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Unus Alladin

Moreno Soeprapto won an incident-packed Formula BMW Asia Championship race - and no one was more surprised that the Indonesian himself.

In an event that saw race winner Tyson Sy of the Philippines penalised for creeping the start and Hong Kong hero Marchy Lee taken out of the contest early on, it was left to the 21-year-old Soeprapto to claim the honours.

'I had a bad start. I saw there was an accident at the first corner. I just concentrated on the race. I am lucky. I am very happy,' said Soeprapto, whose father Tinton owns and manages the Sentul circuit in Indonesia.

'I have been driving since 1994 in karts, but this is the first year for me in Formula BMW. I never thought I would win like this. I just stayed focused on the race and tried very hard to stay out of trouble. Yesterday [Saturday], I had a little crash and started from the back of the grid, but I still managed to finish fourth.

'I am hoping Indonesia can one day host a round of the Formula 1 championship and that I can be one of the drivers. That's one of my dreams.'

Malaysian youngster Nik Iruwan Nik Izani finished second in the race for his maiden podium finish in his first year in car racing after 10 successful years in karts. BMW Korea E-Rain driver You Kyoung-ouk was third.

'I am so happy to be on the podium finally. The team and I have worked so hard all season, and now we have been rewarded. All the bad memories have disappeared, as we have surpassed our target for 2004,' said a beaming Nik Izani.

Meanwhile, Lee was knocked out of the race at the first corner by Taiwan's Hanss Lin Po-heng and was understandably upset at not finishing what he considers one of his home races.

Lin closed the door on the hard-charging Lee, putting both of them into a spin. Lee, who injured his hand after a clash with the same driver on Saturday, was able to continue until the final lap. But he didn't cross the finish line after being called into the pits because of damage to his car.

'I'm disappointed because the accident was unnecessary. I was holding my line and Hanss cut across and hit me. Then I was hit from behind and damaged my rear right wheel. But I am still very happy with my win yesterday [Saturday], and 10 wins from 12 races is great, too,' said Lee.

Nik Izani's second place maintained Team Meritus' perfect podium finish, and he was delighted to step in to save the day. 'I had an incredible start, going from fifth to second. I defended well from [Soeprapto], but a slight mistake let him through,' said the Malaysian. 'I was able to keep up with him, but couldn't get past. I knew You was coming up behind, but I also knew I had the speed to keep him there, and I didn't want to make another mistake and throw it all away, so I calmed myself down and drove consistently.

'I braked a little earlier on the final lap, just to be sure, and when I saw the chequered flag and the team leaning over and waving, I couldn't believe it. I am very proud to be the top Meritus driver in this race,' he said.

Lee was still reflecting on his momentous win in round 11 of the series on Saturday in front of his 'home' crowd.

'The crowds in Shanghai were massive, and they are all so excited about the racing, so I am so glad I was able to give them a Chinese win to start it all off.

'Hearing the Chinese national anthem at a racing event is very rare at the moment, but I hope that my performance will inspire others to get into the sport early and secure the future of the sport here,' said Lee.

Lee has won 10 out of 12 races so far this year, with the final two races to be held in Korea in October. Lee's domination secured him the driver's title with four races to spare, and this success garnered some attention at the F1 event.

He has been meeting various parties in the F1 paddock and was invited by Mario Theissen, head of BMW Motorsports, to watch the F1 race from the BMW Williams pit garage.

With the right support, Lee is hoping to find a very good drive in 2005 as he proceeds up the ladder to the top. 'We had some very interesting meetings in the F1 paddock, and BMW Williams were very kind and invited me to watch the F1 race from their racing garage. That was an amazing experience, to see how this top team work together during the race,' said the 28-year-old.



Soeprapto leaves rivals in shade