Tamil Nadu driver Sai Sanjay steers to success with podium finish

CHENNAI: Salem-born racing prodigy Sai Sanjay dished out a spectacular drive to finish on the podium and ended the season with an overall third place finish in silver class in the GT4 category at the British GT Championship finale at the iconic Brands Hatch Circuit on Sunday.

The 21-year-old not only excelled in his first year in international GT racing but also became the first driver from Tamil Nadu to drive a whole season in the prestigious British GT series.

Having started karting at the age of 13, competing in championships in the UAE, where he did his schooling, he came to India in 2018 and switched to driving formula cars. His triumph in the 2022 Indian National Championship in the MRF Formula 2000 paved the way for his international debut this year.

“This was my first year driving in the UK, and it’s been a huge learning curve for me, especially coming from India. Last year I did one round in the GT Cup championship and from there to do a full season in British GT which is far more competitive was really great. And to finally get a podium after much tough luck in the earlier rounds was a good way to end the season on a high,” Sanjay told DT Next.

His performance at legendary Brands Hatch Circuit, one of the trickiest tracks to overtake on the British GT calendar, was particularly impressive. The circuit hosted the series finale for the first time since 2009.

Sanjay, who qualified P4 overall, showcased his defensive driving skills under intense pressure in the final minutes of the race. “It was a good start as my teammate started the race and he managed to get into P2 by overtaking outside turn 2. Once a quicker car jumped us in the front, we were running P3. But my teammate built a gap to the P4 car. Unfortunately, a safety car came in and bunched up the whole field and I had to defend hard in the last 10 minutes. It was tough, but we made it to the podium,” he added. Racing for Britain-based motorsport team Race-Lab, he drove a McLaren Artura GT4 car along with his teammate Callum Davies with whom he won many GT Cup poles, wins together last season.

As a Ferrari fan who admires Max Verstappen’s driving precision, he aspires to compete in the World Endurance Championship in the future. “This year taught me a lot and gave me confidence that I can compete globally. Hopefully in 3-4 years I’ll gain even more experience to compete at that level.”

But Sanjay’s achievement isn’t just making waves in racing circles—it’s catching the attention of non-racing fans as well. Popular Tamil actor Ajith, a motorsport enthusiast himself, recently announced his return to racing in the GT4 category. And Sanjay believes his return will be a boost for the sport in the country.

“It’s great that Ajith is coming back to racing. It brings a lot of attention to motorsport. Earlier you needed to educate people, but now if you just say you drive the same car as Ajith then they’ll already know. Hopefully, we’ll race together one day.”