Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav- 75 Years of Indian Independence: Indian MotorSport Drivers that made India Proud

Over the past ten years, Indian motorsport has improved, making it possible for many new racers to compete globally. We examine the most well-known Indian racers who are succeeding internationally

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Over the past ten years, Indian motorsport has improved, making it possible for many new racers to compete globally. We examine the most well-known Indian racers who are succeeding internationally.

India has lagged other European nations in terms of Motorsport infrastructure, and this has undoubtedly had an impact over the years as there haven't been many Indian racers to compete worldwide and have much success. The likes of Karun Chandhok and Narain Karthikeyan made it to Formula 1 in the 2000s, Vijay Mallya bought a Formula 1 team that became well-known as Force India, and the opening of the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, which hosted three Formula 1 races between 2011 and 2013, planted the seeds of a new breed of racers that are only now beginning to bloom.

Not only did the Indian Grand Prix and Force India increase the country's Motorsport audience, but they also planted dreams in the minds of young children in India, giving them hope that they too could succeed in the competitive world of racing. I was one of those kids, and although I didn't have much luck in the races, I still had some of the fondest memories from my time competing. Since then, many young people like me have made significant achievements both domestically and abroad, and we are now on the verge of the pinnacle of Motorsport. Let's take a closer look at these drivers and passengers.

Jehan Daruvala

Jehan Daruvala is without a doubt one of the most sought-after athletes to emerge from India in the previous ten years in terms of racing. Daruvala was chosen from a top 100 list of 98 drivers between the ages of 14 and 18, one wildcard driver under the age of 14, and one wildcard driver above the age of 18, as part of the Sahara Force India Formula 1 team's "One in a Billion" talent hunt initiative in 2011. Daruvala, a younger wildcard, placed third in the "One in a Billion" shootout behind Arjun Maini & Tarun Reddy after beating his adversary by less than a tenth of a second to earn a spot in the top 100.

He traveled to Europe as a result of winning this, and in 2013 he won the Super 1 National KFJ Championship. After that, Daruvala continued to perform admirably in single-seaters and later obtained a position with the Prema Racing Formula 3 team, where he placed third in the FIA Formula 3 championship. Daruvala then moved to Formula 2 with Carlin, and after Lawrence Stroll purchased the Force India Formula 1 team, Daruvala got a deal to drive for the Red Bull F1 Team Junior, greatly advancing his career. After two seasons of Formula 2 competition with Carlin, Daruvala rejoined Prema Racing for the 2022 FIA Formula 2 Championship, finishing on the podium six times before the summer break. Due to some unlucky race weekends, Daruvala dropped from P3 to P4 in the 2022 Formula 2 championship. He is now in a strong position to compete for a spot in the AlphaTauri F1 squad for the 2023 or 2024 Formula 1 season.

The Maini Brothers

The Maini brothers, Arjun & Kush, are Jehan Daruvala's competitors in the worldwide four-wheeler track racing scene. Arjun Maini, the older of the two, was the winner of Force India's "One in a Billion" talent search, and he enjoyed considerable success in karting throughout his formative years. In spite of missing the first four races, Maini switched to GP3 (later known as Formula 3) in 2016 and finished the season in tenth place overall. When he placed second at the Hungaroring, he also made history by becoming the first Indian to win a podium in GP3. Later, Arjun advanced to Formula 2 with Trident Racing, although the team and his partner Ferrucci caused him problems during the season. After leaving single-seaters, Arjun entered the endurance racing circuit to compete in the 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of the most prestigious races in the world, in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS), before transitioning to the DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters). Arjun Maini, who competes in the same series at the moment, also earned the first podium finish for an Indian driver in DTM in 2021.

The younger of the two, Kush Maini, however, had even greater success when racing single-seaters. For the first two seasons of his international single-seater career, which began in 2016, Kush Maini competed in the Italian F4 competition. In 2018, he switched to the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship. Kush's career took off after winning one race and earning seven other podium finishes in that year, which helped him move up to third place in the championship, ahead of fellow Indian racer Krishnaraaj Mahadik. Following his successful British F3 campaign, he switched to the Formula Renault Eurocup in 2019, but since the pandemic changed his racing plans, he went back to British F3 in 2020. Kush Maini achieved even better results in the 2020 British F3 championship, winning three races for the Hitech GP team and coming in second place overall. While the Indian driver's 2021 campaign was underwhelming, in 2022 he moved up to FIA Formula 3 and, by the time the summer break rolled around, he had already achieved one podium finish in the extremely competitive 30-driver grid.

