Armaan gets his wish

Just 15 and already a force to reckon with. That8217;s Indian driving prodigy Armaan Ebrahim who created history by becoming the first rook...

Just 15 and already a force to reckon with. That8217;s Indian driving prodigy Armaan Ebrahim who created history by becoming the first rookie ever to win a Formula Asia round.

Representing Korea8217;s Team E-Rain, Armaan 8212; the Formula BMW Junior 8212; earned top-spot in Round 4 of the Formula BMW Asia championship and jump into overall second spot.

With mentor Narain Karthikeyan8217;s 11th place finish at the Sepang International Circuit being utmost on his mind, Armaan told The Indian Express that it sure was one of the reasons that fueled his run. 8216;8216;I do want to get where Narain is today. That8217;s my aim.8217;8217; he added.

Having done his bit, Sunday8217;s drive according to his father Akbar, incidentally India8217;s first Formula 3 driver, 8216;8216;was more than pre-season expectation. I would say phenomenal.8217;8217;

Having qualified fourth on the grid, Armaan was second after Lap 1 and it was not until Lap 16 that he went in for the kill, moving past leader Hamed Al Fardan Team Meritus at Corner 1.

8216;8216;I was desperate to do something,8217;8217; said Armaan, who in Round 3 at the same venue on Saturday could only manage a fourth place 8212; his second in the championship 8212; after qualifying eighth. 8216;8216;The podium always eluded me and it was kind of getting frustrating. Round Four was now or never,8217;8217; explained Armaan.

With Armaan basking in glory, for dad Akbar the Malaysian sojurn meant bringing back fond memories. Akbar, a regular on the Asian circuit between 1992-96, adds, 8216;8216;He8217;s achieved something that simply remained a dream for me.8217;8217;

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Having raced mostly at the Shah Alam circuit, Sepang was new for Akbar. He regrets not being able to provide finer incite on the how and where of the track.

For Armaan, that was not a problem. 8216;8216;Dad was at my side. That8217;s good enough,8217;8217; he adds and conceeds 8216;8216;I never thought victory would come so quickly.8217;8217;

Akbar, however, points out that Team E-Rain8217;s chief engineer Patrick Roberts worked as a team then. 8216;8216;Probabaly, it8217;s clicking to Armaan8217;s benefit now,8217;8217; he jokes. Ask Akbar of what he was expecting and one realises how 8216;huge8217; the win was today. 8216;8216;We set off being practical8230;anything between fourth and sixth position since this was Armaan8217;s maiden year and maybe a third place was all that we hoped for,8217;8217; he adds.

History apart, Armaan8217;s victory proved his detractors wrong. According to Akbar, a lot many felt he was too young and should have remained in karting for another two years. Sunday proved Armaan was far too matured for that.