In fact, they never participated in karting races during their formative years. Although they managed to reach the top of motorsport and participated in prestigious circuits such as Formula 1, NASCAR (Narain) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, they want the next generation of drivers in the country to rise through the karting circuit, just like the lines from the current group of drivers, including Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and veterans like Mika Hakkinen.
To eliminate the anomaly in the Indian motor sport ecosystem, Karthikeyan and Chandhok, along with Hakkinen, came together on Thursday to inaugurate the first internationally certified karting track in the country at the Madras Motor Sports Club.
The Madras International Karting Arena (MIKA) is a track certified by the Commission Internationale de Karting (CIK) and is ready to host the World Karting Championship.
On this occasion, Hakkinen highlighted the importance of karting in the development of racing drivers, stating that he himself has been practicing it for 10 years.
“He taught me about racing, how to drive a kart/car, how to keep balance. But the most important thing is that it taught me how to deal with defeats on the track,” said Hakkinen, highlighting how this aspect of the sport helped him maintain his confidence, as he did not win a single race in his first six years on the circuit. Formula 1.
“You must learn to lose and enjoy victory, and to control your emotions. As you move up the career ladder, the outside world is completely different. There is a lot of pressure from family, friends and teams. Therefore, you must be able to deal with the pressure. But it’s all up here,” he said, pointing to his temple.
Hakkinen also narrated how he transformed his life and his sporting career with the help of Doctor Aki Hintsa and his Hintsa Performance to train his mind and become a winning unit.
"After six years in Formula One, I was wondering why I hadn't won any crowns. I felt something was wrong. And that was the day I called Aki Hintsa, who initially didn't know how he could do it. Help me because he hasn't I practiced a lot of sport. We resolved my concerns about my family's safety and they asked me how long I wanted their services and I said: "for life." So we started working together and much later I won my first Grand Prix and we continued working. together.
"Hintsa Performance was born after that and today takes care of around 80% of Grand Prix drivers," said Hakkinen.
Chandhok spoke about how the Driven International-based Madras International Karting Arena came to be, in active consultation with Chandhok, to the actual structure of the Madras Motor Sports Club.
"So, they did a terrain survey through Google Maps, they did a simulator version to check the various aspects of the runway, they did soil tests, they laid an asphalt base, which they couldn't do for the main runway because of lack of funds and then reworked the design to utilize the existing pit lanes, garages and other facilities.
“The result is a very smooth track that provides a challenge and a good training course for the youngsters,” said Chandhok, who took the first run and had a mock kart race with Karthikeyan, which ultimately left him extremely satisfied.
"We have a track that is very smooth and that will be good for overtaking. So you have fast corners, flowing corners and we have some banking. So we have some good hairpins, but we also created a track that I think is important to train the drivers. drivers of the future," Chandhok said.
"If I think about what the purpose of this track is, it is to develop future talents.
"It's a facility for parents who think, 'My son is interested. My son wants to be a Formula One driver. Do you know where we start? We haven't had a place for them to start.'
"So I think this is important, but we need more facilities like this across the country. But there are runways on the way, right? Bengaluru is on the way, Pune is on the way. I am involved in both runway designs," Chandhok added .
But the second Indian Formula 1 driver said that having facilities is important, but what is most crucial is that they are accessible to children.
"But Delhi (the Buddh Internation Race Track in Greater Noida) shows that it is a key aspect. We built this incredible, $500 million track in Delhi. It hasn't solved the problem of children getting to it from school." said the 40-year-old Chennai native who raced in Formula 1 between 2010 and 2011.
To eliminate the anomaly in the Indian motor sport ecosystem, Karthikeyan and Chandhok, along with Hakkinen, came together on Thursday to inaugurate the first internationally certified karting track in the country at the Madras Motor Sports Club.
The Madras International Karting Arena (MIKA) is a track certified by the Commission Internationale de Karting (CIK) and is ready to host the World Karting Championship.
On this occasion, Hakkinen highlighted the importance of karting in the development of racing drivers, stating that he himself has been practicing it for 10 years.
“He taught me about racing, how to drive a kart/car, how to keep balance. But the most important thing is that it taught me how to deal with defeats on the track,” said Hakkinen, highlighting how this aspect of the sport helped him maintain his confidence, as he did not win a single race in his first six years on the circuit. Formula 1.
“You must learn to lose and enjoy victory, and to control your emotions. As you move up the career ladder, the outside world is completely different. There is a lot of pressure from family, friends and teams. Therefore, you must be able to deal with the pressure. But it’s all up here,” he said, pointing to his temple.
Hakkinen also narrated how he transformed his life and his sporting career with the help of Doctor Aki Hintsa and his Hintsa Performance to train his mind and become a winning unit.
"After six years in Formula One, I was wondering why I hadn't won any crowns. I felt something was wrong. And that was the day I called Aki Hintsa, who initially didn't know how he could do it. Help me because he hasn't I practiced a lot of sport. We resolved my concerns about my family's safety and they asked me how long I wanted their services and I said: "for life." So we started working together and much later I won my first Grand Prix and we continued working. together.
"Hintsa Performance was born after that and today takes care of around 80% of Grand Prix drivers," said Hakkinen.
Chandhok spoke about how the Driven International-based Madras International Karting Arena came to be, in active consultation with Chandhok, to the actual structure of the Madras Motor Sports Club.
"So, they did a terrain survey through Google Maps, they did a simulator version to check the various aspects of the runway, they did soil tests, they laid an asphalt base, which they couldn't do for the main runway because of lack of funds and then reworked the design to utilize the existing pit lanes, garages and other facilities.
“The result is a very smooth track that provides a challenge and a good training course for the youngsters,” said Chandhok, who took the first run and had a mock kart race with Karthikeyan, which ultimately left him extremely satisfied.
"We have a track that is very smooth and that will be good for overtaking. So you have fast corners, flowing corners and we have some banking. So we have some good hairpins, but we also created a track that I think is important to train the drivers. drivers of the future," Chandhok said.
"If I think about what the purpose of this track is, it is to develop future talents.
"It's a facility for parents who think, 'My son is interested. My son wants to be a Formula One driver. Do you know where we start? We haven't had a place for them to start.'
"So I think this is important, but we need more facilities like this across the country. But there are runways on the way, right? Bengaluru is on the way, Pune is on the way. I am involved in both runway designs," Chandhok added .
But the second Indian Formula 1 driver said that having facilities is important, but what is most crucial is that they are accessible to children.
"But Delhi (the Buddh Internation Race Track in Greater Noida) shows that it is a key aspect. We built this incredible, $500 million track in Delhi. It hasn't solved the problem of children getting to it from school." said the 40-year-old Chennai native who raced in Formula 1 between 2010 and 2011.
