India's first Formula One driver Narain Kathikeyan is making his presence felt in the Super Formula Series and has predicted a bright future for the Japanese Championship.
The premier Japanese single-seater championship will soon become the only automobile racing championship, outside of F1, to enjoy live telecast in the Indian Territory.
"Yes, I surely do see a future. There is a fan base in Japan for this and with the races being shown live on Star Sports it will certainly be a boost for the sport. Of course it's not as big as F1 but it has its space," Karthikeyan told PTI from Japan.
Renewing his association with Team Impul Hoshino Racing, he raced for the team in 2001 under Formula Nippon, Karthikeyan said it's a new and improved outfit.
"Well we have new cars for this year and a new strategy in place. The team owners have been very supportive and encouraging with our strategy," said Karthikeyan.
Talking about his team partner Joao Paulo Lima de Oliveira, who is at present leading the driver rankings, Karthikeyan said that he is sure learning a lot from the Brazilian.
"Oliveira is very experienced and very fast. It's good to have him around. We had a little bit of a problem in the last race with gearbox problems but things will certainly improve," he said.
