India's first Formula 1 driver Narain Karthikeyan made the country proud once again as he concluded the 2019 Super GT campaign on a high in his maiden season. The F1 racer won the second Super GT x DTM Dream Race under absolutely wild conditions at the Fuji Speedway in Japan. The win is a big one for the 42-year-old racer and his first since the 2013 Brno AutoGP. Karthikeyan was driving the Honda NSX-GT against a line-up of 21 drivers and put up a brilliant show in both wet and dry conditions.
Starting off second on the grid, Karthikeyan took the lead from pole-sitter Loic Duval on Lap 2 and went on to control the race even as the grid was a complete mess behind him. The Indian driver made his first pit stop on Lap 16 and held on to his advantage after Duval's car had to make an unscheduled pitstop after a puncture, forcing the first of three safety car periods.
Narain Karthikeyan drove the Honda NSX-GT in the Super GT x DTM Dream Race
Post the pitstop, Karthikeyan briefly lost the lead to Benoit Treluyer but was able to re-take the position when the latter to serve his mandatory pitstop. He managed to also survive the final lap shootout after a series of incidents at the back of the pack left debris on the track, warranting the safety car for the third time. Nevertheless, Narain led to a comfortable victory, +0.935s over the second-placed BMW driver Marco Wittmann followed by teammate Loic Duval.
Speaking at the end of the race, Narain Karthikeyan said, "It was quite difficult because it was quite cold and the re-starts were quite critical. The last time I had so many re-starts was probably in NASCAR when I drove in 2010. It was a fantastic race; it was a great result for my team Nakajima Racing, the Honda NSX. It's a nice way to finish off the year."
Karthikeyan has been known for his speed and pace since his F1 days and the driver certainly holds the title of being one of the fastest Indians in motorsport. He has been a part of different mediums over the years and bagged a podium finish in the Autobacs Super GT series held at the Sportsland Sugo circuit in Japan earlier this year.
