RACING SPIRIT

We chat with Arjun Maini about racing and life beyond the track

Motoring World: Arjun, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Arjun Maini: Well, I'm 23 years old and I race in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters series with Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed. I first raced a go-kart at the age of 8 and got into a racing car at 15. And recently, I became the first Indian to get onto the DTM podium at the Norisring street circuit in Germany. So far, so good!

MW: You used to race single-seaters first. Was there a learning curve from open wheel to tin-top racing?

AM: The biggest lesson was that a little bit of contact is okay! The racing in DTM is very close, and that took a bit of getting used to. Otherwise I had the speed to learn quickly. Also, ABS and TC; it's an art to use them to their full potential. There are drivers who keep them on, others who turn them off entirely. I prefer to keep them on, but at levels of minimal intrusion.

MW: Are you interested in the technical aspects of racing as well? Or just the driving part?

AM: I'm very interested in making the car faster. I don't completely dive into the engineers' job, but I do steer them in the right direction. I think that's the way to do it or at least the way that works best for me.

MW: As an Indian, what's it like to go racing abroad?

AM: To me, it's the same as anywhere else. I came into the series quite late, so it was a shock at first. But eventually you become part of the system, so you get used to it.

MW: Do you miss open-wheel racing?