Narain shines in world-class field
Times of India - April 29, 2003

Narain Karthikeyan, who has been missing out on qualifying for Formula 1 racing for some time now, had one of his better days when finishing in the top three in Race Two at the World Series Nissan Championship at Zolder in Belgium, according to information received here. This is an in-between racing between Fl and F3. After the race a delighted Narain said, "That was pretty good. To get a 4th and 3rd place here in the two races against some of the best drivers in the world and spinning twice along the way is a solid result with some very valuable points.

I felt my car was well set up and I was able to push really hard to put maximum pressure on the guys in front. I was a bit unlucky in the first race but made it back in the second jumping from 5th to 3rd on the last lap. I can't wait for the next race. Who knows, maybe we'll get a full weekend without rain!" The second race at Zolder is a longer 26-lap event with mandatory pit stops for tyre changing which adds pressure for the drivers and pit crews who have to emulate the rapid stops that are an integral part of modern Formula One racing.

The drivers can pit anywhere from lap 5 but they have to complete their stop before the end of lap 18. Team engineers use strategy to try and bring their drivers in at a beneficial time in the race order and this is further complicated by the threat of changing weather conditions. Tata Carlin driver Bruce Jouanny started the race in 5th place with Franck Montagny and Jordi Gene taking the front row as they did for race one whilst his team mate Narain Karthikeyan started from 9th on the grid after a fraught second qualifying session.

The drama started from the very beginning with Bruce Jouanny stalling his car on the green flag lap and he was forced to relinquish his hard earned 5th place on the grid and start the race from the back. Narain Karthikeyan was determined to make up places and made this easier on himself by having another great start and quickly passing other cars.

Karthikeyan's pace was pushing the group along and putting immense pressure on Leinders. At the second chicane on the very last lap, Leinders and Ravier touched and Leinders car was thrown into Jordi Gene causing them both to spin out of the race. Ravier survived to finish second to Montagny and Karthikeyan brought his Tata Carlin Dallara home in third place for a well earned podium position. To the absolute delight of the Tata Carlin crew, team mate Bruce Jouanny more than made up for his earlier problem finishing 5th overall after a tremendous drive from the back of the field.

Final Standings: 1: Franck Montagny; 2: Jean Christophe Ravier;
3: Narain Karthikeyan.