Eshan now on the Formula 4 track
Sri Lanka’s ace Go Karting driver, Eshan Pieris took a step further from his usual hunting ground by testing out his skills in Formula Cars at the Sepang Track in Malaysia. Eshan’s latest venture, in the Formula 4 event held on October 1 was a memorable debut for the 17-year-old, who enjoyed a podium finish by clinching the overall third place.
Eshan (Car No.30) came from behind to finish third at Sepang - Pix courtesy DPMC
“Basically just started my rookie series in Formula 4 in the South East Championship. It was held along with the Malaysian Formula 1 Grand Prix as a supporting event. It was a good start, as I finished up in the podium in my first attempt in Formula 4. It was good considering the fact that it was just the fifth day in the car. I won first for Rookie and third for Overall,” Eshan, with mixed thoughts, told the Sunday Times.
Eshan, a former student of S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia who is presently pursuing his higher education at the Monash University in Malaysia, took into Go Karting at the age of 14, in 2014. Ever since he has gradually made his mark to take the honour of Sri Lanka’s topmost Karting driver. His passion led to many successful wins locally and internationally as he became one of the top names in the Rotax Max Asian Karting Championship in Malaysia and the X30 Karting Challenge Series that takes place around Asia and Europe.
“Moving from Karting to Formula Cars, initially I had mixed thoughts, but my experience in the sport with international exposure was definitely a huge plus point towards it. But there were a few adjustments I had to make before my first outing last month,” Eshan explained on the goose bumps he experienced.
Eshan’s Formula Cars debut occurred at the Rookie Series in the South East Championship, which was held alongside the Malaysian Formula 1 Grand Prix as a supporting event. Competing on Car No.30, Eshan finished third to earn a rare podium finish on debut.
“It was good overall, as I finished up in the podium in my first attempt in Formula 4, it was a good start considering the fact that it was just my fifth day in the car. I won first for Rookie and third for Overall. I would have been one of the older drivers there. I started karting late, when I was barely 15 and many of those who raced with me have done karting for years and would have driven Formula 4 cars for at least one year or more. It was nice, especially to walk on to the Formula 1 podium in front of a good crowd,” said Eshan with a giggle.
However his promising start could make a healthy way-forward as anticipated, as Eshan had to forego a few races after October 1 owing to his academic commitments. But he does have a intentions of moving ahead in motorsports that could bring Sri Lanka the much needed glory internationally. But he will have to fluctuate between the books and the track until 2019 before Eshan ideally make a choice.
“Realistically, Formula 1 is out of the question for me, it’s not possible to think about it while still in the University. I need to spend more time in the car if I have that intention, with my academic commitments it’s a difficult task. After the Malaysian Grand Prix, I have did a few Karting races, but not Formula cars, in which I should be inside more often. I should be really pushing the limits by testing the car more often if I had Formula 1 aspirations.”
Eshan Pieris (R) claimed a podium finish on his Formula 4 debut
Changing over from Karting to Formula Cars was not as tough as many thinks, according to Eshan, who is a seasoned campaigner in Go Karting. The biggest differences he saw in Formula Cars from Karting were the aerodynamics and the advanced breaking system, which Eshan had to adjust and master in a matter of days. But the youngster admitted that he should be more realistic of his racing future.
“I haven’t sat behind the wheel since the Malaysian Grand Prix. However, the ultimate goal for me realistically, would be to compete in the World Endurance Championship or the WEC. I’m not sure if it would be in the Le Mans Prototype (LMP1) or the GTs. WEC would be my end goal and if I could end up there, I would be over the moon.”
Eshan will be a top contender when Sri Lanka hosts the opening leg of the Asian X30 Karting Challenge Series in his own backyard at Bandaragama. At present he is gearing up for that, despite his recent success in a much bigger and more sophisticated ‘kart’ in form of Formula 4 cars. For Eshan, the game is still on.
“I wouldn’t say Formula 1 is entirely out of my sight. The only setback that is in me, for now, is my lack of commitment towards it. It also would depend on how my Formula Cars career goes, it would be a possibility but I need to be more committed towards reaching F1 status. But for now, it’s not all about it. Realistically I have other plans. Next year I would spend more time in Formula cars and see how it goes from there,” Eshan stated with a definite mind.