Bengaluru's Aishwarya carving a niche in the world of motorsports

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Bengaluru, October 21: Women are still taking baby steps in the world of rallying and racing, especially for the bikers. But Bengaluru lass Aishwarya Pissay, who got off to a late start, is taking giant strides and carving out a niche for herself amongst the boys.

In many sports, women are giving men a run for their money as they have made a name for themselves, reaching the pinnacle of their sport. But an oustanding performance by a woman in a motorsports event still raises eyebrows and applause from all over.

When it comes to bikes or cars - the mean machines - men are the ones who take the centrestage. But 22-year-old Aishwarya has fought her way past all the odds to make the way for more young girls to follow in her footsteps.

The Bengaluru rider, who started her journey when she was 18, won the Ladies Class at the just concluded Raid de Himalaya and also finished a commendable overall fourth in the Group B category.

Having overcome a lot of barriers, Aishwarya, who just completed her B.Com in correspondence, was very content with the way her journey has unravelled. The TVS rider, who always had her mother's support, opened up about her race, the difficulties she faced both on and off the road and her future plans.

Excerpts:

On the race:

This is my second year at Raid de Himalaya. Last year I couldn't get past day one. It was a wonderful experience. I was riding in the upto 250cc category where I was competing with the boys and it was amazing. The stage we considered the most difficult was Gramphoo to Kaza and considering how the terrain changes from loose rocks to sand, it was a wonderful experience. Finishing day one within the time was an accomplishment to all of us. It helped us get better.

The third day was the toughest:

The altitude was way too high on that day. The bike was fluttering because of less oxygen. So that was the reason. However I crashed a couple of times too because of which I lost time.

How does it feel to come fourth?

I was actually competing for third. The engineers took very good care of us and the bike was looked after well. It was possible to come third. But due to some unexpected circumstances I couldn't do it. But it feels nice to complete it and be placed fourth among 14 in my category.

Didn't clear day one last year, what changed?

That year I was a privateer and was riding another bike (KTM 200). I lost my front brake and the gear peg. So I was stuck. It was a 70-km stage and by 20 km, my bike had broken down. So for 50km I had to ride on one gear. I had a lot more time on my chart than the given time. That's why they didn't let me take a restart the next day.

On preparation and dealing with the unexpected:

Going out there and acclimatising doesn't matter much. The fitness we do here does. For mental fitness, we push ourselves at the regular gym and we go out of our comfort zone and this is what helps us to perform better. What do we do if we fall? It's like a SOP that's there in every rider. If you fall, the bike is up and ready in ten seconds and we are already gone. So it's something that's there in all of us.

It is mostly male dominated sport. How tough is it for a woman and how do your competitors react?

It definitely is tough. It's a male dominated sport and nobody is very open about the idea of a woman coming into it and competing. A lot of them have told me that this is not a girl's thing and asked me why I was there. They also said I could fall and break something and went on to tell me that I should just finish the race and not aim at anything higher. I just didn't say anything and slowly my performance started speaking for itself.

Anyone who you looked up to?

Actually I don't have an idol as such. My entry into the sport is something which happened by accident. My passion to it has made me look up to some people, like this year Santosh, KP, Tanveer and one of the lady riders I look up to in the Dakar is Laia Sanz. So there are a couple of people who I follow and that's what motivates me to push myself.

What was that "accident" due to which you took up the sport?

It started with weekend trips with my friends on a bike. So that's how my interest got generated. But I didn't know what I was capable of back then and what I am doing. So that's why I called it an accident. I started when I was 18.

Happy with the progress since then? Anything you wish you could have done better?

Definitely happy. Only thing I could have done was may be started a bit earlier. But considering that I am in India and with all the things I am doing now, I should be happy and blessed for all that I have got. With all the support I have gotten, it has been a great progress this year compared to the last. So I am happy with my progress.

How has this year been for you?

I took part in National championship, that I won and also the girls category of the Indian National Motorcycle Racing. I am leading the INRC rally championship. I took part in Dakshin Dare and finished third with the boys and first in the women's category.

Immediate target:

I have the last round of INRC left. That's it for the year. Next year I'll be doing all the National championships in India and may be some events outside India.

Do you see yourself at the Dakar Rally anytime soon?

I think it takes a lot of factors that are involved. When the time is right and I'm prepared, I think TVS will support me. Another five years from now.