The first week of January 2005 saw Minardi Team Asia test three young karters at the Sepang F1 circuit in Malaysia. Filipina Michelle Bumgarner was joined by Indian Armaan Ebrahim and Indonesian Zahir Ali.
The three sixteen year olds all acquitted themselves well and impressed team director, Martin Quick, who reported that all three were definitely rookie class championship material. All three benefited from the driver coaching given by Quick and Minardi Team Asia’s Mark Goddard, who was 2002 Asian Formula Three Champion and ex-chief instructor at the World famous Silverstone Racing School.
Bumgarner and Ebrahim left Sepang to travel directly to Bahrain for the Formula BMW Scholarship competition. Four drivers will be chosen for a US$50,000 scholarship towards the cost of the 2005 racing season. The fifth scholarship is already allocated to 2004 Minardi Team Asia driver, Robert Boughey, who won his prize for his results in the rookie championship last year.
