Bangalore lad Raj guns for glory in Asia Series

BANGALORE: Following his success in the junior karting championship last year, 16-year-old Bangalore-based racing prodigy Raj Bharath has set his sights on making a name for himself in the Asia Series championship which begins at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia in April.
A stepping stone for aspiring drivers in the Asia-Pacific region, the JK Racing Asia Series consists of 18 races spread across six rounds with a few rounds acting as support races for Formula One races.
The event will feature seven teams with as many as 22 participants hailing from seven countries. "The first year in this new championship will be a learning curve for me," said Raj, the only Indian in the fray. "From the second year, I will look to get on the podium," the lad who will compete as part of the Meritus Racing team told reporters on Tuesday.
"He is a promising young driver and we hope that he proves his mettle internationally, just as he has done on Indian circuits," said Akbar Ebrahim, president of Meco Motorsports and Raj`s mentor in racing. Raj began junior karting in 2008 at the age of 13 and named the most promising rookie in his first year. The following year, he finished third in the junior national karting championship before winning the title in 2010 and represented India at the karting world finals in Italy.