Chennai: 2010 Volkswagen Polo Cup racing champion, Sailesh Bolisetti has been roped to don the colours of Lotus Sport in the 2012 Avon Tyres British GT Championship.
Bolisetti, who is known for his love and preference for Saloon cars, has been the best driver in the country on Saloon category and carved a niche for himself in the domestic circuit since 2008.
The 23-year-old Bolisetti, who finished third in the championship in 2009, won the title in 2010 despite facing couple of mishaps and went on to win the coveted champion driver title in the inaugural year in Volkswagen Polo Cup series.
Bolisetti also graduated to driving on the European circuit after Volkswagen picked him last year as the best Indian driver for scholarship.
Looking to compete in the touring and sports car in the world circuit like DTM and Le Mans, Bolisetti feels the most competitive British GT Championship would be a great launching pad for him.
"This will be a completely different experience to drive in one-make series. The car is obviously quicker than whatever I have driven before. The handling will also be different given the mid-engine layout," Bolisetti said.
"This is a factory team with a test-track which is also used for F1 testing. Hence, all their efforts and resources will be focused on making our car/driver combination as competitive as possible. It is a great commitment since brand Lotus will compete in the same grid as Ferraris, Porsches and Aston Martins, leaving no room for complacency."
"It is definitely a privilege to get an opportunity with Lotus. Some of the best drivers in the business have been associated with Lotus. I am extremely motivated and can`t wait for the season to kick off," he added.
With the season starting at Qulton Park on April 7, Bolisetti, who had the first experience of testing the four-litre 355 bhp Evora GT4 race car at the track in Norfolk, UK was hopeful of getting more practice time in the next two months.
Meanwhile, Gary Ayles, Lotus Sport UK team manager, said "I first got to know Sailesh and his father through my contacts in India and we kept in touch. Now he has come of age and is ready to race here in Europe with our team. You need to keep an eye on this lad, he has immense potential."
Bolisetti is also expected to compete in the inaugural i1 Super Series in February and March on a Radical SR3 cars.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, January 22, 2012, 19:44