RC Motorsport to hire Ananda

JAKARTA (JP): Ananda Mikola is to become the first Indonesian driver to be recruited by Italy's leading Formula-Three team, RC Motorsport, for next year's European and Asian F-3 championship series.

The 17-year-old, who finished fifth in last year's Formula Asia championship, finished 11th in the ninth leg of the F-3 Italian Championship at the Mizano circuit, Santa Monica, late last month. A slip near the finish cost him a place in the top five.

Impressed by Ananda's Mizano result, Motorsport team manager Giorgio Bertonasso and owner Bernard Freneix recently offered Ananda's father and manager, Tinton Suprapto, who is also director of the Sentul international circuit in West Java, an initial one-year contract beginning next year for his son.

Tinton said that the European outings were part of Ananda's education before graduating to Formula One in the next two to three years. (arf)