New Delhi, Feb 3 (IANS): Indian karting star, Jaden R. Pariat has signed for a full season in the competitive British F4 Championship for 2023, said a team announcement.
The 16-year racing talent from Shillong, who became the first Indian to get a podium in the British F4 Rookie class, has joined team Phinsys by Argenti and will take part in the FIA-certified F4 single-seater motorsports series for 2023 featuring 30 races, held across ten UK's premier circuits, said the release from Anmol Rampal, Director, Marketing Musketeers, here on Friday.
Of the 10 races, nine are support races for the British Touring Car Championship.
Jaden's teammates at Argenti's 2023 campaign will be Isaac Barashi and Patrick Heuzenroeder. Donington Park, Leicestershire hosts the season opener on April 22 and 23.
"The competition, the grids and race distances are huge and the standard of racing is quite high in the British F4 series. After just two rounds, I learnt a lot on and off the track. It is a very competitive series and I am fortunate to be able to do a full season in the championship," said Jaden.
"Most of the motorsport's top names have launched their careers on the UK's blend of high-speed, technical venues. They provide the perfect environment to transition from karting to cars. After recognising the talent and interest of Jaden and his quick learning, I thought it is best to move him to Europe to accelerate his racing development," said his father Atikur Rehman, who was a well-known driver in the popular Indian National Rally Championship in the nineties, both on two-wheels and cars.
Jaden, the flamboyant racer from North-East, made his karting debut in November 2020 under the able wings of top-Indian outfit MSport in the Meco fmsci National Karting Championship that provided a platform for many an Indian to graduate into Formula cars. Next year, he showed immense skills to fight for the championship honours and finished a close vice-champion in the Junior class in the 2021 X30 Nationals.
He transitioned to open-wheel series with ease and tasted the speed of these Formula cars for a few races in 2022 at the MRF LGB1300 Challenge at the Madras International Circuit and the JK Tyre National Racing Championship at Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore, the release informed.
The aggressive driver then went to England in Sept. 2022. Jaden tested the Tatuus T-421 and took part in the last six British F4 races. His best result was a credible 7th place and 2nd in the Rookies at Silverstone, a first for an Indian. He is eligible for points in the Rookie Drivers' Cup in 2023 also.
Jaden, who studied at Pathways World School Aravali, near Delhi, spent more time racing in Bengaluru and Chennai in the last two years. But he is a multi-faceted sportsman. Being a skilled football player, he played for the Delhi team in the Under-14 Subroto Cup against Uzbekistan. He was also selected for the India team to play in the World School Games swimming before the pandemic hit hard. But soon motorsports took over and he had no time for these pass-time games.
Michael Meadows, Team Principal, Phinsys by Argenti, said: "Having tested Jaden last year, we were impressed with his performance and his ability to learn and take on information. As a rookie, this is a hugely important factor as they make the transition to F4. British F4 has strong teams and drivers and has produced top-level drivers, a few of whom are now in F1."