Sports India

Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan, the only Indian to break into the elite circuit makes his contribution to Indian motor sports by training young race drivers to break into the big league.

Race cars zipped across a track in India’s southern Coimbatore where 14 aspiring drivers from across the country raced it out under the watchful eye of Karthikeyan himself to make it to the top four to participate in the Formula Rolon Category of the 2006 JK Tyre National Racing Championship.

As part of his initiative to groom young upcoming talents Karthikeyan together with corporates Amron, Speed (BPCL) and JK Tyres had selected the 14 candidates and created two teams to train the upcoming talents, helping them hone their skills and evolve into better drivers.

“Obviously I had contact with these two sponsors who have been backing me for a long time so I put everything together as I had a little bit more time this year and you know I’m giving back something to the sport in a small way, so, it is a start and hopefully it will become bigger,’ said Karthikeyan.

The selected four will be given an opportunity to participate in India’s premiere category of racing.

Karthik Shankar, one of the hopefuls said he will do his best to be picked out of the rest.

“I’ve been racing for over a year now. I was doing the Formula multi-championship last year and about being selected in the top 14 by Narain Karthikeyan himself is no less than an honour. It is the biggest thing that has happened to me in my career and I really hope to make the best out of it by finishing in the top four and getting an opportunity to race for Narain’s team,” he said.

Each team of two cars will participate in six rounds of championship, which will commence in Coimbatore and conclude at Chennai in December.

Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan, the only Indian to break into the elite circuit makes his contribution to Indian motor sports by training young race drivers to break into the big league.

Race cars zipped across a track in India’s southern Coimbatore where 14 aspiring drivers from across the country raced it out under the watchful eye of Karthikeyan himself to make it to the top four to participate in the Formula Rolon Category of the 2006 JK Tyre National Racing Championship.

As part of his initiative to groom young upcoming talents Karthikeyan together with corporates Amron, Speed (BPCL) and JK Tyres had selected the 14 candidates and created two teams to train the upcoming talents, helping them hone their skills and evolve into better drivers.

“Obviously I had contact with these two sponsors who have been backing me for a long time so I put everything together as I had a little bit more time this year and you know I’m giving back something to the sport in a small way, so, it is a start and hopefully it will become bigger,’ said Karthikeyan.

The selected four will be given an opportunity to participate in India’s premiere category of racing.

Karthik Shankar, one of the hopefuls said he will do his best to be picked out of the rest.

“I’ve been racing for over a year now. I was doing the Formula multi-championship last year and about being selected in the top 14 by Narain Karthikeyan himself is no less than an honour. It is the biggest thing that has happened to me in my career and I really hope to make the best out of it by finishing in the top four and getting an opportunity to race for Narain’s team,” he said.

Each team of two cars will participate in six rounds of championship, which will commence in Coimbatore and conclude at Chennai in December.

Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan, the only Indian to break into the elite circuit makes his contribution to Indian motor sports by training young race drivers to break into the big league.

Race cars zipped across a track in India’s southern Coimbatore where 14 aspiring drivers from across the country raced it out under the watchful eye of Karthikeyan himself to make it to the top four to participate in the Formula Rolon Category of the 2006 JK Tyre National Racing Championship.

As part of his initiative to groom young upcoming talents Karthikeyan together with corporates Amron, Speed (BPCL) and JK Tyres had selected the 14 candidates and created two teams to train the upcoming talents, helping them hone their skills and evolve into better drivers.

“Obviously I had contact with these two sponsors who have been backing me for a long time so I put everything together as I had a little bit more time this year and you know I’m giving back something to the sport in a small way, so, it is a start and hopefully it will become bigger,’ said Karthikeyan.

The selected four will be given an opportunity to participate in India’s premiere category of racing.

Karthik Shankar, one of the hopefuls said he will do his best to be picked out of the rest.

“I’ve been racing for over a year now. I was doing the Formula multi-championship last year and about being selected in the top 14 by Narain Karthikeyan himself is no less than an honour. It is the biggest thing that has happened to me in my career and I really hope to make the best out of it by finishing in the top four and getting an opportunity to race for Narain’s team,” he said.

Each team of two cars will participate in six rounds of championship, which will commence in Coimbatore and conclude at Chennai in December.