Click to play videoBangalore: In a country where all sports begins and ends with cricket, rallying hardly figures in the scheme of things. But for some daredevils the need for speed is all consuming.
Naren Kumar is one such daredevil and has won 36 rallies so far. Kumar may not be a Narain Karthikeyan yet but this 'Speed King' certainly has all the makings of a world champion rally driver. He claims rallying is in his blood.
"Growing up in Coimbatore, we were introduced to motor sports and fast cars at a very young age. It was natural that I took up this sport," says Naren Kumar.
Naren, who has a graduate degree in business management, is most comfortable behind the wheels of a car going at breakneck speeds. He is currently participating in the Asia Pacific Rally championship where he's already in the top five.
"More than national championships, it is regional championships like the Asia Pacific which have world class drivers. So when we have drivers like these competing it will be that much more difficult for us. The level of driving is high but I don't see them being a lot better than our drivers. Indian standard of rallying has always been high," Naren says.
Be that as it may, the 33-year-old Naren acknowledges that the sport needs sponsors for it to speed ahead.
"Rallying has a lot of potential as a sport. It is just that lot of corporate are not aware of what rallying is. It's a fantastic platform for them to launch their products and it is just a matter of time before they realise the potential of the sport and jump into the bandwagon," he says.
Naren began rallying in 1992 and has conquered the domestic circuit. He is now looking forward to making it big in the international arena.
"We already have an offer from Subaru World Rally Team to be a part of the World Rally Championship for 2008 but there are two issues - sponsorship and I feel it's too early too jump into a world rally car. I want to do another year of Asia Pacific," he says.
And has the first name, which is almost the same as that of India's lobe Formula One driver, brought him any extra luck?
"It just seems that it's a coincidence that Narain Karthikeyan and I share the first name," he adds.
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