With the city’s bustling traffic, driving isn’t an option we’d love, but when it comes to the racing circuit, the eye is on that final lap and the victory line. Driving his way to glory is Kunal Maini a 27-year-old professional race car driver from Bengaluru. Topping the leadboard at the Formula Junior Racing Series 2019. This aspiring racer shares his tale.
Speaking about how it all started he says, “I remember watching Formula1 races with my cousins when we were young. No other sport excited me enough to follow it. The passion for motorsport and chasing speed reignited when I learnt to drive a car in 2011. I soon wanted to take up the passion seriously and convert it to a profession, but my parents couldn't afford it.”
After a break of venturing into the world of Rubik’s cube and emerging as a speedcuber Kunal found his trail back to racing. He says, “I quit my job with Paytm in May 2018 and moved to Bengaluru to train formally with team MSPORT. A month later, I got my racing license and started racing karts. Post the karting championship, I underwent formal training for Formula cars, and entered the JK Tyre Novice Cup and won my first ever race after doing just one training session. Now I am being trained by India’s best coaches in team MSPORT.”
When it comes to following your passion, Indian parents have a big ‘NO’ ready to be flashed at you. Kunal shares his experience, “Coming from a middle class background, my parents found it difficult to accept my career change. So, when I moved to Bengaluru to train in motorsports in May 2018, I made sure I got a full-time job as a Product Manager and set up a do-or-die deadline to get my first win and sponsorship. When I won my first trophy in October 2018, my parents started taking it seriously. It has been two months since I quit my job to pursue professional motorsports full-time. They have accepted and fully support of my decision. I feel blessed. Also, my sister has always been my biggest supporter till date, flying down from Delhi for every single race to cheer for me and to help with track operations.”
Talking about his friend Abhishek Srivastava who has been a constant support, he says, “Seeing the passion in me, this guy funded the renting of high-end equipment and shooting content when he himself was short for basic supplies. He is more than a brother to me.” Apart from his love for the track, Kunal loves numbers and has won several mental mathematics competitions. Speaking about his numeric affair he says, “I love playing with numbers. As strange as it sounds, I love Rocket Singh, the movie, and while watching it for the nth time, I saw him opening his office desk drawer and there I see a Rubik's Cube and the same day, I bought one and got started. As soon as I got the hang of it, I wanted to solve it faster, and I did, until I averaged less than 15 seconds in an official speedcubing competition in 2014.”
This multifaceted bloke is also a parkour enthusiast. Sharing about his other interests, he says, “I am trying to learn to play the ukulele whenever I get time. Also, I love to unwind by painting, doodling, photography and activities I can indulge in and around the place where I live.”
Kunal believes that if he had a wish then he’d become Flash and see how the world looks at super fast speed. Keeping it simple he signed off by saying a few words for aspiring racers, “Go slow and look ahead.”
