EP6: Motosports, Championships and Speed ft. Aishwarya Pissay

closing your visor to strapping your gloves, switching on the ignition and seeing the track to your goal. What do you see? Everybody was scared that I wouldn't make it alive. They said I can't be back on the bike for at least 6 months, but I was back racing and winning the national title back in India in about 2 months. Women can't ride. What do you say to those people? Nobody's ever trained me that I'm a girl. Everybody's always trained me for the skill that I bring to the table. I think motorsport doesn't

discriminate gender. But what was that one quality that you embibed at that point of time? Been it or win it. A cab driver hit me and I had a race. Like there was no way that I could not be back in one piece on the racetrack and two weeks later I went and won my first national championship in both road racing and rally. It's not a joke that I mean can't take it lightly cuz a lot of big accidents has been the end of a lot of careers of a lot of athletes and I didn't want that one to be mine. 9,000 km 14 days it's a crazy adventure and to make it tough one let's not give you

compasses. You figure out your way. Yeah. But why? I mean what's the problem in giving you compasses? So it's not just about the rider but it's the rider, the mind, the bike, the body, everything. What's the toughest ter you ever raced on and how did you adapt to it? How do you want to be remembered in the world of motorsports? What's the legacy that you want to leave uh leave [Music] behind? The Hustle Group Company. Let me introduce you to the Hustle Group Company. It's a lifestyle brand that's redefining street wear through the power

of fashion, self-belief, and resilience. The second one being Discover Dollar, which is an AIdriven tech company that helps brands and retailers recover hidden dollars from overp payments and leakages. Docs Now's intelligent platform empowers businesses of all sizes to rapidly collect, manage, govern, and collaborate on the data front, transforming your documents and making sure there's an impact on the business bottom line all in a secure and a single environment. Hello everyone, my name is Abh Tandan. I'm your host and welcome to

yet another episode of the Innovators and Disruptors podcast. Today's episode is going to be full of determination, grit, speed, perseverance, passion, torque and whatnot, right? Because it's going to revolve around the world of motorsports and for that let's welcome to the show Ashwara Pes. Thank you so much Ashwara for coming in. Thank you for having me. My pleasure. Ashwaria for people who need an introduction. She doesn't need one but for the people who need that introduction she's a real trail trailblazing Indian motorsport sensation. Ashwara is the name

synonymous with speed grit and determination. As the first Indian to win a world title in motorsports she has shattered barriers and inspired a generation of young riders. With a historic win at the 2019 FIM bar world cup as cemented her place in the motorsport history books. In fact, she's the first and the only Indian to win three world championship medals and in fact has 11 more domestic ones in her name or national ones in her name as well. So she is amazing in what she does and she has inspired countless women and I'm so glad that she's sitting right

here having a conversation chat with us. Thank you so much Asha. Thank you Ash. Before we get into specifics around some of these innumerable number of accolades and awards that you have won, I wanted to go into some very specific uh you know aspects about your personality. How did you become who you've become, right? And I wanted to talk to you a little bit about childhood. But before we get into your childhood as well, let's address the elephant in the room. A lot of people sorry which is a lot of people uh talk about and make these side snide comments. Women can't women can't ride.

What do you say to those people? I think motorsport doesn't discriminate gender. It's about who has the skill and who can reach the finish line first. I think once the helmet goes on, it's just me, the motorcycle, and the finish line. Amazing. That's so so beautiful and profound. Thank you so much. And I think uh I I I think that's a very chauvinistic approach that I've seen a lot of people take. Uh you have broken a lot of those barriers. You have shattered their thought processes. I'm hoping a lot of people who see this today and I'm hoping a lot do and that

should bring about some mindset shift as well, right? Because that's no longer the case. In fact, I know you have participated in some of the races where there have been both men and women races together and you know you've gone on to dominate. That's pretty much every race I participate in. That's amazing. Awesome. Uh Asha, what's your you know any any anecdote that you'd like to share uh in your journey that brings a smile to your face every time you think about it in your racing career? There's so many. something that brings a big smile onto your face.

