Aishwarya Pissay became the first Indian to win a world title in motorsports.
Aishwarya Pissay. (Supplied)
She reminds one of Katy Perry’s song Roar. Adversities held her down, but she got up, “already brushing off the dust”.
In 2013, 18-year-old Aishwarya Pissay flunked her Grade 12 exams after her parents “forced” her to opt for the science stream. However, it did not bother her much as the Bengaluru girl became obsessed with riding motorbikes, a passion she pursued with her girlfriends during the weekends.
“I started riding motorcycles as a hobby at the age of 18,” Pissay told South First on the sidelines of the launch of INDE Racing in Hyderabad. She was in Charminar City to participate in the ongoing FIM E-Xplorer World Cup, featuring electric dirt bikes.
A trailblazer, she became the first Indian to win a world title in motorsports after lifting the 2019 FIM Bajas World Cup in the women’s category in Varpalota, Hungary.
In conversation with South First, she shed light on her journey in motorsports, her future ambitions and the way ahead for the sport to make a mark in India.
Pissay’s journey into motorsports started through road trips. “When I started, there were not a lot of women to inspire. But there were a lot of men who were doing it, a handful of them even made a career out of it.”
What started as a hobby became a full-time job for her in 2015. “I started racing professionally and I started with a road race in which I was part of the Apex Racing Academy. Then I moved on to off-road racing globally,” Pissay, who features alongside Spaniard Sandra Gomez and Canadian Spencer Wilton in the E-Xplorer World Cup, said.
Aishwarya Pissay during the Morocco Desert Challenge. (Supplied)
In 2018, the World Cup winner switched to off-road racing. “As I started doing it more, I started to realise that I loved off-road racing as well. But in India, it is hard to find sponsors for bike racing. So, my next best bet was to go to Dakar (capital of Senegal).”
The cross-country race from Paris to Dakar was started in 1978. However, security threats in Mauritania led to the cancellation of the 2008 rally, and the event was shifted to South America from 2009 to 2019. Since 2019, Saudi Arabia hosts the bike rally.
Pissay’s goal is to race at Dakar. “I want to be not just India’s, but Asia’s first woman on two wheels at Dakar. Through this, I would like to encourage Asia’s youngsters, especially women, who aspire to make a career in motorsport,” the dirt-biker who trains in Dubai said.
For her, Dakar off-road racing, the Tour de France of bike racing, is more about endurance, skill and navigation. ” It’s the man and machine versus terrain kind of situation. It is about 800 to 900 kilometres a day. That is eight to 12 hours of riding each day. That’s the format in which I won my World Cup.”
Pissay wants to make motorsports more accessible to Indian women. Recalling her initial racing days, she said, “When I began racing, I was one among the 42 boys on the grid at the nationals. But today at the TVS One Make Cup for women, the grid has 15 women. So more women are competing now over six rounds of racing and that in itself is testament to how much the sport is changing.”
She aspires to build a community of bike-racing women, who can support and motivate each other in every possible way.
Her first race was for Team Honda in 2015. However, in the succeeding years, it was not a piece of cake for the Bengaluru racer.
Aishwarya Pissay being felicitated by the Lions club in Bengaluru. (Supplied)
In 2018, Pissay competed in the gruelling Baja Aragon Rally, which ended prematurely for her as she crashed and suffered from a ruptured pancreas.
“I suffered two major accidents. In 2017, I hurt my collarbone. Then I had a bad fall and ruptured my pancreas the next year. I have a broken collarbone, two fractured arms and a ruptured pancreas,” the gritty young woman smiled.
“The doctors inserted a steel plate and seven screws to fix my collarbone,” Pissay recalled.
The racer underwent surgery and was hospitalised for two months. She was asked not to race for another three to four weeks. However, after five days, she was back on the circuit. “Nothing was going to stop me. I got up, prepared myself, raced and won the championship,” she beamed.
“Not a single day in the hospital went by without me doubting if I could race again. I think it was the accidents that motivated me to not giving up. I bounced back and started my journey again,” she exclaimed.
Two years later, in 2019, she went on to win the World Cup.
Katy Perry’s melodious voice keeps playing in the mind while listening to Pissay: “You held me down, but I got up (hey)/Get ready ’cause I’ve had enough/I see it all, I see it now.”
The family’s support is indispensable in sports in the long run. It was not different for Pissay.
