Malaysian karting star, Aaron Lim, today inked an agreement to join Minardi Team Asia for the 2005 Formula BMW Asia season. His first race will be at the Asian Festival of Speed event to be held at the Sepang International Circuit on May 14/15th. Lim is the only Malaysian to have earned a CIK International A License allowing him to compete at the very highest level of karting.
He will join Jonathan Chan of Hong Kong and Sri Lankan Dejan de Zoysa in the only team in Asia directly connected to a Formula One organization. He is no stranger to international competition having competed in Europe and Australia in karts, including the World Karting Championship for the past three years. This will be his first formula car race.
“The concept of both Formula BMW and Minardi Team Asia is to take young drivers out of karts giving them a thorough grounding in the business of race driving. With Minardi Team Asia there is the opportunity to climb the ladder all the way to Formula One. The first step, Formula BMW is usually followed by Formula Three and whilst a few extremely talented and very lucky drivers have graduated straight to Formula One, the majority actually spend a year or two in another feeder formula such as GP2” explained Team Manager Martin Quick. “Minardi Team Asia has a genuine connection with the Formula One Team and if one of our drivers demonstrates exceptional potential, Paul Stoddart, the owner of Minardi F1, really will notice and it will open doors for him. Nearly 40% of the drivers on the current F1 grid had their first experience of a F1 car in a Minardi and current stars such as Alonso, Trulli, Fisichella and Webber all raced for one of the most loved teams in Grand Prix racing”.
“Aaron is building the foundations for a great career in motor sports. It’s important not to cut corners and he is bringing a great deal of competitive experience with him. We are sure he will be capable of winning Formula BMW races very soon and we know he has a great chance of a top six finish in what will be his first car race this weekend” added Quick. “Nineteen year old Lim is an extremely promotable driver and with the support of his country and corporate Malaysia he has he potential to compete at the highest levels of the sport.”