Being told that I can't do something and actually doing the opposite way better than anybody could. I think that's something that sits very well with me. That's amazing. I I also have a tendency to automatically push myself in underdog position. It feels so good to prove your detractors wrong that I sometimes feel that is my biggest motivational push. I think in everybody's life at some point that has been a push and it will always help um reach where we want to go. So true. Asha, what was the first time that a first incident or a point in time which sparked your interest in

motorcycles? Um I think it starts when I was a kid. My dad had a motorcycle and we would go um on the motorcycle on small tours where he would let me hold the throttle with him and I think the feeling of that was very exhilarating as a kid. So as I grew up I remember when he was going to buy his second motorcycle. We were looking at a few motorcycles. There was this Apache uh that had just come out back then and never did I actually think I would be racing them one day and winning world cups on them. Wow. Um but yeah, I think as a kid with my dad is

where the spark for motorcycles um where it all started. Wow. Fantastic. I mean our childhood shapes us into who we are. It's a big role to play. Of course we keep embibing a lot of things along the journey. Uh your childhood if I'm not wrong or if I don't if I'm not read it wrong has been challenging if I can put it this way. uh you you saw your parents separate as well. Did that play a role at such a young age to see your parents separate and did that make you tougher as a personality? I think absolutely everything that happens in our life shapes us to be who we are today and has

helped me become who I am today. I don't think if everything was all okay, I would be who I am today. And every little aspect that's played a part in different stages of my life has made me who I am today. But what was that one quality that you embibed at that point of time that you still carry with you? I think never giving up and keep moving forward. Mhm. And uh yeah that that's such a sign of a champion. It is such a strong quality of a champion. Thank you so much for sharing that. And in fact uh so is that also true if I can take

the liberty of asking you this uh did after 12th class did did your father ask you to leave the house? Is that true? And how did you cope up with that? I think uh failing my 12th was my biggest failure as a growing um was my biggest failure growing up and didn't know how to deal with it because I think we we all come from a very conventional background of saying 10th and 12th are crucial years for us and failing that would be a big taboo. Um and I think failing that wasn't very easy with my family and my parents were having a difficult time at that point

and yes we had to leave at that point. Um and that's when I started working at the age of 17. I started riding motorcycles with my girlfriends. Um trying to find a direction a way of uh hope trying to also help my mom run the house. All of these things is I think um was a turning point for me to work towards more I don't know how to put this actually. Okay. Um definitely it was the turning point for me failing having to leave the house uh starting to work and motorcycles kind of gave me a way of life. Mhm. Wow.

That's amazing. I mean I think uh it is said in books and by some of the the wiser folks out there in the historical sense also that when when one door shuts another opens right and you find your passion and uh your way of finding joy in different avenues and I'm glad that you know you found this because you have won India so many titles now so thank you so much for that for sharing this episode too. Uh in fact you said you started working at the age of 17 and at the age of 17 if I'm not wrong you were part of a reality TV show called as chase the monsoon by MTV where you

travel about 8,000 km from the run of Kash to Cherapani over 24 days is that correct you know how did you go about it and that was a long ride 8,000 km I think uh by the time that I started doing the show and figured that you know go motorcycles made me feel a sense of freedom that was taking away the shackles the society put on a woman as to what she can or she can't do. Um and by the time I was on this ride, I enjoyed riding and when I was offered the opportunity to be on this road trip with my best friend um Maduri at that point we were riding uh from Ranovk to

Cherapuni for 24 days where we would shoot every day a different task every place we went getting to see those beautiful locations not having left Bangalore ever um to the ends of India and being able to experience all of that was truly um I think words can't explain them but I had one of the best times through those 24 days. Wow that's amazing. Yeah, I mean I think it's a dream come true for a lot of people, right? And uh in fact your choice of career has been a is potentially a dream for a lot of people and like you said right majority of the Indian households

and especially the middle class uh we're so used to uh you know very conventional sense of careers and uh you know a lot of times children have you know innate sense of belonging into a profession which is not recognized as conventional today and that is why parents almost pushed their children to not pursue that and uh you chose to defy all the odds and uh you know you you've been you've been great advocate of uh motorsports and riding for women as well. So we'll touch upon that as well. But I just wanted to also bring in a very

interesting perspective. You know, now you've spoken about some of your early uh changes and you know how did you bring get into the sport? You got onto the show as well and then you decide to get yourself professionally trained. Is that the case where with AEX uh academy? So, um, I did have a bug for speed through all of this and somebody, a fellow rider suggested I try my h hands at training on a racetrack with Apex Racing Academy back then. So, I started training at Apex Racing Academy in 2014 when I was 18 and um, a year later I started to race. Mhm.

