 "Karun Chandok's dream is dead!")
How disappointed must this man be! The entire year he’s worked his ass off, all toward driving in the Indian Grand Prix. And now the dream is dead. [caption id=“attachment_118069” align=“alignleft” width=“435” caption=“And he doesn’t make it! Sirish Chandran/Firstpost”]
[/caption] Team Lotus, ostensibly to fight for 10th in the championship, have nominated their regular drivers Trulli & Kovalainen while Karun gets only the first free practice on Friday. Lesser men would have been devastated but here in the Team Lotus pits he’s laughing and joking with his engineers. If he’s nervous he isn’t betraying it, smiling for pictures and generally going about things as usual. Inside it must be killing him. Has to be killing him. All the work, all the promises, the contract, the endless media appearances - all for nothing. The entire gang that’s come up from Chennai to cheer their home boy. Life’s dealt Karun many a wrong card. This must be the hardest. So close yet so far…
Sirish wakes up every morning wondering how he gets paid for his hobby. As Editor of OVERDRIVE magazine he has tested every car and bike over the past 13 years and in the selfless endeavour of diligent road testing they are often returned with well worn tyres. When pushed will profess an undying passion for Ferraris, though not of the F1 team. A motorsport nut his trophy shelf groans with silverware from class victories in the Raid-de-Himalaya and Desert Storm and three podiums on his INRC debut. He is all set for another season of rallying. His wife hasn't heard any shelf in the house groan. As lead anchor of the OVERDRIVE show on CNBC-TV18 and CNN-IBN he shouts a lot while also playing motoring agony uncle. The show has won the best auto show for two years in a row and Sirish has yet to be lynched by an irate viewer.