UK: Oulton Park rounds nine, 10 preview

Webb looking to weave magic in front of home crowd.

Bracknell, 15 June, 2007. As the Formula BMW UK Championship 2007 heads to the northwest next weekend, rookie driver, Oliver Webb (Carlin Motorsport) will be looking for local support to help him onto the podium for the first time this season.

After a best-placed fifth in Round Two at Brands Hatch, Webb has working been hard in preparation for a strong finish this weekend on home soil, at Oulton Park. The 16-year-old racer from Knutsford has competed here once before in the T Cars Championship and loves the character of his local track. After finishing third overall in the 2006 T Cars Championship, the teenager is now relishing the challenge of the single-seater Formula BMW racing series.

The highlight of Webb's motoring career came last year at the driver selection course in Valencia, where he sufficiently impressed the judges, including former Formula One World Champion Nigel Mansell, to earn one of five coveted BMW Scholarships. The youngster has since seized the opportunity with both hands, benefiting not just from the financial help, but an extensive Education & Coaching Programme, which includes driver coaching at each race weekend, media and PR tuition and nutrition and fitness training.

Webb currently lies fourth in the Rookie category and tenth in the overall Championship standings. With only 21 points between him and third placed Rookie, Adrian Quaife-Hobbs (Fortec Motorsport) the 92 points on offer at each race meeting means there is still plenty to race for.

The battle at the top of the Championship is also heating up. Swedish Rookie Marcus Ericsson (Fortec Motorsport) heads the pack coming into Rounds Nine and Ten, after consistent performances have seen him finish every race in the top five. He will be desperate to add another win to his tally next weekend and hold off the charge of Josef Kral (Double R Racing) who, after a non-finish in Round One, is now the top 2007 race winner so far with four victories under his belt from eight races. He is slowly edging closer to Ericsson and now sits third, just 46 points behind the leader.

Fresh from his maiden victory at Thruxton, Henry Arundel (Fortec Motorsport) is striving to convert his 2006 Rookie title into an overall Championship victory. Currently placed just 10 points behind team-mate Ericsson, he is certainly still in the hunt with 10 races remaining.

Making up the final place on the 19-strong grid for Oulton Park is New Zealand born Dominic Storey (Double R Racing). After competing in Formula BMW Asia in 2006 he makes his debut in the UK series for Rounds Nine and Ten sporting

BMW Sauber F1 Team Pit Lane Park livery to preview the team's high tech entertainment facility that brings Formula One closer to the fans during the British Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone.

With the Cheshire circuit posing a series of technical challenges, the on-track action looks set to be full of excitement as the youngsters go head-to-head at Oulton Park.

-credit: bmw.co.uk