Archive for the ‘Motorsport’ Category
The first race of the Formula one season begins this weekend and it will also mark the debut of the Indian racer Karun Chandhok. Karun was signed up by Hispania Racing Team (HRT) as their second driver for this season and he became the second Indian to race in Formula one. This year is also special for the return of former F1 champion Michael Schumacher at the age of 42 to competitive racing after his retirement in 2006.
I am really excited for Karun as this will be big occasion for him and he will know that there will be lots of F1 fans like me who will be cheering for him this weekend. I hope that Karun does put up a decent show in his first year and it will be amazing if he can finish up with few points next to his name. He wasn’t on the track today during the free practice sessions for HRT but I am sure that he will be there on the track tomorrow during the practice session before the actual qualifying.
I wish him all success this season and I hope he does himself and his country proud.
Karun Chandhok became only the second Indian racer to secure a drive in Formula one. He joins Narain Karthikeyan who was the first Indian to receive this distinction in 2005 when he was signed up by Jordan. Karun Chandhok will race for Hispania Racing Team (HRT) along with the Brazilian rookie Bruno Senna being his partner.
This was rather special for the man from Chennai as he realized his dream of driving a Formula one car. Speaking to the reporters the HRT team principal Colin Kolles said,
“I’m pleased to announce our official car livery today,” he told reporters in Murcia, Spain.
“We also complete the driver’s team line-up with the Indian Karun Chandhok at the wheel of the car for our first ever season,” Kolles added
“We are proud to have Karun as part of our team line-up ahead of our Grand Prix debut in Bahrain. I am delighted that we can count on such a promising young talent as Karun Chandhok,” Kolles said in a statement.
Karun Chandhok had been participating in the GP2 series over the past few years and has now graduated to Formula one with this signing. Speaking to the media after hearing the news Karun said,
“This is just an unbelievable feeling. I am absolutely thrilled to be able to fulfill a lifelong dream to break into Formula One,” an elated Karun said after he signed a deal to be Hispania Racing Team’s (HRT) second driver this season.
“I have been training really hard over the winter to be as fit as possible. I’ve been doing a lot in the heat in Chennai, cycling or running at 11 am at the peak of the heat,” he said.
“The F1 cars are particularly demanding on the neck because of the higher speeds and g-forces and I have been doing special exercises concentrating on building up my neck muscles. The first couple of races will be hard I’m sure but I’m pushing in the gym as much as I can,” said the youngster.
It’s amazing for a Formula one fan like me to see another Indian make this graduation. India has a Formula one team (Force India) and now we also have a driver in the mix. I hope that Karun can drive for Force India in the future. The thing for me to proud of is that Karun comes from the city in India I grew up in. So I hope that Karun makes this season memorable for Formula 1 fans in India.
Source: Rediff

