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 Endorsing his credentials as one of the most promising Indian motorsport talent, young Akhil Khushlani has received the support of India's team JK Racing for his endeavours at the Formula BMW. Akhil has been invited to drive in BMW Motorsport's talent hunt and scholarship programme. In this programme, BMW Motorsport invites young drivers from various countries and selects five. These five drivers are then provided with a scholarship to train and race in Formula BMW Asia series.
2007 Formula BMW Asia Provisional Calendar
|
Date |
Circuit |
Country |
Rounds |
|
May 4-6, 2007 |
|
Sepang, Malaysia |
1,2,3 and 4 |
|
June 23-24, 2007 |
|
Sepang, Malaysia |
5,6,7 and 8 |
|
July 20-22, 2007 |
|
Sentul, Indonesia |
9, 10, 11 and 12 |
|
September 7-9, 2007 |
|
Chengdu, China |
13, 14, 15 and 16 |
|
October 5-7, 2007 |
(F1) |
Shanghai, China |
17 and 18 |
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November 2-4, 2007 |
|
Zhuhai, China |
19,20,21 and 22 |
Commenting on supporting Akhil Khushlani, Sanjay Sharma, Head Motorsport, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd, said, "We have been with Akhil since his early karting days and he has consistently showcased immense potential on his way up. He set the ball rolling when he won the Novice Cup in 2005 and subsequently got selected for Team NK of Narain Karthikeyan in Formula
Rolon for the JK Tyre National Racing Championship. Akhil then set fabulous timings in the recent Formula BMW - Scholarship Testing at Sepang, Malaysia, and won himself the coveted position amongst the top five talented drivers. JK Racing is always there to ensure he sustains his growth in the world of motorsport."
Performance Sheet
Akhil's performance at Formula BMW - Scholarship Testing at Sepang, Malaysia
|
Lap Session |
Average Lap Time |
|
Session 1(25 laps) |
1:08:529 |
|
Session 2(25 laps) |
1:06:706 |
|
Session 3(25 laps) |
1:07:006 |
|
Session 4(25 laps) |
1:07:143 |
|
Session 5(25 laps) |
1:07:379 |
|
Session 6(25 laps) |
1:06:363 |
Sharing his thoughts on being selected for Formula BMW, Akhil Khushlani said, "I am highly thankful to my sponsors for helping me reach the current level in Formula BMW. Formula BMW and Renault are widely accepted as stepping-stones to Formula 1 - the ultimate dream of every motorsport driver. At 22 years, I am ideally suited to reach my goal of Formula 1 in the near future through consistent performance and requisite corporate support."
Akhil Khushlani's racing career
Akhil Khushlani has been racing karts since the age of 10. As a junior, he participated in 43 races and recorded an unprecedented 31 wins, five 2nd places and 3, 3rd places with 72 per cent absolute success and 91 per cent podium finishes. He concluded his career as a Junior Karter by finishing 5th at the World Karting Championships - 2005 held at Langkawi, Malaysia, and became the first Indian to do so in a motorsports world championship.
In 2005, as he turned senior, he experienced his first entry level Formula Car at Formula LGB (Chennai) and displayed his talent by winning the Novice Cup 2005. He then earned the distinction of racing as a member of Team NK Racing in Formula Rolon, similar to the Formula Asia, which was launched in India at Coimbatore in the 2006 season in the JK Tyre National Racing Championship.
R Rangaraj
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