Narain enters a brave new world
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Narain Karthikeyan's progression to the arena of F-1 World Championship underscores his passion to pursue excellence. He has demonstrated patience, perseverance and pugnacity to confront the challenges at every turn with enviable fortitude, writes S. Thyagarajan.
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"I think I can be very competitive given the right equipment. But first we have to bring the car home in every race. In this sport finishing is the big thing."
— Narain Karthikeyan
IF EVER there was an instance of fantasy transforming into fact, it is the debut of Narain Karthikeyan in the enchanting world of F-1 racing. When he slides into the seat of the exotic Jordan EJ-15 machine at Melbourne on Sunday, (March 6, 2005) the moment will etch a memorable date in the ethos of Indian sport. It not merely fulfils a dream for Narain, but is all set to trigger a wave of unprecedented enthusiasm for the millions of motor racing aficionados in the country.
Indisputably, Narain has opened a new vista that symbolises the vibrancy of a society, already setting examples for many on in various fields in the region and beyond. By achieving what many thought was impossible for an Indian, Narain has imbibed in our youth a new feeling of self-belief.
His progression to the arena of the F-1 World Championship, which is the ultimate in high-speed racing, underscores Narain's passion to pursue excellence. With enviable fortitude, he has demonstrated patience, perseverance and pugnacity to confront challenges at every turn. "There is nothing beyond Formula-1 for me," he told THE HINDU three years ago. "I guess one has to be at the right place and at the right time. I give myself another two to three years to enter the big league," Narain prophesied in 2001. That fervent wish is now a reality.
Sceptics were not found wanting whenever Narain slipped a bit here and there. He confessed how a nut worth just Rs. 20 cost him a podium finish in the World Nissan series at Monza. International observers, who followed his career in Formula Asia, British F-3, Nippon circuit or the Nissan World Series, were a bit concerned about his inconsistency, despite acknowledging his calibre as " a wet weather specialist."
Undaunted by such assessments, Narain courted speed like a passionate lover, listening to the whine of the engines as though it were a serenade. With single-minded devotion he has reached where he wanted to be. And when the moment came after teasing him like a mirage since 2001 - when he first tested for Jaguar at Silverstone, and then Minardi two years later - it signalled the reward for his hard work and determination.
He was the first Indian to test-drive a Formula One car. He drove a Jordan Honda EJ11 at Silverstone and then at the Mugello circuit in Italy to test his proficiency.
"He is ready for F-1 now, and I think he will do a good job for us," observed Trevor Carlin, Sporting Director for <243>Jordan, exuding a sense of optimism after signing up Narain. "I know Narain well because he drove for me in 1998 in F-3, and I have run him in various formulas every year since then. He is competitive, a super quick driver, sometimes a little rash and wild in his style," Carlin elaborated on the qualities of his ward whose stablemate is Tiago Monteiro of <243>Portugal.
Fascinated by speed like any youngster, Narain was sucked into the high-octane sport, influenced largely by his father, G.R.Karthikeyan, no mean rally driver himself.
More importantly, Narain grew up in an environment where car racing was more than a hobby to the friends and relatives of the family.
Interestingly, Coimbatore emerged as a centre for car racing and, hearteningly enough, continues to be so.
From the days of industrialist G.K.Rajagopal, who was a keen racer at Sholavaram, near Chennai, in the early Sixties, quite an enterprising crop of drivers from Coimbatore ventured into high speed racing. Karivaradan, son of G. K. Sundaram, not only won accolades as a driver of Formula cars but as a constructor as well, till a tragic aviation accident cut short his life. He was the principal designer of the Formula Indian Maruti single seater Engine (FISSME) cars, which are being raced now at Irungattukottai (near Chennai) by several competitors.
Kari's brother, R. Gopinath, and J.Anand then held the F-3 stage until Narain Karthikeyan picked up the baton, donning the JK Tyre colours at Irungattukottai.
Baptism for Narain in the higher rungs of motor racing came at the famous ELF Winfield School in France, the institution that produced two champion drivers, Alain Prost and Damon Hill.
At 15, Narain had a dream debut in the Pilole Elf competition for Formula Renault. As the Formula Maruti Vauxhall junior champion, Narain established his credentials as an emerging force. In 1994, he became the first Indian to win in a Ford Zetec, and had a podium finish in the Portuguese GP support race at Estoril. Shifting focus to Asian competitions, Narain excelled in four races at the Formula Asia event at the Shah Alam course in Kuala Lumpur. In 1996, he became the first Indian to win the Formula Asia Championship.
Two years later, Narain enjoyed an excellent run in the British F-3 championship. Driving for Carlin, Narain had five podium finishes, winning two races, taking the pole positions twice, recording three fastest laps and securing two lap records.
He placed sixth out of 30 drivers from five countries. The GP in Macau further enhanced Narain's claims. In 2000, he raced with distinction to take the fourth spot in British F-3. One year later, he took the first F-1 test with Jaguar and also with Jordan Honda.
While Narain continued to pick points and kept enhancing his stature, finding sponsors was becoming difficult. Major supporters like JK Tyres, Kingfisher, Amaron kept him afloat till Ford and TATA lent their assistance to ensure Narain's tenure in the Formula Nissan World Series. Narain tested for Minardi in 2003 after a successful run in the Super Fund Series, wherein he had five podium finishes and a fourth place.
By far the best for Narain in the Nissan World Series was the triumph at Magny Cours. The rest of his progress is already history.
How successful Narain will be in the inaugural year of F-1 racing is difficult to predict. Team Jordan had a financially poor season forcing its sale to the Russian-Candian businessman, Alex Shnaider, after finishing ninth, one spot above Minardi in 2004. Eddie Jordan, himself a racing driver, encountered a host of problems with the machines suffering frequent snags.
Such negative pointers will be no deterrent to Narain for whom the whole exercise is a realisation of a golden dream. At 28, he might have been delayed by a year or two. But F-1 racing has a history of not-so-young drivers carving a niche for themselves.
The legendary Juan Manuel Fangio of Argentina was 38 when he came on the scene. He managed to win five World Championships until the incomparable German, Michael Schumacher, overhauled the record last year.
Narain Karthikeyan is now part of the pantheon of F-1 racing which has created legends behind the wheel, ranging from Fangio to Fittipaldi and Ayerton Senna, from Niki Lauda to Jackie Stewart, down to Schumacher and Pablo Montaya.
In more than one way, the 2005 F-1 season is an epoch making event for the Indian.
Formula One 2005
