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Nazvi Careem

A motor racing ace and a teen tennis sensation are proving that India's sportsmen  and women can excel at more than just cricket and hockey

Narain Karthikeyan used to scour the international motor racing websites, looking for the results of other budding Indian drivers.

A few of his rivals, such as Karun Chandok, were doing well in various European circuits although none had reached the level attained by Karthikeyan, who had previously tested with Jaguar and Jordan.

Still, Karthikeyan knew that they all shared his goal of reaching Formula 1. He just wanted to get there first.

'Sure, I want to see Indian motor racing go up in the world. There is a lot of talent in the country. But I want to be first,' Karthikeyan once said, epitomising the essence of F1 racing as a 'team sport', but one in which the individual fights a lone battle.

Now, the 'fastest Indian in the world' has fulfilled his dream of not only landing a prized F1 drive, with Jordan, but also making history as the first Indian to earn a seat in the elite competition.

'It is a momentous day for me and it has indeed been a long journey,' Karthikeyan said.

'All this wouldn't have been possible without the support of my sponsors, the Tatas and BPCL and millions of fans who have inspired me in pursuit of my dream.'

Karthikeyan is careful to ensure he credits his sponsors during each step of his rise to motor racing's top rung. Indeed, if ever there was a sport in which talent alone is insufficient, it is the ruthless world of F1.

The Coimbatore native has been good enough to drive in F1 for a number of years but it was his previous inability to raise the required cash - estimated at about #5 million - that blocked his path.

The 28-year-old, whose father is a former top national rally driver, recognised this long ago and since starting the pursuit of his dream, has built up marketing savvy that equals his undoubted driving talent.

Through his experience in British Formula 3, Japan's ultra-competitive Formula Nippon and, more recently, the World Series, Karthikeyan has honed his sponsors as smoothly as his driving skills.

He would carefully read through press releases of his races to ensure sponsors received publicity and that his profile remained high, he would loyally attend marketing events while at the same time selling himself by doing well in races.

Once, when a rival Indian driver claimed to be F1 material to one national newspaper, Karthikeyan sprung into action, engineering a brief media campaign that left no-one in doubt that he was the only Indian in the world who was capable of driving an F1 car.

Neither was it a hollow claim. Karthikeyan could count on his test drives with Jaguar and Jordan, plus the backing of several high-profile British racing managers to confirm his status as a genuine F1 talent.

'Formula 1 wants winners,' he once said. 'I need to be a winner to get there.'

But the road to F1 wasn't without heartbreak and envy.

He watched as Malaysia's Alex Yoong, Briton Ralph Firman, Justin Wilson, Takuma Sato among others - contemporaries whom he had raced against and beaten during his career - earned F1 seats while he struggled to raise funds.

Now that he's arrived, the hard work starts to stay there. Apart from Sato, the rest have dropped off the map, a combination of ordinary performances and lack of funding putting paid to their hopes.

For Karthikeyan, a career laden with gold lies in wait as he takes on a personal and patriotic challenge. India is the final frontier for F1, its huge population of rising middle class offering sponsors and the sport itself a vast untapped market.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has even vowed to stage a race in India within three years.

Indian sports fans, previously fixed on cricket, have recently been more exposed to other sports, especially F1, thanks to the spread of international channels such as ESPN and STAR Sports.

Karthikeyan, who despises cricket's domination of sport on Indian television, recognised this several years ago and jumped at a chance to appear as a guest on the F1 show. That was in 2001. Four years on, and he's moved from the studio and on to the track.

But it all could have come a lot sooner for Karthikeyan had he put the finishing touches to his domination of the 2000 Macau Grand Prix.

He had set a lap record during qualifying and was favourite to win the race - a feat that traditionally fast-tracks a driver's F1 aspirations. However, while leading handily in the final race, he hit a bump and smashed into the barriers. His race was over and his F1 hopes faded - at least for another four years.

That year, Karthikeyan's teammate was Sato, who would eventually win in Macau and go on to F1.

Every bit as talented - and just as wild behind the wheel - as Sato, Karthikeyan is more than just another budding F1 driver.

He is a pioneer for a string of Indian drivers hoping to make it big. Now that he's fulfilled his dream of becoming the first Indian F1 driver, Karthikeyan no longer needs to scour the web to follow the results of his rivals. They will all be following him.



Karthikeyan driven to be number one