New vistas open up for Karthikeyan

Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan had a successful testing with Cheever Red Bull Racing Team in the United States for the Indy Racing League.

Indian speed king Narain Karthikeyan had a successful testing with Cheever Red Bull Racing Team in Phoenix, Arizona, for the Indy Racing League, popularly known as IRL in America.

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There was heavy rain in Phoenix and testing was limited to 60 laps. But Narain still managed to clock an average speed of 281kmph, just three kmph less than the course record.

"The bosses in Cheever were happy with my speed.

“It now boils down to what my sponsors want me to do, whether move over to America or try and give Formula One, my dream, yet another shot," said Narain in an exclusive chat with the Hindustan Times from Coimbatore on Wednesday.

For all those who may wonder what IRL is, it is an immensely popular motorsport in America, where, too, 14 races are held every year. The biggest of them all is the Indy 500 race in Indianapolis, for which a parallel can be drawn with the Monaco Grand Prix.

Having won the first race in Valencia and finishing second in the second race in the Nissan World Series recently, Narain is in peak shape now.