Ananda to join Edenbridge racing team
JAKARTA (JP): Young Indonesian driver Ananda Mikola will sign a two-year contract with the Edenbridge racing team for next season's Formula 3000 championship in England.
Ananda said on Monday his overseas stint -- his second after the Italian Formula Three last season -- would boost his bid to race in the Formula One.
He qualified for the F-3000 championship after finishing fifth overall in the Italian races.
"My personal ambition is to compete in the F-1 but besides skills, good engines, a good team and sponsors, I will also need good luck. You know, only 22 drivers across the world can go to the Formula One," said 18-year-old Ananda, son of former top national driver Tinton Suprapto.
Edenbridge will use the Lola chassis and the Zytech engine for next year's race.
No precise date has been set for the signing of the deal, but Ananda hopes it will be completed after the Idul Fitri celebration on Jan. 16.
Ananda refused to disclose the value of the deal, but said his move to England received financial support from the Indonesian Automotive Foundation, an organization under the auspices of the Indonesian Motor Association (IMI).
IMI chairman Bob Nasution, who flanked Ananda during a meeting with National Sports Council chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar, said the foundation would extend cooperation through state-owned oil company Pertamina and American cigarette company Marlboro.
The 10-leg F-3000 championship is scheduled to start in March.
Ananda's racing manager Piers Hunnisett predicted his driver would ride to success in England after finishing fifth in Italy.
"His potential is extraordinary because at his age he finished fifth in the F-3. Even Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve needed more time to achieve that success," said the Briton who won the Formula Vauxhall in 1992.
"I'm very proud to work with him. Every time he races, I'll be more nervous than him."
Hunnisett said Ananda would need only to maintain his composure if he wished to win the F-3000.
"He used to think about how to win while it's more important to think how to finish one race at a time."
Meanwhile, six Indonesian drivers will race in the 13th and 14th legs of the F-2000 Asia at the Pasir Gudang circuit in Johor Baru, Malaysia, on the weekend.
The drivers are Ananda's younger brother Moreno, Hari Dharma Manoppo, Stanley Iriawan, Eruis Mahpud, Fino Saksono and Thony Dharmawan.
Senior driver Chandra Alim, who will escort the drivers on the Malaysian trip, said he hoped they will place among the top three. (yan/lnt)