Sarath set for Spanish Moto3 debut

Barcelona, April 27 (IANS) Chennai-based 22-year old Shankar Sarath Kumar will become the first Indian to participate in the Moto3 CEV Repsol Spanish Championship this weekend when the first round will be run at the Circuit de Catalunya.

The event has received a staggering 56 entries who are divided into two groups. Each group will have two qualifying sessions Saturday, followed by a double-header Sunday. Of the 56 entries, 44 riders will qualify to start the race Sunday based on their best lap timing set during the two qualifying sessions.

Sarath, who represented India in 125cc World Championship and CIV Italian Championship in 2011 and 2012, respectively, has been preparing for this season intensively in Barcelona with his team and is very confident of his debut race, a statement said.

Riding a Suter Honda Moto3 from Monlau Competicion, Sarath is supported by SK-Sarath69 Sports Pvt Ltd, an initiative by actor-politician R. Sarath Kumar.

For the first time, a few Indian sponsors have signed up with Sarath to support him in the Spanish Championship. Hello FM, Sidvin and British Nutritions are the key sponsors for this season.

The Spanish Moto 3 Championship has been the stepping-stone for many current MotoGP riders, including Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner and Marc Marquez.

Sarath said: "I would like to thank Mr. R Sarath Kumar for making this day possible as this is a great step for me to learn and progress in my career and become a better, faster rider."

Team manager Jose Carrion said: "We are very happy with Sarath's progress over the last two months. He has been a fast learner and has improved step-by-step to provide competitive and consistent lap times during the testing."