Karun @ GP2 Series............. Will he make it ???

After winning the debut Formula Renault V6, Karun was seen actively involved in the JK Tyre National Racing Championship 2006 at the Sriperumbudur Race Track, here in Chennai, with his team Wallace Sports - Leelas which won both the Formula LGB Swift and the Formula Rolon Chevrolet Championships.

After this, there was a lot of news that Karun would do A1GP, GP2 etc.etc.

" I sincerely hope that Karun would get a seat in the GP2 series. Ofcourse, it is dependant on the final budget being met & we are awaiting confirmation from sponsors . The next test is in Barcelona on the 8th & 9 th of march" said Vicky Chandhok, father of Karun Chandhok, who just came from Paul Ricard Circuit in France where Karun did a fantastic job in GP2 testing.

GP2 is a championship designed entirely to equip every member of every team with the experience knowledge and determination to succeed in Formula One. The Car : 600 bhp, Carbon brakes, paddle shift gear selection...no where else can one find a series of monotype single seaters so closely matched to their F1 cousins in looks, technology and performance. The GP2 car will hit 200 kph in 6.70 secs and has a top speed of 320 kph.

Karun was testing for Team Durango, the team that has many wins in the championships to its credit like 2004 FIA International F3000 Championship
Formula Renault 2000, 2003 FIA International F3000 Championship, FIA World Sportscar Championship, Le Mans 24 hours etc.

Karun testing GP2 at Paul Ricard

During the afternoon testing, Karun did a credible 6th fastest timing in the Paul Ricard circuit on 22nd Feb. "considering the fact, that Karun did not sit on the race car for the past 5 months, coming 6th is really reassuring and if you see the results, you would find that the difference is less than a second, it is very very competitive. The GP2 car is technologically advanced car, and I would say that this championship is a perfect blend of technology and drivers skill" said Vicky Chandhok.

Driver Team Time
1 Lucas Di Grassi ART Grand Prix 1:10.464
2 Nicolas Lapierre DAMS 1:11.094
3 Alexandre Negrao Minardi Piquet Sports 1:11.122
4 Michael Ammermuller ART Grand Prix 1:11.254
5 Kazuki Nakajima DAMS 1:11.378
6 Karun Chandhok Durango 1:11.455
7 Antonio Pizzonia Petrol Ofisi FMS Int. 1:11.482
8 Roldan Rodriguez Minardi Piquet Sports 1:11.617
9 Ricardo Risatti BCN Competicion 1:11.689
10 Mike Conway Super Nova International 1:11.690
11 Andreas Zuber Isport International 1:11.702
12 Borja Garcia Durango 1:11.935
13 Sakon Yamamoto BCN Competicion 1:11.941
14 Andy Soucek DPR 1:12.013
15 Christian Bakkerud DPR 1:12.211
16 Pastor Maldonado Trident Racing 1:12.281
17 Luca Filippi Super Nova International 1:12.428
18 Vitaly Petrov Campos Grand Prix 1:12.551
19 Timo Glock Isport International 1:12.675
20 Javier Villa Racing Engineering 1:12.826
21 Franck Perera Racing Engineering 1:13.004
22 Bruno Senna Arden International 1:13.441
23 Adrian Zaugg Arden International 1:18.769
24 Kohei Hirate Trident Racing 1:22.752
25 Jason Tahinci Petrol Ofisi FMS Int. 1:26.761
26 Giorgio Pantano Campos Grand Prix 1:36.522

There are only 2 vacant seats available for this season and Karun is fighting for a seat. Let's hope and pray that Karun gets a seat in GP2 and we see him in action in the 2007 season.

Calendar Season 2007

Bahrain / Sakhir 13-15 April
Spain / Barcelona 11-13 May
Monaco / Montecarlo 24-27 May
France / Magny Cours 29 June - 01 July
GB / silverstone - 6-8 July
Germany / Nurburgring 20-22 July
Hungary / Budapest 3-5 Aug
Turkey / Istanbu 24-26 Aug
Italy / Monza 7-9 Sep
Belgium / Spa-Francorchamps 14-16 Sep
Spain / Valencia 28-30 Sep

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