I sucked at it. So, I had a coach back then who would work with athletes with Apex. His name was Ja. um and Anil and I went up to them and I said I want to win after the fir like the first race I failed though I was one of the only riders there who had had formal training of racing and then I went to the racetrack and I finished fourth and that hunger of fa that hunger and disappointment of failing and wanting to win uh reaching out to them and speaking to them we sort of started working towards different style of training to different style of um being at the track

pretty much every other weekend, every possible way. I still remember the first race after that. Uh the second race that I raced uh we went on a bike, I had tires like around me. I was sitting in the back. My coach was riding and I had my backpack in a like a the suit in a backpack on my back and that's pretty much how I went to the race. Just reach just before the uh race, went race and won that race. That was my second race. Wow. Wow. Oh, that's amazing. But but you know what? There was a very interesting uh perspective that came out. You said that you came fourth and

you considered that to be a failure, which also gives me a perspective into a champion's mind, which is that you have to be on top of the podium, right? Nothing else matters. You're fourth or you're last doesn't really matter as long as you're not on the podium. Wow. That's that's so amazing. And I think that that's what differentiates average mind versus a champion's mind. Some days test you, some days push you to your edge. The obstacles, they'll always be there. But the secret is in owning this moment. Right here, right now. Because greatness isn't built

tomorrow. It's forged today. One step, one choice, one heartbeat at a time. So in 2016 you did go on to win the Honda one make championship as well and there have been so many awards after that you know there countless of those like like I said earlier three time world championship medals 11 domestic titles or national titles you've been getting this uh award by FMSCI as well for outstanding women in motorsports award I think recently got one as well in Chennai right what is that one award that's the closest to you closest at thought I think winning the World Cup.

We've had a lot of athletes that has that have been in the industry for over two decades and me having been in the industry. I am finishing a decade now this year and having won three titles in a short span. I think my first World Cup would be the most special definitely and um the third World Cup now. Yeah. Amazing. Third was in 2024. It was two months ago. Two months ago. Okay. Wow. Amazing. Uh this requires I'm assuming a lot of preparation, a lot of training. Has the training changed over the course of the years? Uh has it remained similar? Can you shed a little bit of

light in terms of your training uh regimen as well? Uh it has evolved from different stages of my life. I so to give you a little explanation of the different styles of racing that I started with and what I do right now. Road racing is something uh I started with road racing. Apex was training for road racing. Road racing is a form of racing where you race on a enclosed track where it's x number of kilometers. Everybody starts from the start line and whoever crosses the finish line first wins the race. That's road racing. So there was a different

form of training that we would do for that. And now um in in between 2017 is when I started to do off-road rallying. M off-road rallying is more about riding say 300 400 km each day into 5 days. Then everybody doesn't ride together. We we don't start together. We start at 1 minute intervals. Everybody has an x number of time that you start. Rally is more about being on time. Uh be it starting from the paddock to um the start line to the and whoever finishes or reaching the paddock back again at the end of the day. Um everything has to be on the dot

at that time. You're 1 minute late or 1 minute early, you get penalty for both. So rally is more about being on time everywhere. Um and also who wins a rally is whoever has zero penalties or um has finished the stage of the rally as fast as possible. And in the end they classify all the number of hours and the penalties put together. and then they classify people in different um positions. So that's rally. So these are the two different styles of racing that I do. And I think for road racing it was more about being on the track,

going to the gym. I didn't understand how exactly an athlete trained. And at that point, we didn't have a lot of athletes to look up to to say this is what we want to do in India. It was it was more about figuring it out as you went and to see what worked for me. Uh I think for me it was back then being able to go to the gym regularly. The discipline to be able to be at the track and ride for say starting at 8 till say 5:30 in the evening to be able to endure that and not be tired. Those were the different kinds of things that we had to train uh for road racing. In a race day

it would be say 45° hot wearing leathers and being able to function your best with the amount of sweat you're sweating a lot and everything. So I think um that was what road racing was and rally was more about the unknown very honestly. I really didn't know what to expect when I started it. But I think over the years that I've been doing it now I work with a mental fitness coach. I have a nutritionist. I have a physical fitness coach. I have a writing coach uh in different countries. So yes I think over the years it's evolved with different

stages of life. it it's been different. Very interesting. And I I'm assuming that there has to be a lot of discipline involved in this because it's not a joke that I mean you can't take it lightly. It has to be a lot of very very strong regimen across each of those specialists that you spoke about as well. Yeah. And you've had your fair share of injuries as well. You know, I think 2017 it was a collar bone injury and then in 2018 you ruptured your pancreas if I'm not wrong at the Baja Aragon rally as well, right? Uh what did that feel like? because punching your pancreas. Wow. I mean, and

you were going through the race at that point of time. What was going on in your mind considering that, you know, you've always wanted that podium finish. I'm assuming there must have been a lot of pain. How do you deal with it? What was going on in your mind at that point of time? I think I have always been this kid who keeps falling or I would always I would always uh come back home with a wound that I would hide so nobody knows so I don't get yelled at and I'm led to go out again uh growing up. But I think uh 2017 was the first time I actually broke a bone. That was

