Ahura Racing, an all-girls racing team founded by the former national champion Sarosh Hataria is making headlines in India today.
Car racing has historically been a male-dominated field of sports with a few exceptions like Lella Lombardi, Giovanna Amati and others who made their mark. However, with changing values, women are taking big strides into the otherwise male fields. The Coimbatore based Ahura Racing is one such team making history in India.
Women from all spheres of life, from actresses, dentists to mothers are taking on the racing tracks and breaking stereotypes. They are realizing their passion for speed and inspiring young girls to do the same.
Driving Formula LGB cars at the Kari Motor Speedway was their first stepping stone and many more strides to come their way.
Out of 190 women, Hataria selected 12 women to learn and participate in the Ahura Racing team. The team is led by Marathi actress Manisha Kelkar and dentist Ritika Oberoi.
Out of the 12 women, 6 women including Manisha Kelkar realized their passion on the racing tracks on Saturday.
Initially, 60 women were selected and trained for 2 days. Top six women were selected on the basis of their best lap time. These women made history on Saturday as they challenged stereotypes and raced their heart out!
According to Kelkar, one of the major obstacles for women racers in India is to find sponsorship to hone their talents.
Standby team members Diana Pundole and Natasha Shah are mothers. Phoebe Nongrum, a resident of Shillong and an IAS aspirant along with Diana and Natasha will race in the next rounds.
