Ananda challenged by newcomers

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)