Fresh after World Cup return, Aishwarya Pissay sets sights on bigger targets
On March 19 last year, India’s leading motorcycle racer Aishwarya Pissay was gearing up for action in the FIM Bajas World Cup in Jordan. A 2019 champion at the tournament, Pissay was upbeat for participation in the second round of the 2021 edition but merely 40kms into navigating through the dusty dunes of Wadi Rum desert, she met with an accident that resulted in a twin-wrist fracture. In the months that followed, the 26-year-old racer underwent rehab and recovery; undeterred with the crash, however, she made a return with participation in one of the most difficult off-road terrains in India – the Rally of the Himalayas. For context, the tagline for the race reads ‘it makes grown men cry’.
It may sound surprising to us, but for motorsport racers, injuries have almost become a part of everyday lifestyle. In a bid to beat their fellow competitors, they often exert beyond the boundaries. In fact, Pissay reveals that the injury in Jordan was the “most minor crash” she has ever had.
“The first time I went to the Baja Aragon rally, I ruptured my pancreas. So, that took a lot of time for me to recover from than the one last year,” Pissay tells Hindustan Times in an exclusive interaction.
“Being an athlete, my focus is on how I can recover and come back to motorcycle in the quickest possible way. When I did plan to return in the rally of the Himalayas, I didn't have any inhibitions of being there. I think I finished overall third with the boys, so it was a great race for me.”
Following her participation in the Himalayan rally, Pissay went on to defend the national rally championships title – her fifth successive win in the event – and on July 26, she made a return to the international action for the first time since the injury in Jordan. On what Pissay describes as her “favourite” terrain, the TVS racer successfully completed the fourth round of the FIM World Cup in Aragon, Spain.
“This is my third year participating in the Baja Aragon Rally. I think it was my best finish by far in terms of how I felt with my performance, and my positioning. So, it was a good outing, considering it was my first international rally since my crash last year. So, my comeback has been strong and my performances were on point,” she says.
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Participating in events such as the FIM World Cup provides great exposure to the racers not only in terms of putting themselves on the motorsports map, but also in terms of knowledge-sharing with fellow international racers. For the 2019 champion at the World Cup, it is no different. "The brotherhood of motorcycle racing is so great that I get to meet and learn so much with the fellow riders. Be it basic things or just understanding the technicalities of the race. Sometimes, when you approach them and ask them, they are very helpful. I train with one of the ex-Baja racers, his name is Mica. I get to learn and train with the best. I understand the way that they think and the way that they train to be there on the top,” Pissay says.
Pissay’s crash in Jordan was largely due to error in navigation, and it wasn’t the first time when it had hampered her bid at the World Cup. In the title-winning 2019 season, Pissay’s timings took a hit in Qatar when a similar navigational error delayed her finish by over 40-50 minutes. The desert storms in such areas often make the navigation difficult for riders, but Pissay tells us that this is a very common concern for all participants in such rallies.
"Riding through the terrain is definitely a challenge because we don't usually have the desert storms of the magnitude of Dubai. The desert storms there are completely different. The way I prepare for it is to go there a few days prior, I usually go there 15 days before the race to prepare for the terrain, and understand the motorcycle. Every rider faces trouble in understanding the terrain, but for us, the best way to adapt is to be able to go and train a few days before the race,” says the Indian racer.
Women in Indian Motorsports
Even if one separates the gender-ratio aspect, it is safe to say that motorsports in India has a specific niche. Until 2015, it wasn’t even considered a sport in India before the government finally recognised FMSCI (Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India) – the official body for the sport in the country. “A lot of us are putting up a lot of hard work to be able to put India on the map in the world motorsports. It all begins with the government recognising it as a sport. It also helps the sport grow and bring up more champions,” Pissay says.
Add to this the participation of women, and we have a different debate altogether. Even after 9 championships titles, Pissay, who almost singlehandedly put India on the world map in terms of women’s participation in motorcycle racing, says she gets surprised reactions while talking about her profession among the public.
"To be honest, people are still surprised to hear that there's this sport like motorsports and I have a career in it and I'm participating full-time in it. They ask me, "what are you doing otherwise?" It is not something that you can do part-time! It is like any other sport. It requires hard-work, and that's what pretty much what I tell them,” Pissay says with conviction.
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When she started her career, Pissay was the only woman in a racing grid with 42 men. However, her arrival did bring a change in Indian motorsports community; in the years that followed, a separate ‘ladies class’ was introduced with the increase in women’s participation in motorcycle racing. Last year, a total of 16 women participated in the national championships.
"I think, two years after I arrived, the manufacturers came forward to have a women's class. Now, you see close to 15 to 16 participants year on year, which is really great. From me having to race just with men to now having so many women come year on year, participating in the whole series of championships, it is brilliant. Also, these days, I see a lot of young women participating in the sport, so, considering the future of motorsports, that is a big thing for us. It is evolving,” says the Indian racer who has now become a pioneer in women’s motorsports in the country.
Future plans
Fresh from her outing in Spain, Pissay is now focused on continuing her rallying expeditions in India. There are still four rounds left in the FIM Baja World Cup, but the racer insists her major focus remains on training in Europe for now.
“At this point, I’m looking forward to training outside. I want to be able to prepare for next year. It (participating in the remaining rounds of World Cup) depends on whether I would be able to raise the funds and whether everything falls in place for that. But otherwise, I’m currently looking forward to spending another 90 days training in Europe. I’m participating in the Indian national rally championship as well as the Indian national sprint championship for now. I’ll have the fourth round of the national championship this weekend in Bangalore, I’m gearing up for it now. The rest of the races start in September, so I’m looking forward to them as well,” she says.
One of Pissay’s major goals is competing in the coveted Dakar Rally, where she eyes becoming India’s first woman racer to take part. One of her racing colleagues and a well-known face in the Indian racing community, Harith Noah has driven in the rally in both, 2021 and 2022 editions, and Pissay says she is optimistic about reaching there very soon.
“I think I’m two steps away from being there. I am working upon it. Considering Covid had taken a hit on all of us, I couldn’t travel and participate in races for 2 years. I only resumed races in 2021, and I got to spend more time in Europe this year. Him (Harith) being my teammate even in the last race in Spain Baja, I do get to spend some time while racing with him. It is nice to share and learn from him, to understand his experience, or on how differently I could do things,” Pissay says.
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