Indian Motorsports - Boon or Bane

The world of Motorsports has finally dawned upon the horizons of India! From motocross, to WRC, to the infamous Dakar, we are there. Not long ago, the FMSCI along with other sport related governing bodies were fighting for the rights to declare Motorsports as an official sport in India. And to our very surprise, it was finally declared as an official sport. The Motorsports sector took a huge step when it constructed an FIA approved track and brought Formula 1 to India. But sadly, due to our degenerated law makers and Finance ministers, F1 was enforced with huge taxes and duties to pay, which saw F1 say goodbye to India, never to return again. I never got a chance to go for one of these races (even though I’m a huge fan), so I hope that someday its back here!

I’ve had the pleasure of being around the very best in the Motorsport Industry. My little town of Mangalore, has been one of the major hubs of the most radical and notorious Rally Drivers and Motocross Riders. Here, legends were born and have given birth to even more legends in this industry. My very own best friends and close friends have been in this field since a long time. Even though I would love to wear one of those racing overalls and go for a spin, it would be mighty hard without the experience and the guts. All it takes is one slip up and poof, it’s all over.

Let me come to the part where I tell you guys how proud I am to have India’s elite motorsporting legends as my friends. Dean Mascarenhas, Aravind KP, Arjun Rao, Vikram Rao, and so on and so forth. What makes them special you ask? Well, Dean is the youngest ever National Rally Champion in the Indian National Rally Championship. He participated in his first rally, just 3 weeks after he got his license. And the funny part? He won that rally! Imagine how ecstatic we were? He raced among the top most names in the rally world, and kicked all their asses. Even though he reached such a high pedestal and surprisingly at such a young age, he still is the most down to earth and humble person I have met. Even though he beat India’s best drivers, he still won their hearts! Don’t be fooled by his boyish looks and witty charms, he is a demon when he is behind the wheels. He has mastered driving skills and techniques at such a young age, which usually takes years of practice. It was an inborn talent, you could say. After all, his mom and dad, both were rally drivers back in the day. His dad was the King of Gypsys, while his mom was an unstoppable co-driver (navigator). He recently opened up a restaurant of his own, here in Mangalore itself, which I will be writing about soon. He still continues racing and won the INRC-3 category championship and 2nd overall in the 2017-18 season!

Now moving on to another insane personality, Aravind KP. He represented India in the infamous and gruesome Dakar Rally, and he is only the 2nd Indian to do so. For those of you who don’t know, the Dakar is considered to be one of the most dangerous races to be conducted on Planet Earth. It tests the riders from their body, mind and soul, torturing them physically, mentally and all the other possible manners, on a completely different level. He made his debut in this race last year, but crashed out early on and ended up with a broken arm. But it still didn’t stop him from finishing that stage and then retiring in grace. This year too, luck did not favour him as he suffered a massive crash and ended up with a broken ankle. He vows to be back next year and to do better than ever. Before participating in the Dakar, he was a legend in the Motocross world in India. He raced for the TVS factory team, and was killing it, every season. He has raced all over the world, in fact. His body is made of metal though. Countless crashes later, Aravind has multiple steel plates and screws embedded in his body. But this does not stop him, not one bit. It just pushes him further and further. Talk about pushing your body to the extreme limit.

Enough with the racing world. Let’s move on to the Touring sector in India. We have among ourselves, a crazy tourer. His name is @firepower. I’m sure you guys have heard his name all over Steemit. He takes his bike and goes to places, where one wouldn’t dream of going. He is the leading blogger for Steemit from India, and represents India in all of Steemit’s meetups and international conferences. His vast level of knowledge and experience makes him so good at whatever he does. A recent bike crash set him back from touring, but I’m sure sooner or later, he will be back on his bike, writing from wherever he is! He is the one person who is capable of driving from Delhi to Mangalore in a span of 36 hours, ALL BY HIMSELF. In other words, he loves doing extreme stuff. But he always makes sure safety is a first. He never leaves his house without his helmet, his jacket and gloves, even if it is a trip to the grocery store. He emphasizes on the importance of safety at all times, which majority of the Indians lack at this very moment. He is currently going from city to city, creating awareness about Steemit and also having meet and greets with fellow Steemit writers. He believes in sharing his knowledge with others and wants others (young writers like you and me) to hop on the Steemit train, because he knows the potential of this platform and how high it can take you.

The one issue I have with motorsports in India? Lack of sponsors. Since India is just developing, and this sport is growing gradually, people with the talent and the potential do not get to be their best because it’s an expensive sport and well, they cannot afford it. Their talent is gone wasted and the few who can actually afford to give it a shot, do not see it as a full time career. My one dream would be to see an Indian Driver/Rider in every International Motorsporting event. We have already conquered the Dakar. Here’s to WRC, F1, MotoGP and many more!