Tochigi: A gearbox issue cost Narain Karthikeyan a points finish after a crazy, incident-packed Super Formula round four that concluded here on Sunday.
Pitstop issues, several incidents and a torrential downpour made it one of the most action-packed races of the season, although the Indian didn`t get the opportunity to experience most of it.
"After catching up to the competition massively in a limited time, the crazy rain-hit race was the best opportunity to get a solid result out of it but unfortunately we didn?t get that far," said Karthikeyan, who started 12th on the grid.
The former Formula 1 driver executed another one of his customary lightning getaway at the start, gaining two places on the tight and twisty Twin Ring Motegi circuit. Running in the top 10, Karthikeyan pitted on lap 13, pushing hard on his in-lap and jumped Kunimoto during the pitstop.
Exiting the pits on cold tyres, the Indian drove on the limit and closed upon his old F1 rival Vitantonio Liuzzi.
In the meanwhile, he had also been battling an intermittent gearbox issue since lap 10, which was affecting the downshift under braking. As the laps ticked past, the problem worsened and resultantly he went off track under braking whilst battling with the Italian on lap 20.
Two laps later, the gearbox went completely belly-up, leaving the car stuck in fifth gear and forcing Karthikeyan into the pits for retirement. "Most of track is made up of slow, second gear, corners so it was impossible to continue," said Karthikeyan.
Three rounds remain in the season, with two scheduled in September at Autopolis and Sportsland Sugo Circuit followed by the season finale at the Suzuka Circuit in November.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.