“My mom, my aunt and my brother have always supported me. My grandparents were a little hesitant initially because we come from a country where it’s important to have a secure job to chase your passion,” she recalled.
Aishwarya Pissay during a race. (Supplied)
Not just her grandparents, even society was sceptical. “A lot of people used to ask me what else I did apart from racing bikes. Do they ask the same to a badminton or a cricket player? But if you look at any great world champion or athlete in our country or worldwide, you can’t do two things at the same time. You have to give your cent percent to the sport. And that’s what I did,” the champion said.
Passion and determination, however, were not enough. Funds to support her became an issue.
“I did not have the money when I started. But when I started proving myself, small sponsorships started coming. Apex sponsored my first national championship. After that TVS saw my ability and picked me up as a factory rider. For the past eight years, it has been my sponsor,” she said.
Pissay said that more than money, a sportsperson should have a never-say-die attitude and fire in the belly to become the best.
The winner of 11 national titles, including the 2016 national championships, started with a 200 CC motorcycle. “Today, I raced on a 450 CC rally machine,” she said.
Motorsports being a niche segment, it is difficult to find sponsors irrespective of gender, she added.
“Initially, it was more about somebody lending a bike or an organiser giving a free entry. I haven’t taken a penny from my parents since I turned 18. I don’t come from a very well-off family. So I had to sustain myself,” the dirt biker said.
Most of her expenses were covered through the prize monies. “Suppose I won a race today, tomorrow I will put it as an entry fee for another race. I would also borrow gear and bike.”
India’s ace tennis player Sumit Nagal, the second player in 2024 to qualify for the second round at the Australian Open, reportedly had ₹80,000 in his bank account last year. However, reaching the second round of the Melbourne Grand Slam meant he would take home at least ₹98 lakh.
Aishwarya Pissay featuring in Season-9 of Bigg Boss Kannada. (Supplied)
In motorsports, it is just a dream. “That is the beauty of the famous sports. After winning many, I may have some ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 in my account. This is because you return home with maybe ₹20,000. Even when I won the World Cup, I didn’t get any prize money from the government. But I think the sports still evolved,” Pissay said.
In India, the Federation of Motorsports Clubs of India (FMSCI) is the governing body for motorsports. However, Pissay claimed the support was inadequate.
“Yes, we do represent the federation, but we have no financial support as such. I don’t have any savings. Whatever the salary I make, whatever I get as sponsorship, the money goes into my training. I spend more than I earn. But I think it’s also still because I’m still growing as a professional. I have not reached where I want to be. It will cost me ₹3.5 crore this year.
The biker, whose favourite movie is Rocky starring Sylvester Stallone, also featured in the ninth season of Bigg Boss Kannada in 2022. She is also an avid cycling enthusiast.
When it comes to international motorsports, India witnessed a Formula-1 car race in 2011 at the Buddh International Circuit in Noida. It was discontinued after three years.
Hyderabad became the first-ever Indian city to host the Formula-E race in 2023. However, the second season this year was terminated by the apex motorsports body due to an alleged breach of contract by the Telangana government.
Pissay noted that there are good-quality racing tracks in India but there is not enough marketing of the sport in the country.
“More events like this highlight the MotoGP sport, and more teams like INDE racing supporting it will bring in spectators,” she asserted.
2024 E-Xplorer A glimpse into off-road racing World Cup where India’s 1st motorbike team ‘INDE Racing’ is set to compete
The racer pointed out challenges such as acquiring sponsors. “We don’t have the infrastructure in India. Currently, I am staying in Dubai for training. I am trying to make a mark in a world where we don’t have enough support,” she said.
Noting that there are prominent racing tracks in Chennai (Madras Motorsports track), Coimbatore and Delhi, she added, “More tracks are coming up now. Two are coming up close to Bengaluru and Pune. Recently, I saw a post about the Gujarat government trying to commission an F-1 track. I think the government is also seeing the sport seriously.”
However, for her, it is not enough for the budding athletes in India. Pissay runs a motorsport venture headquartered in Bengaluru.
“I have started a company called Off-road Racing that is into nurturing talent from the grassroots level. We have about five schools now operating in Pune, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, and we are looking at a few more locations like Goa and Delhi. People can sign up throughout the year and find dedicated coaches there,” she affirmed, adding that these tracks could be accessed by a lot of upcoming motorsports athletes, especially women.
Perry keeps crooning silently in the background:
“I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter
Dancing through the fire
‘Cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roar …”
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