Kazim Vasiliauskas: Rising Star
Lithuanian looks back on a superb 2009 season
F2 race winner Kazim Vasiliauskas enjoyed a fantastic
breakthrough campaign during 2009 as he went from a virtual unknown
to becoming one of the rising stars of international
motorsport.
In 2007, the Lithuanian spent his only season on the global
karting stage when he qualified for the ultra-competitive World
Karting Championship final and took the runner-up spot in the
Winning Series Karting Championship.
He then graduated to car racing in 2008, but contested only
selected Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup races and Formula Renault 2.0
Italy races. His rapid progression through the ranks culminated
with Kazim signing up for the 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship,
which he combined with a campaign in the UK Formula Palmer Audi
series.
Coming into the season, few had even heard of Kazim and even
fewer could have predicted his impact on the championship when a
stunning podium on his F2 debut in Valencia introduced Vasiliauskas
to the watching world.
"My aim before the season was to be in the top ten," said Kazim.
"My father told me that he would be happy if I finished my first
race around tenth position but nobody was thinking about a podium.
After that race I realised that I was on a similar level to the
other top drivers and since that moment my expectations increased.
I just wanted to repeat it again - victory and podiums are like a
drug."
He went on to score points at every event during the season, a
feat matched only by eventual champion Andy Soucek and Mikhail
Aleshin, but it wasn't until Donington Park in August where the
Lithuanian finished in the points for both weekend races.
"Winning is great but it is the driver who has the most points
at the end of the season that takes the championship," commented
Kazim. "I scored points at every circuit but not in every race,
which was largely down to my inexperience. I made some mistakes at
the beginning of the season but I made sure that I learnt from
those mistakes, and at the end of the year I was consistently
running at the front."
Coming from Kaišiadorys - a small city in Lithuania -
Vasiliauskas has received huge support from back home. He is the
first driver from Lithuania to race on an international level,
which has further raised his profile, but it is his results in F2
that has led experts and media within the sport to single him out
as one to watch.
Autosport - the largest and most influential motorsport magazine in
the UK - recently ran a full page article on Kazim after what they
called 'a season-long upward trend in his performance.' They went
on to mark 'Vasiliauskas out as a driver with plenty of the right
stuff' and 'his performances look set to impress and inspire his
homeland.' This increasing recognition of Kazim's talent has become
an ever-more common occourence both at home and abroad, and the
young charger is certainly grateful for the support.
"Lithuania is a small country where motorsport has not been that
popular in the past, but there is a very big interest now in both
Formula Two and my career. I am really very proud about this and
it's great that more and more people are interested in what I'm
doing - It is fantastic to receive such support. I think all
of the media know who I am now also, which would suggest I have
made some sort of impact."
In the penultimate event of the season, 19-year-old Kazim took a
memorable lights-to-flag maiden victory at the famous Imola circuit
after he had secured his first ever pole position. The victory was
his first in international racing but it is unlikely to be his
last.
"I wouldn't normally say that 'I will win the race' before it
has even started but I did in Imola," noted Vasiliauskas. "This was
not because I was being over confident but I just felt that I was
ready to win. I was very satisfied with the victory but not as much
as my family! When I was standing on the podium I could see my
family thanking me - I almost started to cry because it should be
the other way around! They gave me everything to be there and I'm
so thankful to them for giving me the opportunity.
"Overall this season was amazing - I became a better driver in
every way. Now I can report precise information about the car to
the engineer, I understand much more about technical things, my
driving has improved greatly and I communicate better with the
media. I'm very happy that I made the decision to drive in Formula
Two."
Having recently topped the final F2 winter test in
Portimão, Vasiliauskas is now being tipped as a candidate
for the 2010 title and even a possible future driver in Formula
One. Kazim remains firmly focussed on reaching his ultimate
goal.
"I think that I have learnt enough to consistently run at the
front after one year in F2," concluded Kazim. "I know that I still
need to learn a lot and I know that I can still be faster. If I
race in F2 next year then I will try to win the championship. This
year I finished seventh, just five points behind fourth place, but
it was my first full season of single seater racing and I lost many
points at the beginning of the season. Now I am more confident and
physically and psychologically stronger - I just want to get in the
car and race now!
"Reaching F1 is obviously my ultimate goal and I'm doing
everything I can to get there. I have the confidence but I don't
really want to think about F1 at this time - I'll be ready to talk
about F1 if I win the 2010 FIA Formula Two Championship and the
test with Williams!"