CHENNAI: It’s been a couple of years since he burst onto the scene as a fresh-faced 15-year-old, dominating people years his senior in the MRF Championships. A strapping young man now, Tarun is taking serious steps along the road that, he hopes, will eventually culminate in Formula One.
The 17-year-old Chennai lad, who drove in the UK-based MSA Formula last year, has moved on to bigger things. Tarun is now testing a BRDC Formula Four car with Fortec Motorsport and looking to finalise plans to race in the series in 2016. The series is no stranger to Indian talent, with Arjun Maini dominating the grid and finishing second in 2014. Akhil Rabindra participated last year. “Testing so far has been productive,” Tarun told Express from Coventry where he is pursuing a business degree at the University of Warwick. “I have done one day in both the wet and dry tyres and am still getting to grips with the car.”
While he had a tough year in the MSA Formula last year, Tarun is hoping the experience stands him in good stead for the coming years. “MSA Formula was a hard year for me as my car broke down in 10 of the 30 races. But when the car was running well, we were always up front. The hard lessons that I have learnt will prepare me to be constantly up from next year,” he said.
Tarun, who was based in Chennai until last year, moved to England recently to further his racing prospects. “I have been travelling to England for the past three years now, so I am used to the environment,” he said.
But balancing academic life with his racing career still remains a struggle for Tarun, who is aware he will miss out on many things that students his age take for granted. “It is extremely difficult (balancing racing and studies). University is demanding. But then, this is something that I have been used to right from high school. Once you get used to time management, it is manageable.”
Every racer his age will be dreaming of the glitz and glamour of Formula One and Tarun is no different. While all the steps he has taken so far are in the right direction, Tarun knows that an F1 stint remains a distant dream. “It is tough to say how far away I am from Formula One at this point. Technically, it is only two steps away. But it can take me a few years even if everything goes according to plan,” he said.
And his biggest hurdle remains finding sponsors. With money often making the difference at the highest levels of the sport, Tarun hopes his move to UK will assist on that front. “Sponsorship is a struggle whichever part of the world you are from, as this sport requires a huge investment. But hopefully, good results next year will bring in potential sponsorship.”