Arindam Ghosh (right) and his children Amittrajit and Somonnita show off their trophies. (Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya)

Calcutta’s first family in the fast lane is aiming for pole position in the national rally circuit with both podium finishes and expert pit management.

Patriarch Arindam Ghosh, in his 50s, has put the city back on the national motorsport map by successfully organising Rally de Kolkata, part of the SPEED Indian National Rally Championship 2009, while son Amittrajit is gearing up to “go international”.

Not to be left behind, daughter Somonnita — a 29-year-old HR professional now based in Bangalore — is partnering champion driver Karna Kadur as his navigator.

For Arindam, who took up rallying in the sixties after watching his former neighbour and veteran driver Mitil Chakrabarty “fix his car in his garage”, the trophies being added to the family cupboard with every event are a source of encouragement to continue promoting professional motorsport in the east.

“It was a massive headache organising the championship (Rally de Kolkata) but we managed,” said Arindam, the director of Ramakrishna Race Performance Management Pvt Ltd, a day after the event partnered by t2 ended.

The Ghosh family stays in Bijoygarh, where the red-and-green modified Mitsubishi Cedia that Amittrajit drives is easily the most recognisable car. “Speed is a way of life for me,” said Amittrajit, 23, amidst the drone of F1 engines flickering on the TV.

A national champion in the Formula Maruti category by the time he was 20, Amittrajit turned professional in 2007 and won the 1400cc event that very year. He was later recruited by Red Rooster Racing, one of the top motorsport teams.

Sister Somonnita is an expert driver, too, but prefers navigating. “I have been driving since I was eight,” she said, after taking a break from work to compete in her first national championship.

Somonnita and partner Kadur won both the Coimbatore and Calcutta legs of the championship in the Rally Star Club category. “We were unlucky in the Bangalore leg. Our 1400cc Esteem broke down; otherwise we would have won that event, too,” she said.

While Somonnita wants to stick to navigating for the time being, her brother is adding “more rally time” to his career before going international. “I want to get used to my car, the 2000cc Cedia, and gain more experience before I compete in the international events like the Asia Pacific Rally Championship,” said Amittrajit.

The siblings’ father, who has over 32 top-5 finishes in a career record of 52 events, is also not done with rallying yet. “When we bid for the INRC leg in Calcutta, I told the federation that I should have a three-year contract. It will be a better event next year,” he said.