As a warm-up to the forthcoming A1GP season, which starts in Zandvoort, Netherlands on 4th & 5th October, Narain Karthikeyan - lead driver of A1 Team India, will participate in the official GP2 test which takes place at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France on 25th & 26th September.
As Narain has not driven a race-car in anger for almost 5 months, the team decided that an acclimatization test for Narain would be of great benefit to him, to get back into the racing groove. The GP2 car is dynamically similar to the new one Powered by Ferrari A1GP car.
He will be testing for Trident Racing, an Italian team, which has been participating in the GP2 Series since its inception in 2005. Interestingly, this is the first time Narain will be sitting in a GP2 car and hence this session will be a good warm up experience for him before testing the new A1GP Ferrari car early next week closely followed by the race in Zandvoort. Hence, this will be an interesting and busy week for Narain - jumpstarting with several drives at the start of the new season.
Speaking on the occasion from the Paul Ricard Circuit, Narain Karthikeyan said, "I am really excited about the forthcoming races and I am really charged up and raring to go. This will also be a good practice session for me before the start of the A1GP races in October".
The Paul Ricard Circuit, South East of France, near Marseille is one of the best in the world and will provide tremendous action, and, will really test the mettle of the both the man and machine.
To have a fair competition and give every driver a level playing field, all GP2 cars are identical - the engine, the suspension, the tyres, the gear box, down to the fuel used. The only differentiating factors are the driver's skills and nerves. With top of the line Renault 4.0 liter V8 engines capable of churning 600 BHP @ 10,000 rpm the cars can race up to nearly 320 km/h (198 mph) under 6.7 seconds making them incredibly fast. The chassis built by Dallara (Italian specialist racing car manufacturer) and the slick Bridgestone tyres will make the race track equally pulsating.
Now, over to France - let's cheer up our hero to the victory lap.
WATCH THE FIRST RACE OF A1GP AT ZANDVOORT -
On ESPN: October 5, 12:00 Qualifying
Live on Zee Sports: October 5, 18:15 Race day
ABOUT A1 TEAM INDIA
A1 Team India is the first official national racing team representing India in A1GP - The World Cup of Motor Sport. A1GP, founded in 2005; is fast becoming one of the most watched motor racing formats in India . The growing popularity of A1 GP in India reflects on the ever evolving performance of the team.
A1 Team India enters the fourth season of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, stronger and more determined than ever before. 22nd position in the first season was improved to 16th position in 2006/07 and currently stands at 10th position in 2007/08. Team India has been a favourite on the track since the last season it had two historical wins in Zhuhai , China and Brands Hatch - the last race of the season. Narain Karthikeyan is the biggest asset of A1 Team India with the credibility of being tagged 'the fastest Indian in the world'.
ABOUT A1GP WORLD CUP OF MOTORSPORT
Pitting nation against nation in the World Cup of Motorsport, A1GP unites 23 countries in a competition where human bravery, skill and excellence determine victory. Racing identical single-seat cars, the deliberately equalised technology allows countries as diverse as the USA , Lebanon , France , China and South Africa to compete on a level playing field.
With three days of on-track action, an A1GP event offers a rare opportunity for fans to interact with teams and drivers. Exclusively inclusive, A1GP brings the thrill of international motorsport to billions of fans across the globe.
Now preparing for its fourth season, A1GP takes in a mix of established world-famous venues plus exciting new state-of-the-art facilities and tight twisty street circuits, delivering high-speed adrenalin fuelled action at every turn.
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