Ananda challenged by newcomers

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian driver Ananda Mikola will face a tough challenge from newcomers in his second year racing at the International Automobile Federation (FIA) F3000 World Championship.

Among the newcomers are Antonio Pizzionia, the British F3 winner, and Ricardo Sperafico, the Italian F3000 winner. Besides them, Ananda also has to drive well against Giorgio Pantano, teammate on the Astromega team.

A press release from Ananda Mikola Management said Astromega would have to race neck-and-neck with its closest and toughest rival Super Nova, which features Mark Webber. But Super Nova is still having trouble finding Webber a teammate.

Two drivers -- David Saelens, last year's Super Nova driver, and former French F3 winner Jonathan Cochet -- have been named as strong candidates for the position.

Ananda, still vacationing before racing starts in March, has been working to improve his physical fitness and drives gokarts to keep his reactions keen. (yan)