Calm attitude, self-belief key to Ameo title, says Karminder

Karminder came agonisingly close to winning Volkswagen’s one-make championships in the last three years, only to lose out in the final round by a whisker.

However, this year, Karminder looked like the man to beat from the very beginning. And the Delhi-based driver feels changes on the psychological side made the difference between winning the title and finishing second.

“I changed the thought process coming into this season,” the 24-year-old told Motorsport.com. “Last year Ishaan [Dodhiwala] and I were fighting for the title and I really liked his attitude.

“His attitude was really calm and he was relaxed. But I was too into it and was really working a lot. He just took it race by race and that’s exactly what I’ve done this year.

“I’ve kind applied the same strategy. I've taken it race by race and then you see what goes after the round. Then you plan and plot.

“Another thing I’ve changed is that you really need to believe in yourself. To be up there and clinch the title is not easy. I think I’m the best judge for this because I’ve lost three championships back to back.

“I know how exactly it feels after losing. You need to believe in yourself. So these are the few things that’ I’ve changed. Driving wise, it’s been exactly the same.”

Future in touring cars

Although Karminder gets a fully-sponsored drive in the MRF F1600 championship as a reward for winning the Ameo Cup, he sees a future in touring car racing due to lower budgets and a wider age spectrum.

“It has to definitely be touring cars because it’s cheaper,” he said when asked about his preference. “I love formula cars. I personally feel the real adrenaline rush comes in that,  but touring cars are more affordable.

“And you can race for a longer time. But in formula cars you need to be in that right age and start early. I did start early and was pretty good. But it gets pretty expensive if you don't have a sponsor.”

Proving himself abroad

Karminder wants to prove himself on an international arena, something he hasn’t been able to do so far. While he will get to make a one-off appearance in the Polo Cup China next year, he will have to rely on sponsorship for a full season drive in any of the international championships.

"I really want to race abroad. That’s one thing I’ve not achieved,” he said. “I”ve done pretty much everything here in india, including karting and single seaters. So I want to have a shootout.

“Basically, I want to see where I stand among all these better drivers because the competition level is a lot higher. So I want to see how I will be able to perform in that situation.”