Rising British single seater star Jordan King has signed up to race in the MRF Formula Championship in India, alongside his drive in the 2011 Formula Renault UK Championship. It will give the 16-year-old an exciting chance to compete in front of huge crowds on the bill of the inaugural Indian Grand Prix.
The MRF Formula Championship, backed by India's leading tyre manufacturer MRF, is set to put twenty young drivers from across the world against each other in identical Van Diemen designed, Ford Duratec powered single seaters.
The series will run over eight races across six meetings, with the first six races taking place at the Madras Motor Race Track in Chennai in February, before two races in support of the Indian Grand Prix at the Jaypee Sports International Circuit in October.
King was presented the opportunity to take part by Anthony 'Boyo' Hieatt, owner of British Formula 3 team Double R Racing and is excited about the opportunity:
“Anthony has been watching me for the last few months, and seems to have been impressed by what I've been doing. I'll be racing a single-seater that I think is broadly similar to the Formula Renault; I don't know how it will compare aero-wise or power-wise, but it's the same principle so it shouldn't be too difficult to adjust to.
“I'm excited about going out there. It will be good to get some racing under my belt – it's been a little while – and it will be good for me to learn some new tracks and to see more of the world. It will be a completely different culture, and all of that widens your perspective of things so that when you get to higher levels you can look back on all your previous experiences and draw upon them to improve.”
Despite the series offering a massive $100,000 prize fund, with $50,000 going to the 2011 champion, King admits the real motivation to take part is the chance to compete on the undercard for the Indian Grand Prix:
“That will be an amazing shop window, with all the F1, GP2 and GP3 teams watching. It's a brilliant opportunity, and if I can do well there it would be a real boost for my career.”
