<< The Aim Autosport Formula BMW USA team left Barber Motorsports Park Sunday with rookie driver Kevin Lacroix still leading the overall driver’s championship by one point and teammate rookie driver Rob Bunker jumping to ninth in the standings.

Kevin led flag to flag in Saturday’s race for the win but found trouble in Sunday’s race finishing eighth. Rob had his best weekend of the season with a seventh place finish on Saturday followed by a season high sixth place on Sunday.

Practice & Qualifying:
Qualifying for Saturday’s race was cancelled due to severe weather and lightning in the area. The starting grid was formed on the basis of Championship Points, thus earning Kevin his first pole of the season, Rob would start eleventh. Sunday’s qualifying saw Kevin starting second and Rob lining up eighth on the grid.

Kevin led wire-to-wire on Saturday in the 30-minute contest completing 14 laps of the 2.3-mile, 16-turn circuit. In taking his fourth victory of the season, he consolidates his lead in overall points and moves back to the lead in the rookie points.

Kevin took charge immediately with Philippe, Robert Wickens, Piscopo and Maxime Soulet filling out the top five in the early laps. Reed Stevens, required starting from the rear of the grid, quickly moved into the top-10. He ended the day in sixth place.

On lap six, a crash by Adrien Herberts in turn three brought out the safety car. As the green flag restarted the race on lap 10, Piscopo passed Philippe for second. Robert Wickens slowed with mechanical problems in the final four laps and dropped from fifth to 10th . Tom Sutherland, Stevens, Rob Bunker, Race Johnson and Justin Moon all took advantage of his slowing car and moved up for top-10 finishes.

In holding off Piscopo on the final lap, Kevin set the fastest lap of the race (1:28.503). Rob drove a steady and fast race to come home in seventh place.

In Sunday’s race Kevin started second, but a spin on the third lap dropped him to an eighth-place finish. He now leads Richard Philippe by only one point, while Philippe’s fourth-place finish today moves him to the top of the Rookie Points for the first time this season. Rob started eighth on the grid, had his usual great start and drove a heads up race to come home in sixth position his seasons’ best! This would vault Rob into ninth overall in the standings.

Kevin Lacroix #22 (AIM Autosport /Auto Parts Plus-Uni-Select)
Saturday Race: Qualified- First (NT) / Finished- First
Sunday Race: Qualified- Second (1:27.337) / Finished- Eighth (-16.372)

Quotes from Kevin:
“My strategy was to pressure the car in front of me and take advantage of his mistake. Instead, I was the one to go off and hit the grass. It was wet from a previous shower. Cars went by me and I ended up in eleventh when I resume racing. I passed a few cars in the remaining laps and this eighth place gives me enough points to stay on top in the standings with a one-point lead.

Yesterday, I played the rabbit and stayed out of trouble for all 14 laps until I passed the checkered flag. I think this series will go right down to the wire in Road Atlanta.”

“I like street courses, added Lacroix. They are similar to karting: tight, twisty and bumpy. It will be our first time with a Champ Car event and I long to see the atmosphere. Meanwhile, I will stay fit and get ready for this kind of track.”

Rob Bunker #18 (AIM Autosport /Team RennSport)
Saturday Race: Qualified- Eleventh (NT) / Finished- Seventh (-10.703)
Sunday Race: Qualified- Eighth (1:28.130) / Finished- Sixth (-14.913)

"We came to the weekend with the goal to change the outlook of how everyone saw us as a team. I think we ended up doing just that. We pushed hard, we asked for a lot and we got the car to the objective of what we wanted to do," Bunker said. "The first race, I had a great start and I drove the car to its absolute limit. I couldn't ask for anything more. Same thing on the second race, we pushed harder and we made a change that ended up being worth another position.

"We're kind of inching our way up and we're hoping that [at the next race] in Denver, we'll make one huge step and jump on the podium, because we know we can do it. Going from track to track and just trying out different styles in different corners – not worrying about [lap] time but worrying about what is going to be fast during a race – helps a lot to establish our options. We're looking to the future – we have quite a bright future ahead of us."

AIM Autosport Notes:

Rounds 11 and 12 of the 2005 Formula BMW USA Series will be held on Aug. 12- 14 at the Grand Prix of Denver.

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