Reddy, steady, race

He would like to be judged by his talent, not his lineage. As it is his passion for the sport that put this racer behind the wheel of go-karts and sporty cars in the first place.

He discovered his drive on an equitable training ground in the US where, as a student, he first indulged his whim to feel the adrenaline flow of high octane, high speed motorsport. A firmly grounded lad, Anindith is streaking to success now in the Indian racing circuit, which is just beginning to see the quality of his nerveless hand on the steering wheel.

A mechanical engineer by qualification, healthcare entrepreneur by profession and racing aficionado by choice, 26-year-old Anindith Reddy Konda is all that and more. The mild-mannered and soft-spoken Hyderabadi gives little inkling of his illustrious family lineage when he speaks about his humble beginnings in motorsport and his rather modest dreams on the tarmac.

The eldest son of Vishweshwar Reddy, a sitting MP of Chevella and one of the richest politicians in Telangana, and Sangita, the youngest daughter of Apollo Hospitals’ founder-chairman Prathap C. Reddy, Anindith has already made a name for himself in Indian domestic racing despite his late entry into the sport.

The scion of the affluent family has made a conscious effort to maintain a low profile in the paddock and parties, which are regular features of the race weekends, as he doesn’t want people to judge his passion for motorsport through the lens of his lineage.

“First of all, I thought, at race tracks there was no need to talk about where I come from. And it’s not going to help me when I sit behind the wheel either. I have built a decent relationship with fellow drivers and engineers who respect me for the person I am rather than my background,” says Anindith who shot into the limelight for winning the Volkswagen Vento Cup crown in 2015.

With the kind of commitment and passion Anindith has shown while coming through the rigours of the sport in a short span, one can’t easily brush aside his achievements saying being a “rich kid” makes life easier in a sport where money matters a lot.

“It’s only natural that people think I have loads of money — and rubber — to burn. I myself have seen cases of youngsters jumping into the racing bandwagon not really for the love it, but only to build their social status. I don’t belong there and those are not the values I inherited from my family members. Many people dream of making motorsport a career, but only a few who are passionate about it are able to make it,” says Anindith, who got a free drive in the 2016 MRF Formula 1600 championship as a reward for clinching the Vento Cup the previous season.

“There is no denying the fact that my parents helped me initially, but since I started winning races, a chunk of my racing budget has been taken care of. I am fortunate not having to pay much since I started in 2014,” he informs. But, when he decides to go abroad, apart from passion and talent, Anindith would need something else — a truckload of money.

Though Anindith feels he’s fairly equipped to compete in an international series, he wouldn’t ask his parents to fund his dream unless confident of pushing for the title. “My parents would definitely say no. I wouldn’t want to be a driver who shells out money just to make up the numbers. To be in the top-10 and boasting about it as an achievement on social media is not me. I will go talk to my parents, the minute I am confident of fighting for the championship,” he adds.

One of the title contenders in the JK Tyre Formula BMW series, Anindith is fresh from what he calls “the most memorable” racing weekend in Coimbatore. He won three races and clinched 38 points to go on top of the leader board with just one more round to go. “Winning the title in my first single-seater season would give me immense satisfaction. That’s my top priority now,” he says.

The love for the adrenaline rush is in Anindith’s blood. “My father, also an engineering graduate, is a big adventure sport enthusiast. He loves scuba diving and kayaking. When I was a kid, he had taken me on all these activities,” he recalls. On Anindith’s seventh birthday, Vishweshwar gifted him a go-kart and the way the little boy scorched the tailor-made dirt course on his family farm gave enough indication that automobile was his calling. No surprise, he chose mechanical engineering at the General Motors Institute in Michigan after his schooling in Hyderabad. The days he spent in the US not only helped him learn the complicated physics of automobiles, but also the sporting side of it.

“The racing culture that I saw in America, I have never really seen anywhere in the world. My college had tie-ups with various racing clubs and I used to drive my own car in FIA Grade 2 circuits such as Autobahn Speedway in Illinois, Ginger Man raceway and Grataan in Michigan and Mid-Ohio track in Ohio. Slowly, it became more than a weekend outing,” he adds.

After his graduation, Anindith wanted to be involved in India’s automobile sector, but he had another important duty of following the family legacy, in healthcare. “Now, I run two start-ups. A digital market place for healthcare services and a social planning application. The existing healthcare eco-system kind of inspired me to build my own business. When I chose motorsport as parallel profession, initially my parents weren’t the happiest, but they started supporting me after seeing my passion. Till today, they are concerned about my safety. They don’t come to my races, but they watch videos once I return,” he explains.

KNOW ANINDITH REDDY

Father: Vishweshwar Reddy, MP from Chevella. Vishweshwar is the son of Konda Madhava Reddy, former chief justice of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. The district of Ranga Reddy was named after Vishweshwar’s grandfather — Konda Venkata Ranga Reddy.
Mother: Sangita Reddy, MD of Apollo Hospitals. The youngest daughter of Prathap C. Reddy, founder-chairman of Apollo Hospitals.
Education: Mechanical engineering from General Motors Institute, Michigan, US.
Profession: Juggling a racing career with healthcare start-ups.
Turned racing pro: In 2014.
Cars he drives in Hyderabad: Anindith says, “I have an E63 (Mercedes-AMG). It’s the most daily driveable car. But, I am a big fan of manual transmission and turbo cars. I recently got an Evo 10 (Mitsubishi).”
Racing idols: Big fan of Finnish drivers, Tommy Makkinen (former world rally champion) and F1 star Kimi Raikkonen.
Finest racing moment: Winning the Vento Cup title in 2015 and clinching three victories in the JK Tyre BMW series at Coimbatore recently.
Best buddy: Ishaan Dodhiwala, also a racer from Hyderabad.