Kush Maini graduates to Formula 4 in 2016
15-year old Kush Maini, the first Asian to win the Trofeo Andrea Margutti karting championship, has decided to make move to Formula racing in 2016. He will race with Koirannen Racing in the SMP Formula 4 championship and the Spanish Formula 4 championship. In this season, Kush will participate in 45 races that will be held across Russia, Holland, Finland, Spain and Portugal, giving him lots of experience in racing on different circuits and conditions. Kush will first focus on testing on the Valencia and Navarra circuits at the end of this month.
"Both the SMP and Spanish Formula 4 championships are one-make championships, which mean all the cars will be equal. This gives me a chance to focus on my driving, while at the same time learning various tracks I have never competed on. I'm quite excited about starting my car racing career and I'm aiming for a Top 5 in both championships, although I will strive to win both," says Kush on his decision.
His mentor, Karun Chandok added, "The move from karts to cars is always very hard to judge and in the end, we left it to Kush to decide. Motorsport is a great way for a young man to mature. I believe that being forced to make these sorts of high pressure decisions involving considerable financial investment at such a young age, will help him grow as a person in the long run.
Press release - Kush Maini Moves to Formula Cars
| Kush Maini (15), will step up into Formula Cars this year. Kush who had a stellar season in karting last year, the highlight of which was becoming the first Asian to win the Trofeo Andrea Margutti, will compete in the SMP Formula 4 championship along with a full campaign in the newly launched Spanish Formula 4 championship. The Finnish team Koirannen who are based out of Madrid in Spain will organize both championships, which in turn will see the youngster compete in 45 races during the course of the season. Formula 4 is widely considered the second step after karting, on the ladder to Formula One. The SMP series will focus on tracks in the Northern regions of Europe, namely Russia, Holland and Finland, while the Spanish Formula 4 series will feature rounds primarily in Spain but will also run a few rounds in Portugal. This will give Kush valuable exposure on different race circuits, while at the same time building his experience in Formula cars. When asked about his decision, Kush said, "Both the SMP and Spanish Formula 4 championships are one-make championships, which means all the cars will be equal. This gives me a chance to focus on my driving, while at the same time learning various tracks I have never competed on. I'm quite excited about starting my car racing career and I'm aiming for a Top 5 in both championships, although I will strive to win both" Karun Chandhok, who is only one of two Indians to have raced in Formula One, played a significant part in helping the teenager decide on his plans for 2016 also added, "Now that Arjun is settled into a team of his liking in F3, Gautamand I turned our focus on to Kush. The move from karts to cars is always very hard to judge and in the end, we left it to Kush to decide. Motorsport is a great way for a young man to mature. I believe that being forced to make these sort of high pressure decisions involving considerable financial investment at such a young age will help him grow as a person in the long run. "The offer from Koirannen Racing to do a double program was very interesting because he will end up doing 45 races plus a lot of testing in a single year! It's going to be a busy year but with the amount of experience he gets, the move to cars will certainly be justifiable. Kush is a good, hard racer and it's going to be exciting to watch his progress this season. A top 5 result in the championship is certainly the target and one that is achievable." Kush will now focus his attention on his first few tests, which will occur on the Valencia and Navarra circuits, scheduled at the end of this month. | |
