'The main challenge is the amount of hate you receive at times': Four women share their journey in motorsport

ldquoMy shortterm goal is to race internationally in F4 and get good results while representing India My ultimate goal is to hopefully reach Formula One somedayrdquo expresses 16yearold Indian racer Shriya Lohia on the sidelines of the first edition of Generation Speed one of the largest motoring festivals in IndiaLohia is one of many women who are ignoring voices that claim ldquomotorsport is for menrdquo and overcoming challenges of charting their path in a traditionally maledominated fieldThe class 11 student was honoured with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puruskar in 2022 and has the distinction of being the youngest female to race and score points in the inaugural Indian F4 Championship representing Hyderabad BlackbirdsSpeaking to middaycom about her journey she says ldquoI was first introduced to motorsport on a road trip with my family when I was 9 years old when we came across a go karting track where I tried rental karting for the first time I ended up really enjoying and fell in love with it and asked my dad if I could pursue it professionally Motorsport became my passion that day onwardsrdquoShriya Lohia has participated in several national and international racing competitionsBut her journey wasnrsquot without thorns ldquoThe main challenge as a female in a maledominated field is the amount of hate and criticism you receive at times Whether its on social media on a race track or behind your back there are always people who have negative things to say about yourdquo she sharesPerhaps sentiments like these discourage girls from pursuing the sportAashi Hanspal an 18yearold racing car driver reveals ldquoI barely see any girls racing along with me There are just one or two girls rest all are boysrdquoHowever that hasnrsquot stopped her from doing what she loves ldquoI have been involved in this field since I was 12 years old I started with karting and slowly shifted to cars My dad is also a racer He used to do rallies and took me karting one day and I hated it But gradually I got interested and started practising and racing and thatrsquos all I can think about nowrdquo she says excitedlyWhile she shares that she personally hasnrsquot faced anything harsh as a woman in the field since she has a supportive group Hanspal acknowledges that there are challenges and the situation should improveIndian biker Shweta Chithrode who has been racing for years can attest to the fact that women have to take extra efforts to succeed in the fieldldquoI had to take extra efforts to develop my skills Whenever I would ask questions to mechanics about my bike I would get responses like lsquoMadam aap kyu puchh rahe ho aap bas chalao Why are you asking these questions just drive I wanted to know my bike That was challenging I had to read a lot and learn everything myselfrdquo she sharesThe drag racer always wanted to explore the limits of her bike which wasnrsquot possible on normal roads hence began her journey on the trackWhile these women on the driverrsquos seat are breaking gender barriers one race at a time women are also making a mark in behindthescenes roles at race tracksRace engineer Kajal Prajapati who currently lives in Germany blended her interest in cars and the curiosity to read and learn more about them and decided to work in the technical side of racingA race engineer is responsible for analysing realtime data from a race car to optimise performance communicate information to the driver and perform other crucial tasksKajal Prajapati finds joy in analysing race data and guiding racers on the trackldquoThis is a very demanding job especially for women Initially you will be questioned on every step of your journey People will mistrust your judgement If you have people working under you they may behave condescendingly and not be open to accepting directions from you But you have to be headstrong and have a thick skin It is difficult in the initial stages but once you prove that you are good at your job it becomes easierrdquo Prajapati revealsldquoWomen face these challenges in this field everywhere irrespective of the country But itrsquos not all bad I have had many supporters and good opportunities along the wayrdquo she further statesThe next goalThese women have shattered stereotypes and proven that their dream cannot be taken away from them because of their gender and they are not done Each one of these racers are busy pursuing their next goalldquoI started sprint rallies last year so Irsquod like to continue thatrdquo says HanspalChithrode also wants to pursue different avenues in the sport ldquoNot just the limits of my bike but I want to test my limits also and enter other categories of the sport I am now learning track racing After coming here at Generation Speed now I feel like I should get into carsrdquo she sharesldquoI want to make it as a race engineer in Formula 1rdquo expresses PrajapatiEmpowering women to join motorsportWhile women are breaking barriers and claiming their space on the race track therersquos a need to create ecosystems and support networks that encourage more women to enter the fieldLohia remarks ldquoI think it starts at home Because of societal standards in India a lot of women arent even encouraged to learn how to drive while their male counterparts are The more supportive families and people within the motorsport community are of women entering the field the more there will berdquoldquoWomen in India are ready to get into motorsport but the right channel is not there in front of them They donrsquot know several ways exist So festivals like Generation Speed or Valley Run are essential to raise awarenessrdquo feels ChithrodeldquoIn India the conditioning of parents and daughters need to change I would advise parents to trust their daughters more and prepare them for the world For women who want to enter the field I want to say Trust yourself be willing to learn the technical side of it and be ready to get your hands dirtyrdquo concludes Prajapati