07/01/2008
NEWS STORY
Rising young Indian racing star, Armaan Ebrahim, will be joining David Price Racing (DPR), for the inaugural GP2 Asia Series which starts this winter. 18-year-old Ebrahim from Chennai will be making his debut in a GP2 race car with the team at the pre-season tests in Dubai, before the first of the five race weekends takes place at the Dubai Autodrome on 25 January.
The concept of the GP2 Asia Series is to bring the excitement and potential of the world's foremost Formula One feeder category to the emerging motorsport nations of the world, and to provide a step on the ladder to aspiring young drivers from the Middle East and Asia. Ebrahim, as one of the leading emerging talents of India, will be a pioneer of this concept, as well as being an excellent role model for young Indians, proving that you can follow your dreams and have the chance to race at a high level.
Ebrahim says of his forthcoming GP2 debut with DPR, "I'm very excited to be making my GP2 debut and I can't wait to sample the power and handling of the car. I've driven an A1GP car which has 500 bhp, but this is another step up, with an extra 100 horsepower, so it'll be the fastest car I'll have ever driven.
"This new series gives me a real opportunity to showcase my talents in front of some very influential motorsport people and I hope that it will bring me to the attention of the F1 paddock and perhaps open some doors for my future. The Indian racing scene is becoming very high profile with the recent announcements of track development in Delhi and plans for an F1 event in the country. It's my dream to be racing there when it happens, so my participation in the GP2 Asia Series is a logical move towards this goal.
"For the immediate future, I'm aiming to use the two pre-season tests to get to grips with the car and working with the DPR team, so that I'm ready for the first race in Dubai. I'll be racing against some of the drivers who have much more experience of the car, having already competed in the GP2 Series this season, so I'm expecting it to be quite a tough challenge, but I'm definitely prepared for this and ready to do my best."
David Price, Team Principal, DPR, says of his first GP2 Asia Series driver to be announced, "I'm pleased that we've secured the services of Armaan for this new GP2 Series. He represents the young talent that exists outside of Europe and is an ambassador for the emerging Asian nations as racing becomes more popular and widespread. We look forward to welcoming him into the team and working with him in the coming season."
Ebrahim is the son of the ex-Indian F3 champion Akbar Ebrahim. He started his career in karting and became Formula LGB Champion in 2004. He later moved to Formula BMW Asia for the 2005 season. During the same year he represented Team India in the A1GP Series. He continued his racing during the summer in the UK, racing in the Formula Renault UK Championship, one of the most competitive junior formulas in the world. Last season he competed in the Formula V6 Asia Championship, winning five races and finishing runner up in the overall driver's championship.