Narain Karthikeyan takes pole with new Auto GP team

India's top racing driver Narain Karthikeyan claimed pole position ahead of the Auto GP World Series round four at the Silverstone Circuit here.

Karthikeyan clocked 1:46.286 ahead of newcomer Kevin Giovesi and Super Nova teammate Vittorio Ghirelli.

It was an ideal start for the former Formula 1 driver with his new team, Super Nova, who were champions in the 2012 Auto GP season.

Karthikeyan drove for Zele Racing in the first three rounds of 2013 before securing a last minute deal at Super Nova.

The 36-year-old scored 34 points in six races while driving for Zele with luck getting the better of him on occasions where he could have pushed for a podium.

The opening race at Silverstone takes place later in the day and Karthikeyan is looking forward it after being fastest in Saturday's qualifying and two practice sessions Friday.

“Hoping it (the race) goes well,” Karthikeyan told IANS.

Asked why he left Zele, Karthikeyan said: “I was not happy with the reliability of the car. There were times I was in the reckoning for top three but something or the other went wrong.”

A botched pit stop cost the Indian a podium in the last round at Hungaroring.