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Karthikeyan steals hearts at Macau

Macau Nov. 19. Indian ace Narain Karthikeyan may not have won the Macau F-3 Grand Prix at the weekend, but he still managed to make a huge impact on the twisting streets of the former Portuguese colony.

Frenchman Tristan Gommendy won the race over Finland's Heikki Kovalainen and Japan's Takashi Kogure. It was Karthikeyan, though, whose name was ringing louder among fans, organisers and those who take a studied interest in motor sport.

Narain, driving a Tata Dallara Mugen-Honda for Britain's Carlin Motorsport, crashed out four laps into the second race of the two-legged Macau F-3 GP, which is the official F-3 World championship and the only race that matters during a weekend of frenzied action in Asia's gambling capital.

However, he had done enough during the first 15-lap race and his handful of laps in the second race to show the few who did not know before that the 25-year-old is a specialist behind the wheel. As a pure street-fighting racer, Karthikeyan provided some breathtaking action during both races — over-taking, battling, putting pressure on his rivals and displaying sublime control over his Tata F-3 car. Narain was the only Indian taking part in the F-3 GP, which is strictly for the upper class of a defined motor racing social structure. One has to either have made it big in the world's best F-3 circuits or have to be invited. Narain, in his second Macau venture, justified his invitation to be part of that elite circle. Although he did not stay until the end, he was definitely the life of the party.

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