An interesting experienceThe Speedcar Series will begin in November under the form of an eight-round championship across Asia and the Middle East featuring 24 identical cars with a mixture of former F1, international and celebrity drivers.
The series will run with
GP2 Asia at five meetings as part of the Grand Racing events, and alongside the Formula One World Championship at two races in 2008.
Narain Karthikeyan, Williams F1 test driver, along with Indonesian saloon car racer Moreno Soeprapto and his brother Ananda Mikola were joined by Swiss regional stock car racer Alexandre Maus and Italian rally driver Nico Caldarola to test two of the championship's 650bhp cars at the Dubai Autodrome, completing over 60 laps in total.
The test was being used by drivers and engineers to perform tests on a new braking system, not to search for ultimate lap times. Of the five drivers present, Karthikeyan was fastest by a half second.
"I had a good feel for the car, expecting some sliding from such a heavy car I had no surprises.
But I have to say the car is a good car, despite its weight it is very balanced and pretty forgiving, it has a strong engine and is quick on the straight," reported Karthikeyan.
The Williams team member made a few comparisons between the racing series and his usual drive: "The breaking distances are very long compared to those of single-seater cars of course and that took some getting used to. It will be interesting to see the battle between the younger and former F1 star drivers."
"It was really a fun car to drive. I look forward to coming back," Karthikeyan declared.
Source Speedcar Series
