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Chatterjee rues second-half troubles for lost Euro JK title chance

Nayan Chatterjee feels he could have won the 2016 Euro JK championship, had it not been for the technical gremlins that plagued the second half of his campaign.

Nayan Chatterjee

Nayan Chatterjee

M Saad

Nayan Chatterjee Second Runner trophy in the  EURO JK 16 Category with Armaan Ebrahim
Nayan Chatterjee and Akhil Rabindra
Nayan Chatterjee and Ricky Donison
Nayan Chatterjee
Podium: race winner Anindith Reddy, second place Nayan Chatterjee, third place Akhil Rabindra
Nayan Chatterjee
Nayan Chatterjee
Nayan Chatterjee
Ananth Shanmugam and Nayan Chatterjee

Chatterjee started the season on a high by winning four races across Rounds 1 and 2, and had a mathematical advantage to wrap up the title in the penultimate round in Coimbatore.

However, a change of fortunes allowed Anindith Reddy to respond to Chatterjee's lead and eventually clinch the title, leaving Chatterjee third in the final standings.

The Mumbai-based driver suffered from a series of technical issues and misfortune, which bizarrely included an incident when he was rear-ended by Ricky Donison under the safety car.

Naturally, the 19-year-old felt was frustrated with how the championship slipped away from his fingers in the final two rounds.

“Without those issues, I would have definitely won the title,’’ Chatterjee told Motorsport.com. “But this sport is not only about talent and skill. It’s also about luck.”

“The car is just given to you and you have to drive the way it is. When a failure happens you can’t do anything. It was tough luck on me.”

“In Round 3, I had issues with the gearbox. Then I had more bad luck in Round 4 where I had a puncture and after that I just couldn’t drive it [properly].

“Also, Reddy drove really well and kept the car in correct places [while defending]. Still I was faster than him in Race 1 where I caught him [but couldn’t overtake].”

Plans for Europe

Looking ahead to the future, Chatterjee says he has his eyes on both BRDC British Formula 3 and Italian Formula 4 as he sets about racing abroad.

Although Chatterjee has competed internationally in karting championships, the Indian is yet to competitively race in the formula cars.

“Maybe British F3 or the Italian F4, something in that range,’’ revealed Chatterjee. “Those series are not very expensive and has good rounds and grid.”

The Mumbai-based driver also ruled out racing in F4 South East Asia where he was supposed to race in one round - citing a lack of competitive grid.

“I won’t be doing F4 SEA because there are only 8-10 drivers. I agree it is easy to get a podium, but it doesn’t work that way.

"I would prefer to get into a championship with a bigger grid where you can learn a lot more as a driver,’’ he explained.

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Edition

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