Gaurav Gill

Indian motorsport would not be complete without including Gaurav Gill. Gill, who was born in 1981, is not among the younger drivers that are now competing. However, despite his advanced age, Gill continues to excel at rallying both domestically and internationally. In 2019, Ram Nath Kovind, the president of India, also gave Gaurav Gill the Arjuna award, making him the first motorsports athlete to get the distinction. Gaurav Gill has won numerous championships throughout the course of his two-decade career, including seven times in the Indian National Rally Championship, three times in the Indian National Racing Championship, and three times in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship. Currently, Gaurav Gill competes for team JK Tyre Racing in both the WRC2 (World Rally Championship) and the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC).

Anushriya Gulati

Since she was a young child, Anushriya Gulati has participated in a variety of sports, including basketball at the state level and shooting at the national level. She has won numerous medals in India's Air Pistol (10 metres) and Sports Pistol (22-25 metres) categories, as well as a bronze medal at the Singapore Open Championship. Anushriya Gulati, however, is perhaps best known for travelling 1,60,000 kilometres on her collection of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, making her the youngest and only female rider in India to do so. Asst. Director of Ladies of Harley, India, Anushriya has completed a number of rides throughout the nation and even abroad, including the H-D 'Big 5' challenge for 5 consecutive years, the H-D '21-365' challenge for 2 years, and many other notable rides, including K2K, the golden quadrilateral, and even riding up to Khardung La pass, which was then the highest motorable pass in the world, while being the youngest rider or the first female rider. She is the youngest coach and the only female coach at the Harley-Davidson Riding Academy, and she was one of the five riders who travelled 3,141 km on a Harley-Davidson Sportster S in the course of 24 hours, setting a world record for the most distance travelled in 24 hours on a motorbike (HDRA).

But in 2019, Anushriya's path took an intriguing turn as she placed third out of 60 women in the country-wide Ahura Racing Team Women's Talent Hunt programme, breaking into the four-wheel racing scene. Anushriya Gulati won a "rare double" championship the following year, finishing first in the Women's category and the Rookie category of the 2020 JK Tyre LGBF4 National Racing Championship. The first year was more of a learning curve for the Dehradun-based driver operating the LGBF4 cars on race tracks. Gulati quickly advanced to the MRF Formula 1600 series with JA Motorsport, but her big break came in the selection of Formula Woman, where Anushriya finished in the top 75 finalists out of 800 women from around the world and advanced to the shootouts in the UK. She placed 11th here, and shortly after arriving in Sweden, she was drafted into the top 4 female drivers out of 800 competitors, a record-breaking performance. Anushriya Gulati also made her rallying debut in 2022 after competing in INRC 3 and placing third among women and fourth among juniors in her first attempt.

CS Santosh

The most accomplished Indian rider, CS Santosh, has won a number of championships. CS Santosh has won more titles than anyone can count throughout the course of a career spanning more than a decade. In addition to winning the 2012 Maruti Suzuki Raid-De-Himalaya on his first attempt and setting a record time, CS Santosh also won the three MRF National Supercross Championships and two Gulf National Dirt Track Championships. He won the 2016 India Baja as well as the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm three years in a row. One of the highlights of his career, which included winning several titles in both motocross and rallying competitions, was finishing the 2015 Dakar Rally, which is regarded as the world's toughest race. From that point on, the Indian rider participated in the rally on multiple occasions. He is a rider that competes for Hero MotoSports and is credited with starting something of a rally revolution in India. Harith Noah and other similarly gifted riders now have renewed faith that they may advance to the level of international rallies because to CS Santosh.

Harith Noah

Harith Noah, a five-time Indian National Super-cross champion, participated in his first Dakar rally in 2020. In 2021, he ended in P20, becoming the first rider from his country to place in the top 20. He is one of Dakar's swiftest Indian riders, finishing as high as P18 in a stage. Additionally, the TVS Factory Racing rider has participated in and won at other competitions. Additionally, in 2022, Harith Noah competed in the FIM Baja Spain Aragon, the fourth round of the FIM Bajas World Cup, and impressively placed fourth.

Aishwarya Pissay

Aishwarya Pissay, who discovered her love for riding motorcycles at the age of 18, quickly acquired the skill and went on to win national titles in both road racing and rally competitions. Pissay, won the INRC five times in a row from 2017 to 2021. She is also the first Indian Motorsports competitor to ever win a world championship after taking first place in the women's and junior's divisions of the FIM Baja Rally World Cup.

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