Nandakumar Puspanathan facts for kids
Nandakumar Puspanathan, born on June 23, 1974, is a talented Malaysian rally driver. He is also an automotive engineer.
Nandakumar started his rally journey in 2001. He drove a Proton Satria 1600 car in the Malaysian Rally Championship. People quickly noticed him because he was very fast on the rally stages.
In 2004, Nandakumar joined forces with co-driver Suresh Parkash Sharma. Together, they started winning races in their category. They also often finished in the top five overall. That year, they won the National 1600 Championship. The Automobile Association of Malaysia gave them the "Malaysian Most Promising Rally Driver Award for 2004."
Driving for Perodua
The next year, Nandakumar and Suresh Sharma signed with the Perodua M5 Racing Team. This was a factory team, meaning they drove for the car manufacturer.
They drove a small Perodua Kelisa 1.3 car. Even with this smaller car, they often finished in the top five overall. They also won many races in their car's category. This showed how skilled and adaptable they were. In 2006, they finished fifth overall and won their National Championship category.
In mid-2007, Perodua introduced a new car called the Myvi. Nandakumar drove an experimental 1.6-liter front-wheel-drive rally version of this car. However, this new car often had problems with its electrical system and other parts. Even though they got on the podium a few times, they also had to stop racing early in many events.
After a problem with the car's transmission in 2008, Nandakumar left the Perodua Rally Team.
Racing as a Private Team
Nandakumar and Suresh Sharma did not give up. They entered the next race on their own. They used their older 1.8-liter Proton Satria car. They finished that race on the podium, even ahead of their former teammates!
In the races that followed, the duo got a chance to drive for the GSR - Pennzoil Racing Team. They became very strong in the Malaysian Rally Championship. They won many races and increased their lead in the two-wheel-drive category.
Nandakumar finished the 2008 Malaysian Rally Championship as the two-wheel-drive champion. After this, he decided to focus more on automotive engineering.
Beyond Driving
Nandakumar is also a skilled engineer. He was trained by Lotus Engineering as a chassis development engineer and test driver. A chassis is the main frame of a car. His mix of driving skills and engineering knowledge has helped him a lot. He now works on how vehicles handle and perform in the car and motorsport industries.
Sources
- http://www.hypertunemag.com/news/epitome-of-passion-and-talent-in-a-true-malaysian/
- http://www.nk-ssrallying.blog.com
- http://www.perodua.com.my/index.php?section=rally&year=2007
- http://www.zerotohundred.com/newforums/rallying/80522-malaysian-rally-championship-news.html
- http://www.malaysianrally.com/
- Hypertune, November 2004
- Carma, February 2006
- The Malay Mail, 27 January 2007
