13/11/2010
NEWS STORY
Mat Coch writes:
Scoring his first championship point in Turkey was the highlight of the 2010 season for Kamui Kobayashi. The Japanese driver identified his race at Istanbul Park, in front of a crowd of dozens, as his fondest memory of a season in which he made his truly mark in the sport.
"Turkey is my best race," says the Sauber driver. "Turkey was the first time I scored a point, in what I think was a good race, where we did good challenging."
The 24-year-old caught the attention of most in Valencia, when he found himself on the right strategy come the end of the race. Yet in spite of his performance around the street circuit, where he overtook the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso, he still rates Turkey as his finest hour.
It was the learning experience and confidence he gained from the event which set it apart from other performances throughout the season. "We understand what we need to do to score points," he explains. "For us, until that, it is difficult to score points."
Driving on the very ragged edge his enthusiasm for the sport has captured the imagination and admiration of fans globally, including within the Sauber team who announced at Monza they'd re-signed the youngster for 2011.