Robert Nguyen is the newest Australian on the international motorsport stage and, while much of the season's hype surrounds the likes of
Mark Webber, Ryan Briscoe and James Courtney, is poised to make his debut in the
FIA F3000 series this weekend.
Having made an impressive, and rapid, rise through the ranks, the son of Vietnamese parents is poised to take his talents onto the world stage after signing to partner F3000 veteran Mario Haberfeld at Team Astromega.
Q:
Are your studies now on hold, or are you still opening a book occasionally?
RN:
That's a good one. It is difficult to keep the motivation there when you have got such an exciting sport, but the perfect thing for me it's a two-year course and this is my last few months. I think I better manage to get it through, so I'm still opening the occasional book.
Q:
What is the course that you are doing and where is it at?
RN:
It's actually in Lausanne, Switzerland, and it's a BBA course - it's a Bachelor of Business Administration. Basically, a general business course.
Q:
You were saying that you have some personal backers helping you out with the money side of things. Are you able to say who that might be? Is it family or is it anything like that?
RN:
There's not so much from my parents, but there's supporters - but I can't really mention who they are. I'm sorry for that.
Q:
You mentioned earlier about how, for Australian drivers, it's perhaps easier to get sponsorship for a V8 Supercar because it's more visible in Australia than something like F3000 or a European junior formula, where you are, to a large extent, out of sight. But, because of your heritage, is there any chance with you being on the international scene that you might be able to attract some sponsorship from Vietnam now?
RN:
It's a possibility but, as you know, Vietnam … I don't think it's at a stage where you can say it's like Europe or Australia, where they have companies where they can spend hundreds and thousands on sponsorship like that. But I think in the future it's a potential, but I'm trying to portray myself as Australian - but more international. That way, I hope to help me to look for international sponsors, multinational international companies, and hopefully to make the image that. I don't really limit myself to particular countries, to be more suitable for more international companies, that's what I'm trying to make myself into.
Q:
There has clearly been a lot of interest and excitement in Australia at the speed at which you've come on the international scene. What about internationally? Have you found a lot of interest in you in the last few weeks since you did your first F3000 test?
