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Narain Karthikeyan

Personal Profile

Narain Karthikeyan
  • Birth Name:
    Kumar Ram Narain Karthikeyan
  • Date of Birth:
    January 14, 1977
  • Place of Birth:
    Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
  • Sex:
    Male
  • Hair Color:
    Black
  • Eye Color:
    Brown
  • Nationality:
    Indian
  • Education:
    Stanes Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, Coimbatore

Family

Narain Karthikeyan
  • Spouse:
    Pavarna

Career

Narain Karthikeyan

Trivia

Narain Karthikeyan
  • Narain was offered a race drive for the 2004 season, but was unable to raise the necessary sponsorship funds to seal the deal.
  • Karthikeyan started 2001 in the Formula Nippon F3000 Championship, finishing the year amongst the top ten. In the same year, he became the first Indian to ever drive an F1 car, testing for the Jaguar Racing team at Silverstone on June 14.
  • Narain moved back to Britain in 1997 to compete in the British Formula Opel Championship, taking a pole position and win at Donington Park and finishing sixth in the overall points standings.
  • In 1996, he had a full season in the series and became the first Indian and the first Asian to win the Formula Asia International series.
  • Karthikeyan also took part in the British Formula Ford Winter Series, and became the first Indian to win any championship in Europe.
  • With the ambition of becoming India's first Formula One driver, Karthikeyan finished on the podium in his first ever race, at Sriperumpudur in a Formula Maruti (a.k.a.FISSME).
  • Narain made his Formula One debut in 2005 with the Jordan team, and was a WilliamsF1 test driver in 2006 and 2007.
  • He has previously competed in Formula One, and is currently an A1GP and Le Mans Series driver.
  • Narain Karthikeyan is a motor racing driver from India.

Biography

Narain Karthikeyan
Last Updated: Friday, October 23, 2009

NarainThe Fastest Indian on Wheels, Narain Karthikeyan is the only Formula One driver of the country. Winner of several international circuits, he is the first Indian to have participated in motors sport World Cup in 2007. A management graduate, Narain Karthikeyan joined world car racing in 1994 and. became the first Indian to win the British Formula Ford Winter Series.1996 saw him win the Formula Asia championship. In 1999, driving in the Auto sport British Formula 3 championships, he took to the podium five times. He also won the Brands Hatch Race, considered one of the most difficult racing circuits, twice. 

In 2000, Narain Karthikeyan ranked fourth in F3 British championship and won the International F3 race at the Spa, Belgium and had a world beating victory in Korean F3 Super Prix. In 2001, he became one of the top rookie finishers in Japan’s Formula Nippon. He got behind the wheels of a Jaguar R1 car to become the first Indian to test a Formula One car.  In 2002, he was held the fastest driver in the highly competitive Telefonica World Series.  In 2003 he finished fourth in Super Fund World Series with 5 podium finishes. Narain Krthikeyan’s ranking earned him a test drive with the Formula 1 team Minardi. In 2004 he won both the races at Valencia, the 8th round of World Series by Nissan, considered next to Formula One.

The year 2005 heralded a new history in Indian Motor sports. In F1 World Championship, Narain Karthikeyan made an impressive debut for team Jordan F1 at Melbourne and placed 12th on the grid.  In the second race at Malaysia he finished 11th, 12th in San Marino, 13th in Barcelona, 15th at France, 16th in Germany, 12th in Hungary, 14th in Turkey, 20th in Italy, 11th in Belgium and 15th in Brazil. In 2006 World Championship, Narain Karthikeyan joined Williams F1-9times World Champions as their test driver. In 2007, he retains as a test driver with Williams F1. He also participated in A1GP, the world Cup of Motor Sports in 2007.

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