Aishwarya Pissay put her fledging modelling career on hold in order to pursue her passion of riding in the fast lane.
For the 21-year-old from Bengaluru, the adrenaline drive was stronger than any other passion and following her instincts, she joined the Apex Racing Academy last May. That decision changed her life.
“I started walking the ramp during college at 17. I also got a few offers for modelling, but didn’t pursue it as I started biking a year later. I just love the feel of the adrenaline rush on bikes. I love living on the edge and all this I get on a bike. It’s a different kind of freedom,” Aishwarya told this paper after winning Round Three of the Honda One Make race in Chennai recently.
On how she started racing, the lanky racer who also does cross-country rallying says, “I used to travel a lot and with our roads so crowded, my friends suggested I put my passion for speed in the right place.. racing. This is my first year on the competitive circuit and I have had a couple of podium finishes in the last six races.
“I have grown up watching MotoGP championships and when the riders took those sharp corners I used to get goosebumps. Today I am here doing the same. I just love it,” said the Pune-born, who owns a KTM Duke200 and R15.
Aishwarya, who will be one of the rallyists at next month’s Raid de Himalaya, takes up freelance modelling assignments when she is not racing.
Like Aishwarya, the passion and determination is as strong for fellow racers, Chennai’s Ryhana Bee and Shruthi N. — the second and third placed finishers in Chennai — and Pune-based Pooja Ajit Dabhi, who ended fourth following a crash.
With multiple MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi as their inspiration, the girls are out to beat the boys and compete in international races in the future.
Said Aishwarya: “To be honest, there is no career in racing in India. But the number of women coming up recently, may be in the couple of years there may be something you can call as a racing career.
“Next year, I am aiming to race in the big championships and MotoGP is the dream event.”
Shruthi, who is also fond of trekking, quickly added: “We aim for riding internationally, may be alongside Rossi. We want to beat the boys in the national events first.”
In the last one and a half years, Pooja — a product of the Honda Ten10 Racing Academy — rode around 34,000 kms while Aishwarya completed 2,500 kms in 36 hours last year.
For Ryhana, the journey has been a bit difficult though. Lack of funds is a “big challenge”, she says but vows to “keep fighting and beat the boys”.
Having qualified from the Rajni Academy of Competitive Racing only six month back, Ryhanna hopes the podium finish will help her get some sponsors.
“I competed the race in 19.49 minutes, that’s big for me. This is my best timing ever. If I get a sponsor I can do even better and challenge the boys. The only problem I am facing is arranging funds. Though Honda is a big support for us, we need to have our own bikes during practice.”
Apart from Honda, support that has played a big role in these girls’ emerging careers has come from their parents.
Aishwarya says: “My mom is really proud that I am all the things which she never got to do.”
While for Pooja, her parents have been a big motivation.
“I have met with several crashes over the last few months, but the first thing they ask me is how is the bike Every month I travel to different states and when I return they very excitedly ask me about my journey.”
Ryhana still awaits the support of her parents financially. ”They are happy and support me but not financially. I hope things will change soon.”
