2014 Super Formula Series Round 2: Karthikeyan finishes in top 10

  • May 19, 2014
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Following a disappoint first round of the season at Suzuka, Narain Karthikeyan puts up a decent show at Fuji with a seventh and sixth place finish in Race 1 and 2 respectively

Narain Karthikeyan Driving in the Super Formula Series

Having retired from the race, Round 1 of the 2014 Super Formula Series wasn’t quite fruitful for Narain Karthikeyan. But in the second round at Fuji, despite suffering a few speed bumps during preparation, he did well to secure an eighth place in qualifying. Making his, debut at the venue that hosted the first-ever Japanese Grand Prix in 1976, the Indian racing driver posted a 1:23.253 minute lap to secure eighth place on the grid, six-tenths of a second (0.681s) slower than pole-sitter André Lotterer.

Starting from eighth place, the former Indian Formula 1 driver couldn’t quite do much in Race 1 owing to the lack of top speed compared to the rest of the front-runners. Karthikeyan could only manage to gain one position and take the chequered flag in seventh. 

Narain Karthikeyan driving at Fuji in the Super Formula Series

Race 2 proved to be a little more rewarding, as Karthikeyan managed to get off to a good start jumping up four places in the very first lap. But once again due to the lack of adequate straight-line speed and a minor error that saw him go off the track, Race 2 saw him lose two places down from his earlier fourth to finish in sixth place. 

“From the start of the weekend we’ve sort of been on the back foot, so a sixth place was actually damage limitation to be honest. You’re bound to have some weekends like this, given the competition and experience most other drivers have in these conditions – but the end result is better than Suzuka where we came back with no points,” Karthikeyan said. 

Two rounds into the season and five more to go before the end, Karthikeyan currently stands ninth on the championship table with 2.5 points. Round 3 of the championship will once again be held at Fuji on July 12-13. 

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