the collar bone when I was going for training in the morning and a cab driver hit me and I had a race like two weeks from then where I was already leading the championship and there was no way that I could not be back in one piece on the racetrack. M so I think the morning that I did have the accident within the within the next 2 hours we were at the hospital in the next uh 1 hour my surgery was done. So in about 2 days I was back at rehab um doing rehab cuz scholarbone is mostly a dualbone. Um and two weeks later I went and won my first national championship um in both road

racing and rally. Um that was my first breaking bone incident and it was too short for me to actually process or feel anything about it at that point. It was more about all the people around me making sure that I'm ready to go and like encouraging me to you know be at the race. But the accident that I had in 2018 that was my first international rally that was at the uh FIM Baja Spain Baja. Mhm. that was not something that I was prepared for. Um I was away from my country. I was all by myself. Um from just saying that it's just a small cut.

They said they will just put a prosthetic and I should be able to go back home to being on an operation bed and then realizing that just a prosthetic won't be enough. They had to cut open my entire abdomen. I have like 42 stitches on my abdomen where they had to stitch my pancreas together and I when I woke up is when I had realized the extent of what had happened. Um everybody was scared that I wouldn't make it alive. So were the doctors. They didn't really say um it was a 100% success. So I was I think in the ICU for about 10 days after the accident. I had

my mechanic come see me once or twice a day um before I was moved to the regular world in a country where I don't speak the language or in a country that um I I all I knew to say was pain I need morphine and it's cold these are the only three words that I learned to like be able to converse with them and that was the 10 days and I woke up with pipes hanging out of everywhere and not really understanding how to deal with it. Um and as I came out they said like you know I can go home in like say 10 days but that didn't happen for the next 1 month. So I stayed in the hospital for a

whole of 1 month by myself. I think that was very scary for me being I think 21 or 20 at the time. Wow. Um, and that's when I figured that, you know, the race that I'd gone for has a championship. And then I started talking to my coach who was there. Um, his daughter would come visit me, give me some company now and then. Um, I had a very lovely old lady next on the next bed who who would make me feel home. Her family would be there. She doesn't understand English so well and I don't understand Spanish so well, but we would speak in our broken languages to keep each other company.

Um, I think it was it was nice and I still speak to her and she's she treats me like family and I think at the time is when I started to um find out about the World Cup that I won the first World Cup the following year. Um that it was a whole championship and I want to win it and I started to speak to my coach and then also was very scared of not being able to be back on the bike after that. So it was more about already planning being there you know how I want to approach when I'm back or they said I can't be back on the bike for at least 6 months

but I was back racing and winning the national title back in India in about 2 months. So it was a lot of emotions, a lot of being young, not knowing what how to handle things and it was a rally I think just the way back on the bike and then from there to winning my first world title in the same rally that I had that crash was very special to me. That that's so beautiful and amazing. Ah wow that's that those are goosebump moments you know uh I think people when they're not even in the same city they're just hospitalized

for a day it's difficult to process you're talking about being in a different country not speaking the same language and being in the hospital a much larger operation that than you had anticipated doctor saying it's not fully successful so many things butting out of your body and staying there for another We we all take water for so much so granted, right? Food and water. They didn't give me food for 20 25 days and I'm like just give me one drop of water. Like I just want one drop of water. I think that made me realize like okay it's very all the things we take for

granted are like so important to us when we don't have them. Wow. Yeah. I can imagine now. I mean I wouldn't have known this. Uh but that that's that's Wow. So and you said that you know you started planning ahead. you started planning, you came to know about the the championship uh the world championship the next year and two months from then you had already won a national title again. So what what was that attitude in your mind that led you to believe that you know you can get back on the bike so quickly against all possible odds. Forget about winning it. I'm sure you

must have had that in your mind. But what was that one thing that was going on your mind that was telling you get back on the bike, get back to racing and that I'm sure psychosomatically help you recover a lot faster. The fear of not being back on the bike makes a lot of sense cuz a lot of big accidents has been the end of a lot of careers of a lot of athletes and I didn't want that one to be mine. You know there's a concept called as placebo effect. Uh people have been you know this has been picking up a lot over the last few years. uh you know sometimes

they say that you know this drug take this drug is going to help you with your headaches and that has got nothing to do it as a molecule as a drug has got nothing to do with your headaches but just the fact that you think that this drug is going to cure you of your headache you realize that the mind behaves in a peculiar way of giving internal signals chemical signals saying that you have no more headache right and you're absolutely fine after that I'm assuming that willpower sheer grit and determination also has a placebo effect on the mind.

