In most places in India, only men are tasked with prime responsibilities to run the family as they were considered as the sole breadwinners and you don’t often see many women going to offices as they are forced to sit at home and do household chores. On the contrary, men go to offices, stress a lot and work without seeing clock needles to earn wages either daily, weekly or on a monthly basis.
Women have very limited opportunities to study and were always inferior to men. They never really had the liberty to do what men were doing and hence they became homemakers. However, in the male-dominated society, some women are braving against all odds to become successful in life.
Aishwarya Pissay had 2 major accidents and underwent surgery for months, now she became the first Indian to win a World Title in Motorsports
Case in point, Motorsports was best suited for men however, Bengaluru-based woman biker Aishwarya Pissay broke gender stereotypes as she became the first Indian in history of motorsports to win a world title.
Yes, you read it right! Woman biker just bossed the competition and drifted her way to win the title that she really deserved. She won the FIM World Cup in women’s category after the final round of the championship in Varpalota, Hungary.
The event was organised by the International Motorcycling Federation, which is the governing body for motorcycle racing in the world.
Aishwarya, who won the opening round in Dubai, finished third in Portugal, fifth in Spain and fourth in Hungary in subsequent outings, had finished with an overall tally of 65 points and is four points ahead of Portugal’s Rita Vieira in the final total standings for women.
As far as the Hungarian leg is concerned, Aishwarya finished with 52 points and Vieira with 45 points. They were the top contenders for the title. The fourth-place finish in Hungary earned the Indian woman biker 13 points, while Vieira, who was placed third earned 16.
“Honour to put India on a global motorsports map. When I suffered career-threatening injuries, it was a tough phase of my life. But I believed in myself and was determined to get back on the bike, which I did in nearly six months.
So, winning the World Cup is huge for me. It’s an absolute honour to be the first athlete to bring home a world championship title and put India on the map of international motorsports,” she said in a statement.
She then finished second in the junior category in which both men and women fought against each other and Aishwarya finished with 46 points behind championship winner Tomas de Gavardo (60 points) of Chile.
The ambitious 23-year-old’s ambition is quite clear now as she wants to make India proud at the Dakar Rally.
“I hope I will be able to get more sponsors on board and eventually realise my dream of participating and finishing the Dakar Rally, which is considered the world’s most difficult cross-country race. In any case, I will pursue that dream no matter what,” she said.
FMSCI (Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India), congratulated Aishwarya for creating history in motorsports. “Aishwarya Pissay of TVS clinches the FIM Baja World Cup 2019 in women’s category. FMSCI congratulates India’s first-ever FIM World Cup champion,” FMSCI tweeted.
It was only last year that Aishwarya had become the first Indian female rider to compete in the gruelling Baja Aragon Rally. That rally concluded prematurely for the Indian as she crashed and suffered from the ruptured pancreas in the process.
“I have had two major accidents. One in which I hurt my collar bone in 2017, then I had a bad fall and ruptured my pancreas in 2018. I underwent surgery and was in the hospital for two months. There was not a single day in the hospital that I thought I would not be able to race again. That incident taught me the importance of never giving up,” she recalled.
It was in 2017, the doctors inserted a steel plate and seven screws to fix Aishwarya’s collarbone. She was also asked not to race another three-four weeks. “I had a race in just five days. Nothing was going to stop me. I got up and raced and won the championship,” she said.
Aishwarya, who started biking just five years ago, is also the first Indian woman to have clinched 5 national road racing and rally championship titles. “I started going on weekend rides with my friends and that is where my love for biking began.
Then in 2015, I began training at the Apex Racing Academy in Coimbatore and realised I had the skill set to get into professional racing and biking.”
“I met some women during my initial training days who were ready to take racing as a hobby, but not as a profession. I am glad I didn’t go their way.”
Meet Samantha D’souza- She is the fastest female Drag Racer in India
Just like Aishwarya Pissay, Mumbai-based female drag racer Samantha D’souza broke gender stereotypes as she became India’s Fastest Female Drag Racer with an astonishing time of 13 seconds flat in a quarter-mile.
Yes, you read it right! Woman biker is bossing the competition and also drifted her way to win several awards which she really deserved. She has been holding the podium position with the boys and is also the 3rd fastest among the men in the KTM 390 class in India.
For the unversed, Motorcycle drag racing involves two contestants lining up at a dragstrip with a signalled starting line. The rider to reach the finish line first is declared the winner.
Motorcycle drag racing might not have a significant fan-following in India but people like Samantha D’souza has set a great example for other women to follow suit. The highlight of her is that she is only Indian Female to ride any short stripped drag bikes like the Malaysia bikes which are being used for drag racing.
Let’s take a look at Samantha D’souza’s glorious achievements so far.
Roaring Champions – India’s Night Drag event (Vasai, Mumbai) – 2015, Finished 9th among 16 men in the 225cc category.
The Valley Run (Aamby valley, Pune) – 2016, Finished 19th in the 135cc 2 stroke among 47 male participants.
The Valley Run (Aamby valley, Pune) – 2016, Finished 15th in the 225cc 4 stroke among 31 male participants.
The Valley Run (Aamby valley, Pune) – 2017, Finished 21st in the 225cc 4 stroke among 39 male participants
The Valley Run (Aamby valley, Pune) – 2017, Finished 16th in the 390cc 4 stroke among 33 male participants
India Speed Week (Jakkur, Bangalore) – 2017, Finished 10th in the 225cc 4 stroke among 22 male participants
India Speed Week (Jakkur, Bangalore) – 2017, Awarded as the Fastest Lady Rider of the Event
India Speed Week (Jakkur, Bangalore) – 2017, Awarded with the Female with Fastest Time of the Event
India Speed Week (Jakkur, Bangalore) – 2017, Finished 2nd in the 390cc 4 stroke among 42 male participants
The Valley Run (Aamby valley, Pune) – 2018, Finished 16th in the 390cc 4 stroke among 33 male participants
The Valley Run (Aamby valley, Pune) – 2019, Finished 3rd in the 390cc 4 stroke among 33 male participants
The Valley Run (Aamby valley, Pune) – 2019, Awarded as the Fastest Lady Rider of the Event
The Valley Run (Aamby valley, Pune) – 2019, Awarded with the Female with Fastest Time of the Event