head of BMW Motorsport. The media were also very nice to me. I also met with influential people that were impressed with my victory.''

Rob Bunker #18 (AIM Autosport /Team RennSport)
Saturday Race: Qualified- sixteenth (1:49.784) / Finished- twelfth.
Sunday Race: Qualified- fourteenth (1:50.247) / Finished- fifth.

Quotes from Rob:
"The race was fantastic. We charged hard from the very beginning," he said. "On the first turn, we made up a few positions and were up in ninth, then dropped back a little bit. We had two full-course yellows [caution periods], so we made the best of those. I let people make mistakes and capitalized on those, and ended up fifth." Said Rob. "We spent a lot of time looking at video and really making sure we got as many references as possible. I knew it was going to be long, but I didn't know it would be so long. We went around it in a golf kart and it took 12 minutes! It's a huge track, and it's so fast. It's technical but it's high speed at the same time, so it's a true F1 track, very fun to drive."

AIM Autosport Notes:

Rounds 7 and 8 of the 2005 Formula BMW USA Series will be held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on June 18 - 19 in support of the United States Grand Prix.

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