Sehrawat

Calcutta: Sarika Sehrawat could have held a smart-desk position at his New Delhi office, using her MBA to make business and, probably, feminist statements.

Instead she developed this fetish about speed. The 24-year-old loves a fast-lane life, and is the only lady racer, so to say, on the seventh national racing championship circuit, and one of the few into rallies countrywide.

In her saloon class — she intends to liberate herself to the openness of a FISSME (800cc) category from the next leg — she has been consistently pushing her limits, and though a podium is a distance in the future, she is enjoying every minute of this.

“It was a bit of a problem taking to this sport, especially since none in my family is into motorsport,” she said. “More so, because even my girlfriends were stating away from the tracks, not even agreeing to do the very safe karting rounds.”

That was no hurdle, though. Sehrawat, is outgoing and fun-loving, and motorsport was possibly an extension of her persona. She has been into it for three years now, cutting her teeth with rallying.

She has done the demanding Raid de Himalaya, Desert Rally for 4x4s (“my rallies are all in Gypsies, and I finished fifth overall in the Desert”) and many more, apart from the karting circuit too. “My office has been good, in allowing me time to race.”

And his businessman dad has been good enough to let her into the danger zone. “My mom goes along with me.” She’s hoping for a Formula III career — “or, why not Formula One?” she asks — and ace rallyist Hari Singh, racer T.R. Radhaselvaraj and JK Tyre head of motorsports Sanjay Sharma have helped her along the way.