Kumar Ram Narain Karthikeyan

Awards & Achievements

• First Indian racer to win the British Formula Ford Winter Series in 1994
• First Asian and the first Indian to win the Asian Formula 2000 in 1996
• Drove fantastically well at the British Formula 3 Championships of 1998,1999 and 2000, finishing 12th, 6th, and 4th, respectively
• Became India's first Formula One racer in 2005, finishing 18th at the season
• Won the A1GP race, held in China for the first time in 2007 which was India’s first win in the race
• Three 24 hours Le Man victories in 2009 with a total of 22 individual wins
• Made his NASCAR debut by participating in "Kroger 250 Camping World Truck Series" finishing at the 13th place and received the title of "NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Most Popular Driver" in 2010
• Finished 16th with a total of 288 points at the Super League Formula Championship of 2010
• Honoured with the fourth highest civilian award "Padma Shri" by the Government of India in 2010
• Secured 5 wins and 4 pole positions, finishing 4th at the Auto GP Series of 2013
• Secured 13th, 11th and 14th position at the Super Formula season 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively

Everybody wants to win. The team knows how to win, and as I explained we would like to make a big step forward which means definitely looking at podiums, and why not a win too? 

Narain Karthikeyan, the first F-1 racing driver of India who has registered his name in the history of motorsports through his winged performances on international circuits and conquered numerous national track events, is known for his supersonic pace and winning strategy. This Indian motor racing driver has reigned the Auto GP Series of 2013 with 4 pole positions and 5 wins, driving for the British racing team- Super Nova Racing. Not only this, Karthikeyan has performed incredibly well in various international motorsports competitions, earning numerous accolades. Narayan’s ‘Never say die’ attitude and constant practice to chase excellence has made him one of the iconic personalities in India. 

Photo Credits: wikimedia.org

On 14th January 1977, in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, the owners of famous PSG Institutions were blessed with a boy with an inborn talent to rule the track, named as Kumar Ram Narain Karthikeyan. Having a lush family background that consisted racing records, motorsports was not an idiosyncratic thing for Karthikeyan. His father Mr. Kakarla Karthikeyan Naidu was a seven times Indian National Rally champion and one of his close relative, Mr. S. Karivardhan was India’s track racing king before Narain came into prominence. Karthikeyan’s family supported him at the best to pursue his dreams.

At the age of 15 (in 1992), Karthikeyan drove his debut race at Sriperumpudur and finished on the podium with a promising performance to rule the track. He gave a tough competition to the other racers in the Formula Vauxhall Junior Championship that took place in Great Britain in 1993. The very year brought flying colours when Karthikeyan ruled the track of British Formula Ford Winter Series, being the first Indian to win a championship in Europe. Finishing second at the Formula Asia Championship of 1995, he targeted for the first podium that he achieved the same year at the Formula Asia International Series, being the first Asian to win the race.

In 1998, Karthikeyan made his debut at the British Formula 3 Championship, driving for team "Carlin" in which he was ranked sixth with five podium finishes, two wins, three fastest laps and became the first driver to earn a victory for the team at the championship. In 2005, Karthikeyan became the first Formula One racing driver of India by participating in the Formula One Championship with Jordan Grand Prix where he finished 18th, competing in 19 races. He won the A1GP, held at Zhuhai circuit in China in 2007 and became the first Indian to win the feat for the nation.

There were times when Narain had to wait for success and was even demanded to pay-off for better opportunities but he always chose to be fair with his dreams, keeping a distance from shortcuts. Karthikeyan received the title of "NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Most Popular Driver" in the year 2010. The same year, he was honoured with the fourth highest civilian award "Padma Shri" by the Government of India for his astounding performances in motorsports. From 2005 to 2012, Karthikeyan went on to steal the heart of the motorsports lovers through his eye-catching performance on the track.

Karthikeyan has set a benchmark for Indian car racers who wish to have a bright career in motor racing by encouraging them to pursue perfection by true means. He has registered his name at the top-notch place of the Indian motorsports history. From 2005 Australian Grand Prix to 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix, Karthikeyan never fails to show his pace at the racing track. Undoubtedly, this fearless, passionate and confident racer has earned a unique place not only in his sport but also in the heart of motorsports fanatics. 

Credits: YouTube