Finally I am racing again!
After almost a year without a drive I was starting to lose all hope of finding anything.
Out of the blue, I was lucky enough to receive the budget to drive the first round of the MRF Challenge, just two weeks before the first race was due to take place in India. The added bonus was that this race was also to support the 2013 Indian Grand Prix.
It was exciting enough to finally be back out in a race car again but to be able to race at such big event on the same track as the legendary Formula One drivers was unreal and something I could only dreamed of.
During the course of the Delhi meeting I became used to the feel of a race car again. I made some big improvements in every race. Being thrown in at the deep end with these experienced drivers really pushed me to achieve faster times.
After the weekend was over the thought of not being able to drive the next race really hurt.
Just as I had come to terms with this being a one off opportunity, I was told the news that I would be competing in the rest of the MRF Challenge, which included two rounds in Bahrain and another in India.
The second round at Bahrain was supporting the World Endurance Championship, I felt so excited to get back in the car at another fantastic track. It is great to be involved in a Championship like the MRF Challenge, where you get to drive many laps in each event, something that I just was not able to afford to do in BARC.
Although there was another improvement, it was not enough for me to be perfectly happy with my performance and I was looking forward to the third round back at Bahrain, only two weeks later. For once I would be racing on a car circuit where I had driven before. Although the organisers changed the track layout, I knew the main part of the track and I felt that this time I was well prepared.
As soon as we hit the track in practice I was pulling out some promising times and it resulted in some great races and the best results that I have ever had in cars with a 10th and an 8th , a huge improvement.
It’s great to be back out in a race car and amazing to be driving against a truly competitive grid of drivers. I am learning a lot and have a brilliant team behind me. I can’t wait for the fourth MRF round at Chennai India in February, the hunt for a summer 2014 drive continues.
