NEWS
OTHER SPORTS
DIARY
PEOPLE
MATCH REPORTS
SLIDE SHOW
ARCHIVES

Karthikeyan signs for Stewart Racing

Narain Karthikeyan has signed to drive for the Stewart Racing Formula 3 Team after a successful season in Britain with Carlin Motorsport, which provided him with an historic two wins this year.

Narain will partner Brazilian hot-shoe Luciano Burti, who narrowly missed winning the British Championship last week by just four points to Mark Hynes and is moving on to the position of full time Formula One test driver for the Stewart Grand Prix team next year.

A drive with Stewart Racing is the high prize in International Formula 3, and Narain will be out to impress his new boss Jackie Stewart and put himself in the frame to take over the seat full time from Luciano Burti next season.

India's most exciting sportsman got off to a good start in pre-race testing at Croft last Thursday when he equaled Luciano's fastest time of 1.14.00 of the day within 30 laps of the circuit with apparent ease. Narain is to continue his testing duties on Tuesday at the famous Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit before his car is stripped down and airfreighted to the first of the Challenge races at the Macau Grand Prix on November 15.

Said Karthikeyan: "It has been a long road and a very hard struggle to reach this point in my career and I still have to prove myself around the most demanding race track in the World. The Macau Grand Prix is really an awesome track - far more difficult than Monaco. Hakkinen and Schumacher had an historic battle there when they raced F3 and Hakkinen crashed on the pit straight and threw it all away on the last lap when he was leading.

"Stewart Racing really want to win the event and they have given me no team orders to stay behind Luciano, so I am free to go for it. Fortunately, I know the track, having finished eighth there last year with Carlin Motorsport and running the same times as Luciano at the test assures me that I have equal equipment and an equal chance. But it will be tough - we aren't the only team trying to win! The best teams and drivers in the World will be there.

"I hope everyone back home will watch and support me on television - it goes out worldwide - and I would like to thank my loyal sponsors Kingfisher, Mobil 1, TATA and JK Tyres for having such faith in me and giving me the chance to prove our country can produce racing drivers as well as world class cricketers!

"I think everyone over in Europe is a bit surprised! I also give my sincere thanks to Ford India who have been watching my progress all year and have been instrumental in placing me with the Stewart Team. The race in Macau and then Korea are one-offs but they give me a great opportunity. A double win would be a dream come true but just to race against some of the future Formula One drivers is a great privilege.

"I am going home to Coimbatore on Wednesday to see my family and begin my physical training for the events. These races could determine my future and hopefully will lead me closer on my quest to be India's first ever Formula One driver."

Agencies