Having entered the final meeting on the 2007 World Touring Car Championship calendar still in with a shout of lifting the laurels only to see his hopes quite literally come crashing down, Augusto Farfus has been assuaging his disappointment by getting straight back behind the wheel again – only this time in a different kind of BMW.

The 24-year-old qualified an encouraging fourth aboard his BMW Team Germany 320si in Macau, but he would end the WTCC campaign equal fourth in the drivers' standings – one place down on his 2006 result – following a nudge from SEAT rival Gabriele Tarquini in race one that destroyed his title chances.

Just a week on from that, however, Farfus was rewarded for his successful season – one that saw him take three victories and three further podium finishes – with a test-drive in BMW-Sauber's Formula 1 machine at Valencia, during the build-up to the prestigious 2007 Formula BMW World Final.

“A big thank you to BMW and Mario Theissen for giving me the opportunity to have this extraordinary experience,” the Brazilian enthused after completing 33 laps in the car. “At the beginning, I was obviously trying to become acquainted with the car. As I had very little time to prepare myself, I felt my neck muscles a bit more than usual – in fact, I haven't raced a single-seater car for four years, not to mention a Formula 1 car!

“Lap-by-lap the feeling for this returned. It's just amazing how quickly things happen in a Formula 1 cockpit; this requires the highest level of concentration all the time.”

Thirty-five drivers from 19 different countries will battle it out over the course of the weekend in a bid to be crowned Formula BMW World Champion, with a prize Formula 1 test-drive on offer for the eventual winner.