Aishwarya proves women also fit for moto racing

Aishwarya Pissay conquered the windmill farm stages in Kethanur, Tamil Nadu, to win her fifth Indian National Rally Championship in a row. Racing factory rider secured her eighth overall National crown with a dominating performance in the Ladies class at the penultimate of the FMSCI MRF Mogrip Indian National Rally Championship.

Aishwarya started racing motorcycles at the age of 18; she picked it up as a hobby where she would go on weekend rides with her girlfriends, and that's how motorcycle racing came into her life. Aishwarya says, "In 2015, I started training at the APEX racing academy for motorcycle racing in the road racing aspect of racing. After that, I started racing, and I won a few championships up until 2017 in both road racing and rally. Later TVS racing signed me up as a factory racing rider in 2017, and that's how motorcycle racing turned into a profession and passion for me."

About her family's reaction towards her race, Aishwarya says, "My family, friends, and peers wanted me to take this up as a hobby because nobody had heard of motorcycle racing as a career before. When I wanted to pursue this as a career, they were very sceptical; they wanted me to finish my degree first, get a job and then take this up as a hobby over the weekends. Over a period of time, especially when TVS racing signed me up, they realised that I did not just see motorcycle racing as a passion but also as a profession."

Being a woman in this sport, in the beginning, was difficult because nobody had heard of motorcycle racing as a career. But, she says, "It took some time for people to believe in me, and probably my performance was the only way they could see that difference and start investing in me and my goals. Then with TVS racing coming in and signing me up, things really changed for me; I took motorcycle racing as a career."

"TVS racing is always scouting for athletes during races and they saw a commendable performance from my side when I won a national championship in both road racing and rally in the same year in 2017, after when they approached me and we signed a contract together where I became their factory racing rider 2017 onwards," adds Aishwarya.

Injuries are a part and parcel of any game. She says, "It's definitely frustrating when it does happen but there's not much I could do about it but the ecosystem that I have around me, my coaches, my team, my family and friends; it really helps me stay focused on my goals. I believe you don't win everything; you win some and you lose some. I do have my bad days as well and I have learnt a lot from them. I feel like I am a different person every time I recover and come out of an injury."

Physical strength is just one of the aspects of being an athlete. But for Aishwarya she says, "I think its accumulation of my skill, strength, how I fuel myself be it on a regular basis or even during races really plays a significantly crucial role in my training. My training is definitely broken down into four aspects, physical fitness, mental fitness, my diet and my skills on the bike."

She shares, "This is my fifth straight National Rally Championship and with road racing and rally accumulated I have about nine championships in total now so I'm definitely very elated and happy to have won this and so is my team to see my progress here. We've be finishing consistently in the top 20's this year at the rally and it's just been a really great season for me, the bike and the team."

She spends as much time as she can with her family and her dogs when she in Bangalore. "I try to take them out on vacations whenever I can in between my seasons or during my off season," says Aishwarya.

For all upcoming female racers, she says, "I suggest that there is no substitute to hard work and only hard work can get us to success, motorsports is a xenial sport and you are going to come across a lot of nay Sayers, so put your head down, focus on your goals and you can achieve whatever you aspire to." She talks about her goals and says, "I won the world championship in 2019, which was my goal of the year. It was a milestone which I achieved in my career but I don't let that milestone pressurize me in any of my races because it's in the past. Now it's time to make more history in the future, that's what my goal is and that's what I'm focussing on and I keep making sure that I give my 100% every time I am on the bike."