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Tendulkar to cheer Narain at Barcelona

London: Sachin Tendulkar will cheer for Narain Karthikeyan from the stands at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona when the later burns rubber in the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, according to media reports here.

Tendulkar is a well-known Formula One fan and also a friend of Karthikeyan, who admitted to receiving advice from the batting maestro on tackling his newfound fame. According to reports here, Karthikeyan's Jordan teammate, Tiago Monteiro, will also be cheered by a famous compatriot — Portuguese football star Deco, who plays for Barcelona.

Prior to the Spanish Grand Prix, Karthikeyan said he was looking forward to race at the circuit where he had tested in winter. ``Barcelona is a track where traction and aerodynamics play an important role because of the long corners and this is the first circuit I know so far this season; therefore I am particularly keen on racing there.''

``We did a lot of work last week at Silverstone, testing Bridgestone tyres and trying to find a good car set-up for the Spanish Grand Prix so we are expecting a reasonable run,'' he said.

Monteiro said, ``we know Circuit de Catalunya well for having tested there in winter, as this is the case for most of the teams and drivers. However, this does not necessarily mean that it is going to be easy for us. Most of the teams know exactly how to set up the car on this circuit but I am sure it will be an interesting and challenging weekend.

``We will definitely do our best, try to finish the race and keep up with our good finishing record. I am really looking forward to it and it will be probably crazy with the Fernando Alonso mania,'' he said.

Fellow Jordan driver Robert Doornbos said, "I have already had some experience in Barcelona as I raced there last year in F3000 and I went very well there. Jordan Grand Prix has also been testing there in winter so it was already able to gather some helpful information.

"Last week, the team had a positive test at Silverstone and Bridgestone came up with some really promising tyres not only for Barcelona but also for the forthcoming races. I am really looking forward to this weekend and especially to driving on Friday,'' he said. — UNI

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