INDIA - Ready to take on the World’s Best!

This time last year, Indian’s worldwide looked on, disappointed and embarrassed, as the fiasco that was the Commonwealth Games unfolded. With every new story that hit the headlines, more skeletons of scandal seemed to tumble out of a cupboard of corruption and ineptitude. Whether one cared for sport or not, the disastrously managed Commonwealth Games scarred India and dented its reputation worldwide as an emerging economic superpower.

In just over 12 months time, we have a shot at redemption. The arrival of the inaugural Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit at Noida, heralds the second coming of Indian motorsport. With all preparations on track, and no effort or expense spared by the promoters, the grand motorsport spectacle promises to be the balm to the wounds inflicted on Delhi and India last October.

What has been particularly pleasing is the media interest in motorsport, and more specifically Indian motorsport, which, for decades, has been occupying the little spaces available only after local school-level cricket tournaments have been comprehensively covered and analysed. Over the past few weeks, the media articles have even provided Indian fans a rare glimpse into the glorious past of Indian motorsport in the 1980s when over 100,000 people used to attend race meets at Sholavaram and other venues. Those are times that I only hear of from my father, and his friends. With the recent surge of interest in Indian motorsport, I remain hopeful of having similar tales of grandeur to narrate to my children when my time comes!

The question that a lot of people have been asking recently is where are the Indian drivers in Formula 1. Someone asked me if I am ready for Formula 1, or whether I still need more time? Let me state this as emphatically as I can, right here – YES I am! Having progressed from the grassroots level with karting, and having worked my way up steadily, first in Asia and then in Europe, and eventually putting in strong results in Formula 2, there’s no doubt in my mind that given a good set-up I can change gears into Formula 1.

Securing a drive in Formula 1 is mix of ability and opportunity. I’m confident that if the opportunity presents itself, I have the ability to capitalize on it. Yet, it’s not enough to sit back and wait for the day that opportunity comes knocking – which is why the step into Indy Car racing is a significant one for me. Indy Car is open-wheel racing, and the cars are essentially single-seaters that drive at speeds equivalent, or in excess of, Formula 1 cars. There is a common misconception that Indy Car and Formula 1 are like chalk and cheese, and that a move to one is like ruling out the other. There is also the theory that American racing is all about oval tracks, and hence not the ideal proving ground for a F1 driver. Neither of these holds water. As things stand today, the number of oval tracks are less than 30% as compared to the number of purpose built road circuits on the calendar.

The Indy Lights car that I’ll be driving in 2012 is just as good a car to be in as a GP2 or F2 car in terms of developing the higher level skills of single-seater, open-wheel racing, and thus my move to Indy is not a deviation from the Formula 1 dream – rather a means to further that end! If this opens up new channels for Indian drivers to enter Indy, and also brings Indy Car and all its exciting aspects to Indian shores, even better.

Earlier last month, the Sahara Group bought a considerable stake in the Force India Formula 1 Team by investing approximately USD $100 million. In my opinion, this is the best thing that could have happened to Indian motorsport. The Sahara Group has a long-standing history of supporting Indian athletes, teams and sportsmen. For them, the pride of supporting talented Indians has always been more important than the return on investment calculations done from purely a marketing perspective alone. In a competitive industry scenario, the Sahara Group have been among a few who have, at most times, chosen to do business with their hearts rather than just their heads.

As an Indian racing driver who is ready to take on the world’s best in the highest forms of motorsport, it comes as a welcome sign that the Sahara Group have got involved with the Force India team and I remain confident that when the net gets cast to find Indian drivers to lead the next generation of Indian motorsport, I will have parked myself at the front of the grid – waiting to start my engines, and let the race begin!

This October, the success of the Indian Grand Prix will exorcise the ghosts of past debacles (CWG), but, more importantly, bold strides may have been taken towards writing a brave new future for Indian motorsport – one that is written jointly by Indian companies, Indian fans, and Indian DRIVERS.