Clean sweep for Morad so far
His biggest rival on his quest for pole at the Formula BMW season highlight is Philipp Eng (AUT). The 17-year-old crossed the line first in the opening race of the day. In heat 4, it was Formula BMW Germany's season winner Jens Klingmann (GER) who took the win, but in his first race at the 3.1-kilometre track he was forced into early retirement.
"I couldn't have asked for more," said Morad, who is competing in the Formula BMW World Final for the second time. "My calculation is simple: Two more wins, and then I will have reached my goal. In the last heat tomorrow I won't risk too much. It would be an honour for me to score the first overall victory for Formula BMW USA in this prestigious event."
By winning heat 2 in dominant fashion Morad proved he has got what it takes to follow in the footsteps of Marco Holzer (GER) and Christian Vietoris (GER), who won the Formula BMW World Final in previous years. In the third race, he made an excellent start, passed Eng and held the lead until the chequered flag. Eng finished heat 3 as runner-up, after winning the first 15-lap race. "I'm happy with my performance today," commented the driver who was third in the 2007 Formula BMW Germany series. "Daniel simply got off to a better start in my second race. However, my ambition is still clear: I want pole position for tomorrow's final race. To achieve this, I have to win the last heat." However, the drivers would be well-advised not to put too much on the line in the fifth and sixth heats. Retirement in one of these intermediate rounds would be a major set-back on the way to securing a good grid position.
Klingmann experienced this in the very first race, when he was forced to retire three corners in after an incident with another driver. Klingmann said: "It definitely won't be easy to make it to the top on Sunday. But I will do my best to score another good result in the third heat – and then we will see what is still possible. The retirement in heat 1 was frustrating. But that's racing." Holding third place in the standings, Král also is one of the contenders for a place on the front rows of the grid for the Formula BMW World Final, which will start at 14:50hrs on Sunday.
The second-placed driver in this year's Formula BMW UK Championship still sees room for improvement. "I'm still trying to find the ideal set- up. Compared to the first race, the car felt much better in the second. Two second places are a good starting position for tomorrow. We spend a lot of time on the track here in Valencia. I can hardly wait to contest the third heat and – of course – the World Final," said Král.