Narain, racing against time, sponsors

In a country which is rather too preoccupied with cricket, the gross misconception is that Narain is just another rich kid with a passion for fast cars. Few appreciate the fierce competition that exists in Formula racing. That a mere 22 drivers in the World get to drive in a Formula-1 race and nearly as many in Formula-3 is indicative of the exclusivity of motor racing.

Currently, Narain is running fifth in the British Championship after being third at one point before acombination of bad luck and driving error saw him lose position. Nevertheless, his driving skills have attracted high praise from the knowledgeable. Among them, Jackie Stewart, the former World champion, said Narain has it in him to make it to the ultimate in motor sport 8212; the Formula One.

Endorsing the view was Steve Hollman, who attends to Narain8217;s commercial interests. Along with Narain, Hollman is presently touring India in an effort to rope in corporate sponsorship for the next season.

The Englishman said: 8220;Just imagine. There is only one Indian in Formula racing and he is not doing too badly. If Narain were a Brazilian, he would have had money in the bank by now for the next season. You got to appreciate the fact that Narain can drive a F-1 car right now. He has so much of talent.8221;

Pulling no punches, Hollman opined that Narain is as good, if not better than some of the current F-1 drivers. 8220;In the British Championship, Narain even beat Luciano Burti of Brazil by a good margin. And Luciano isalready testing F-1 cars!8221;

So, what is the problem then, apart from of course, the lack of recognition of his achievements? Money, replied Hollman without batting an eyelid.

This season alone, it has cost Narain in the region of a couple of crores of rupees as he has to pay his team, Carlin Motorsport for the drive, and also for car testing sessions each about 4000 Pounds Sterling 8212; about Rs 2.8 lakhs. It is estimated that the costs would be in the region of 4.5 lakh Pounds Sterling about Rs 3.2 crores. Air fare and stay in England for about nine months would be extra.

Under the circumstances, Narain8217;s position vis-a-vis sponsorship appears to be getting desperate by the day despite contributions from Kingfisher, Mobil One, Tata and JK Tyre. In fact, Narain cancelled a test session this week because he could not raise the required amount.

The irony is that even while some Formula One teams have been evincing interest in Narain, he is not even certain about his future. Apparently, Narain has beenmade to realise the hard truth about corporate sponsorship in India.

While nearly Rs 300 crores was said to be the ad-spend during the recent cricket World Cup in England, Narain is unable to convince the same corporates to part with a small percentage.

In contrast, a Brazilian youngster has already put 3.5 lakh Pounds Sterling in the bank well in advance of the November deadline for payments to the F-3 teams. According to Hollman, even the Chinese are keen on pushing a few drivers into Formula racing, now that they have a proper F-1 circuit where one of the Grand Prix races is likely to be run next year.

In comparison, Narain8217;s plight is pitiable. But does anyone care?