Tag: Narain Karthikeyan

Suzuka, 19 April 2015: Narain Karthikeyan, the first Indian to reach the pinnacle of motorsports, Formula One, scored a brilliant podium place Super Formula Japan Series here on Sunday. Andrew Lotterer, of Le Mans fame, won the season opener beating reigning champion Kazuki Nakajima to second. Narain’s teammate Nojiri also finished in points in 8th.

The race, the fastest outside Formula One, attracted 51,000 Sunday crowd.

Karthikeyan, who joined Docomo Dandelion Racing team this year, to switch to a Honda engine, finished third after starting from second place.

After initial hiccups where he fell back to 5th place, the Coimbatore-based Indian driver, showed his class to move up two place and managed to take a podium after 43 laps of gruelling race in Suzuka, considered as one of his favourite tracks. Narain had his pit stop in lap 30.

“I had a bad start. But I was happy with the race pace. It is definitely pleasing considering the quality of the field. This is my first podium in the super series and I am very happy,” said Karthikeyan, in a team release in Japanese.

“You are competing against guys like Lotterer, who won the WEC (World Endurance Championship) opening race just last week. Then you have former F1 drivers like Nakajima and Kobayashi (Kamui), who has been on the F1 podium. So surely a good result and promising start,” he added.

“It’s been 16 years since I won in F3 in Britain – an awfully long time for talent to come through in a nation with a billion-plus people!,” mused Narain in a tweet last week remembering his win on April 10, 16 seasons back.

eom/translation by Sumitra MB

Suzuka (Japan), 18 April 2015: Narain Karthikeyan, the first Formula One driver from India, made a stunning start to the Super Formula Japan Series this year qualifying in second place for Sunday’s race with Docoma Dandelion team.

Narain who drove the series last year

with a Toyota engine shifted to Honda engine with the new team Dandelion and took time to settle down in the first qualifying session finishing fourth with a time of 1:39.188, a mere 0.53 seconds behind leader Naoki Yamamota, also in a Honda engine.

The Coimbatore-based Narain, then went on to top the time sheets in the second qualifier with a time of 1: 38.598 ahead of teammate Nojiri Tomoki in second and Yamamoto in third.

However in the third and final qualification, Narain finished second with a 1:38.870 behind Yamamota, who clocked 1:38.585. Narain’s teammate Tomoki could only qualify 7th in the third session with a time of 1:39.816.

Narain in car number 41 is raring to go and will start behind Yamamoto.

Earlier, the team hosted Narain Karthikeyan with a warm welcom. “In the first session I had to check the set up and could attack only in the last six minutes. I had a good start in the second session and managed to stay ahead. Despite the red flag and disruption

, I am happy with the position for tomorrow’s race. I have prepared well for the season,” said Karthikeyan.

“The team told me to prepare using the qualification to set up the car as I know both Toyota and Honda engine,” added Narain.

eom/with inputs from Tetsuya of Dandelion team

Okayama (Japan), 28 March 2015: This year Narain Kartikeyan will take part in the Japan Super Formula Japan Series with a new team, Dandelion. It will be a shift from Toyota engine to Honda engine for the Coimbatore-based Narain, the first Indian to make it to the pinnacle of motorsports, the Formula One.

“It was very good to try simulating start, qualifying, race, and pit stop practically, however, because of the engine trouble occurred on both 1st and 2nd day, I lost the valuable opportunity for final setting up of the car,” said Narain after the official test in Suzuka.

Over 2 weeks from the 1st official test in Suzuka Circuit, with cherry blossoms gradually blooming in nice and warm weather, the 2nd official test had started in Okayama International Circuit, where the Supper Formula will be held for the first time in 7 years. The series starts on April l18.

According to forecast, the fine weather would continue during 2-day test. The drivers vigorously ran the cars around from the very beginning of the session, pit stop practice and start practice , long run with fully filled, simulating race and qualification, and so on. At the end of 1st day’s afternoon session, trouble occurred in the engine of Narain Karthikeyan’s car, and he had to finish the day a little unsatisfactorily. Tomoki Nojiri was 4th position overall, 2nd among Honda users.

On 2nd day, Tomoki Nojiri drove his car testing aerodynamic devices. Narain Karthikeyan practiced making pit stop and starting, and also drove around mastering vehicle characteristic and the circuit course. Nojiri finished the morning session in 2nd position, however, right after the afternoon session had started, engine trouble occurred and took a considerable amount of time to deal with it.

Karthikeyan, too, felt something wrong in the engine soon after the session started, and had to suspended the driving halfway through the test. Nojiri managed to return to the course in the end of the test, and simulated the qualifying. After all, he finished the last official test right before ’15 season in 2nd position.

#40：Tomoki Nojiri : Position 2nd overall (1st among HONDA users) I have tested something good, bad, and new in several ways, and could deepen the understanding of my car. I have marked good time constantly, so I do not think I am doing wrong. Now, I have to be prepared with my team, considering how we could reflect this test result to Susuka, the season opener. I am looking forward to the second season of Super Formula to open!!

#41：Narain Karthikeyan : Position 13th overall (4th among HONDA users) It was very good to try simulating start, qualifying, race, and pit stop practically, however, because of the engine trouble occurred on both 1st and 2nd day, I lost the valuable opportunity for final setting up of the car. Tomoki seemed to have several troubles in the engine, so, I hope HONDA engineers will figure out the solution. I am sure they will on time. I have no anxiety on the season opener with Team Dandelion Racing! I will be ready mentally and physically for the race.