Gone are the days when women were stereotyped to not be actively involved in sports. Today, girls from across the country are crossing barriers and setting examples in fields that were once not supposedly ‘meant for women’.
Motorsports is one such arena where women are gearing up to go full throttle. From Aishwarya Pissay, an Indian off-road racer, who won the world title in motorsports recently, to biking enthusiast Candida Louis, who rode from Bengaluru to Sydney on her Bajaj Dominar named Skyee, we have seen a lot of women riders flourish over the last few years.
Sanjay Sharma, head of the team that is organising Girls on Track, says, “The idea is to give a chance for girls to come out and explore the tracks of motorsports. The event has three categories: ‘Girls on Track’ is a go-karting competition for girls between 13 and 25 years. ‘Dare to be Different’ is also a go-karting competition but for girls who are between eight and 12 years old. Lastly, there’s ‘Girls on two wheelers’, a motor biking competition for girls between the ages of 14 and 30 years.”
Talking about how excited she is about the event, bank employee and motorsport fanatic Supriya Pai says, “I am super pumped for the go-karting competition. I’ve been such a lover of go-karting since I was a child that it always gave me goose-bumps! I’m most excited about driving a kart on a professional track, the feeling of being in an actual race. There’s a lot of exploring to do from there on.”
Priya Khushalani, from Bengaluru, was inspired by her mother to become a biker. “She used to come and pick me up from school on the bike. Biking has always been in my blood, I guess. But, for a lot of other girls out there, they haven’t had the chance to explore that. The feeling of riding a bike is so different. It makes you feel powerful,” adds Priya.
Like every other competition, this one has rewards too. Every participant will receive a certificate and the Top 3 winners from each city will be given medals and will be invited for a motorcycle/karting academy program conducted by a professional academy. The highest point scorer at the training programme will be given a chance to ride at a professional National Racing Championship.
Leena Vasishta.
We asked professional biker Leena Vasishta for some tips for newbies and amateurs. She advises, “I would just say, don’t stress too much. Motorsports is something you will learn with practice. But most importantly, no matter what you do and how careful you are, you will fall and there’s nothing to be scared of. It’s just a few tiny bruises that will heal within a few days.” For such spills (and thrills), the organisers say you don’t need any prior experience; professional or amateur. As long as you know how to ride or manage a kart, you can get your gear on and go for it.
