He drives a Dallara Mugen-Honda in the British Formula 3 championship. His car can do 100 kmph from standstill in 2.8 seconds. Last month, he won a Formula 3 race at the famous Brands Hatch. He was watched by Jackie Stewart who now runs the Stewart Ford racing team.
He is Narain Karthikeyan. The fastest Indian in the world. He now wants to drive a Formula One car. And that day is not far off. But for that he needs to finish this season. And for that he needs more sponsorships.
Six races into the season he is placed fourth in the championship and there are a full 10 races to go. "All I want to do is finish in the top three this season and I have a real chance of driving a Formula One car" he says. "But for that I need to complete all the races this season."
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To be barely competitive in Formula 3, one needs sponsorship of around Rs 2.5 crore and Narain still needs Rs 40 to 50 lakh to successfully complete this season. And that should come in before August so that he can be part of the second leg of the championship.
There is a certain concern in his otherwise `race-driver-focused' face. Top-placed Formula 3 drivers get test drives for Formula One and then they can get associated with a team and hope for the right break at the right time. Narain has climbed almost all the steps to the pinnacle of motorsports. With the kind of exposure motorsports get in India, that is an amazing achievement.
Narain is supported by Vijay Mallya who has promised to support him till he reaches Formula One and even beyond. Not really surprising since Vijay Mallya is an automobile enthusiast who wants an Indian in the Formula One circuit. And J K Tyres, which has been supporting Narain since his early days, is still there. But what was surprising was a chance meeting that Narain had with Ratan Tata. "He met me even without an appointment and spent 15 minutes with me. And before we went two ways he promised me that the group would support me'. And now Narain's Dallara carries the brand new corporate logo of Tata. Indo Mobil is another sponsor who has come in to support Narain in his Formula 3 season.
With the right support coming in, the 23-year old Narain Karthikeyan can do India proud by driving a Formula One car soon. And before that he can finish the 1999 Formula 3 championship which has a good chance to win. Anyone listening out there?