The fastest single seat series outside of F1 has a familiar face suiting up for battle
It wouldn’t be entirely incorrect to call this something of a homecoming for Narain Karthikeyan. Thirteen years ago, India’s first Formula 1 driver competed in the Japanese based Formula Nippon championship.
Even as far back as then, the championship was seen as good preparation for F1 for drivers who had competed in Formula 3 and were looking for a taste of single seat cars that were close to F1 speed on fast and challenging Japanese road racing circuits. During the 2001 Formula Nippon season, for instance, the season ending race held at Suzuka was 107 km less than the length of the 310 km F1 Japanese Grand Prix at the same circuit. And the winning Formula Nippon driver finished the race at an average speed that was 16 kmph slower than Michael Schumacher’s winning Ferrari in the F1 race.
For that reason, it was a series that had attracted the likes of Eddie Irvine, Ralf Schumacher and Pedro de la Rosa before Karthikeyan came along to get a taste of a powerful wings and slicks racer.
Cut to the present day and Narain is doing everything possible to make up for shortcomings such as a lack of fitness that led to his debut F1 season in 2005 not being up to scratch.
The 37-year-old is without a doubt fitter than he has ever been in his racing career but knows that he can’t go on forever.
autoX had caught up with him during February’s MRF Challenge round near Chennai to talk about how he saw his future in motorsport.
“Well as far as racing goes, I am only interested in single seaters,” said Karthikeyan. “But I know that I only have about three to four years left at the top levels of single seat racing.
“My view on making it back to F1 with a decent team is that ‘never say never’ but it is looking difficult for sure as sponsorship has always been an issue for me in racing outside of my deal with Tata.”
Which brings us to the subject of single seat racing in Japan. What was Formula Nippon has now morphed into Super Formula with the Dallara built cars being used now the fastest single seat machines outside of F1.
The cars are powered by Honda and Toyota engines (Karthikeyan’s car will have Toyota power) that use the same concept of low-capacity turbocharged engines that have a contingency to be fitted with the kind of Energy Recovery Systems that have made their debut in F1 this year.
With power to weight ratio touching 1,000 bhp per ton (F1 cars have that kind of power to weight ratio) Karthikeyan said that he has touched 337 kmph on the main straight of the Fuji circuit during winter testing with the border of the circuit having ice on it.
That is seriously quick and the race format has been kept the same as in F1, with race distances set at 300 kilometers with the provisional calendar listing seven rounds that are due to kick off from the middle of this month at Suzuka.
Among the drivers competing are FIA World Endurance regulars Loic Duval and 24 Hours of Le Mans overall winner Andre Lotterer (in 2011 and 2012) as well as former F1 driver Vitantonio Liuzzi.
That is, of course, in addition to the best of the hot-blooded racers that Japan has to offer.
Aside from a way for Honda to get some mileage on an engine that is not too different from the current spec F1 engine (in preparation for their return in 2015) it sure seems like a way for Karthikeyan to remain sharp should the opportunity (slim as though it would seem) to make it back to motor racing’s top flight for one last hurrah.
Especially now as he has learned the hard way about the perils of coming from a country that did little to prepare its aspiring racers for the cut and thrust of international motorsport. A cynic may argue that not much has changed despite a proper karting championship in place and an F1 grade racing facility, but that is another topic to be discussed on another day.
For now, all Karthikeyan cares about is making the best of the time he feels he has left in single seat racing. Banzai!
IN A NUTSHELL
The Dallara SF14 is the steed that 19 drivers in the 2014 Super Formula season will ride over the course of seven rounds running from April 13 to November 9 this year. The Italian chassis manufacturer makes cars for pretty much the who’s who as far as motorsport series and championships outside of F1 is concerned. Indycar, Formula 3, GP2, GP3, Formula Renault 3.5 as well as Formula E. Powering the chassis will be 2 litre, four-cylinder, turbocharged engines by soon-to-be F1 returnees Honda and former F1 participant Toyota. The 550 bhp engines will have a 50 bhp boost function in a car that will weigh just 650 kilograms. According to Narain Karthikeyan the engines also have a contingency for an F1 style Energy Recovery System to be fitted to them by the middle of the season. Grip for the cars will come courtesy Bridgestone racing slicks that over races that will last for 300 kilometers or two hours, whichever comes first.
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