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“My short-term goal is to race internationally in F4 and get good results while representing India. My ultimate goal is to hopefully reach Formula One someday,” expresses 16-year-old Indian racer Shriya Lohia, on the sidelines of the first edition of Generation Speed, one of the largest motoring festivals in India.
Lohia is one of many women who are ignoring voices that claim “motorsport is for men” and overcoming challenges of charting their path in a traditionally male-dominated field.
The 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 Blackbirds.
Speaking to mid-day.com about her journey, she says, “I 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 onwards.”
Shriya Lohia has participated in several national and international racing competitions
But her journey wasn’t without thorns. “The main challenge as a female in a male-dominated field is the amount of hate and criticism you receive at times. Whether it`s on social media, on a race track or behind your back, there are always people who have negative things to say about you,” she shares.
Perhaps, sentiments like these discourage girls from pursuing the sport.
Aashi Hanspal, an 18-year-old racing car driver, reveals, “I barely see any girls racing along with me. There are just one or two girls, rest all are boys.”
However, that hasn’t stopped her from doing what she loves. “I 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 that’s all I can think about now!” she says excitedly.
While she shares that she personally hasn’t 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 improve.
Indian 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 field.
“I had to take extra efforts to develop my skills. Whenever I would ask questions to mechanics about my bike, I would get responses like ‘Madam, 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 myself,” she shares.
The drag racer always wanted to explore the limits of her bike, which wasn’t possible on normal roads, hence began her journey on the track.
While these women on the driver’s seat are breaking gender barriers, one race at a time, women are also making a mark in behind-the-scenes roles at race tracks.
Race 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 racing.
A race engineer is responsible for analysing real-time data from a race car to optimise performance, communicate information to the driver and perform other crucial tasks.
Kajal Prajapati finds joy in analysing race data, and guiding racers on the track
“This 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 easier,” Prajapati reveals.
“Women face these challenges in this field everywhere, irrespective of the country. But it’s not all bad. I have had many supporters and good opportunities along the way,” she further states.
The next goal
These 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 goal.
“I started sprint rallies last year, so I’d like to continue that,” says Hanspal.
Chithrode also wants to pursue different avenues in the sport. “Not 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 cars,” she shares.
“I want to make it as a race engineer in Formula 1,” expresses Prajapati.
Empowering women to join motorsport
While women are breaking barriers and claiming their space on the race track, there’s a need to create ecosystems and support networks that encourage more women to enter the field.
Lohia remarks, “I think it starts at home. Because of societal standards in India, a lot of women aren`t 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 be.”
“Women in India are ready to get into motorsport, but the right channel is not there in front of them. They don’t know several ways exist. So, festivals like Generation Speed or Valley Run are essential to raise awareness,” feels Chithrode.
“In 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 dirty,” concludes Prajapati.
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