When doctors and others, everyone around you said that you can't get back on a bike in 6 months, in less than 6 months, you won a national title in 2 months. That has to be placebo effective. That has to be a lot of great determination, willpower. Yeah, definitely. I think um I still had I was still doing dressing of the wounds before when I was racing at that point as well. But it was more about I want to do what I want to do the best possible way I can and my hands and legs were working and I just have to be careful to not hurt myself all over again. So I found a good enough chest

guard that um would cover my abdomen. So the way the accident happened in 2018 uh was I was 10 kilometers before the finish on day one. I had a regular fall. that had a lot of falls that day. That was just a regular fall. And on that particular fall, the jacket that I was wearing moved up and I think the stone on the ground or the handlebar just like uh there were no physical wounds. It was just like a impact wound. Um I finished the stage. I came to the paddock for the next day preparations and they first took me to the medical center cuz I came back with a black and blue eye, a broken

helmet and a few bruises and that's when they said that I couldn't go to race. And after that I told you the entire story of how it transpired of the surgery and everything. So I'm forgetting the question. I knew what I wanted to say. I no it was just about grit determination stuff like that and you're saying that you know how this happened in the first place and then what made you get back in again. Still forgetting what I want to say. That's okay. I knew exactly why I started that. Um,

still not coming back to me. That's okay. We'll come back later and then we'll probably continue from there. We'll stitch that together up. Uh, but that that that you you said this very interesting thing, right? Black and blue eyes, lots of other injuries, broken helmets. The terrains are tough in rallies, off-roading exercises, of course. I remember why I was saying what I was saying. So, the the whole reason the accident that had happened was because of the chess car that I was wearing that was

not uh safe enough. And so when I got back and they said I can't be back on the bike and it was 2 months in before the final round of the national cup, it was just about getting better protective gear and making sure that I go race and not hurt myself all over again but win the championship as well. Amazing. How was the championship like? That was your first attempt at the championship and you won the title uh the global world championship. What was that like? Not easy. There was a lot of fear uh because of the accident that I had had. It was a lot of unknown riding in the deserts of

Dubai to say riding in that year we had four rounds that was Dubai, Spain, Portugal and Hungary. These were the four rounds that we had and I've never been to any of these countries. The terrains were different and I think each race Dubai was a was a lot of dunes altogether. going from there to um Portugal was more similar terrain to India. Spain the fear of the accident dealing with my own head space to overcome that and to perform my best and not let that affect me. Hungary was the race that I would be declared champion.

So, I think each one of these races were a roller coaster of emotions and being able to challenge my own brain to not give up and to keep doing one day at a time, one stage at a time, one corner at a time and reach the finish line. Wow. And typically across how what period of time are all these four legs? So, we had it starting in February. Each one of these bajas are a two-day format where we ride say 500 600 kilometers each day into two days. So that's a Baja format. Mhm. And it was 2 days race, four races spread across February to August.

Oh, I mean I can't imagine riding 600 km on a single day or driving 600 km in my car on a single day. You rode 600 km each day on a terrain which is superbly difficult but had to be timed as well. Wow. That's that's fantastic and I think that's what motorsports is all about. Uh you had also expressed or you've on in in various interviews I'm assuming have expressed your desire to compete in the the car rally. Uh it is also supposed to be one of the toughest out there. Uh what what kind of preparations are required to be a part

of that? um from the country that I come from, we don't have similar terrains or races or bikes available for us at our disposal to prepare for something like a race like Dhaka cuz it's like the Olympics of off-road racing. Like for road racing, Moto GP is the pinnacle. For off-road racing, Dhaka is the pinnacle, right? So for a race that is 14 days straight, 9,000 kilometers, about 800 900 kilometers each day, on one day there's a marathon stage as well. I think it's more about being able to ride in similar terrains as Saudi cuz it's a it's not

just dunes, it's a mix of rocks, dunes, um and and we also have transport sections and everything. So it's a mix of everything. I think being able to train in similar terrains and being able to and the other thing about all these rallies is that we don't have a navigation system. We're riding 400 500 kilometers in the desert where we use something called as a road book. It's uh a paper roll now. It's a digital format but it's the same format. What's on the paper roll? It's what kilometer we at we are at. um if there is a direction change that we need to head like a cap

heading or just a diagram which says okay um if there's a Y junction you go right or left um and there is also the cautions that are mentioned in the road book so we have to navigate from the start to the finish through that and if we are lost we are lost unless you know where you were right the last time and you go back there is no way of having to follow somebody else thinking they are right cuz they might be lost as well um I have been personally rescued queued a few times uh when my bike has given up in the race. So, it it's not a um it's not just about being fast. It's not just

about being able to ride 14 days and 9,000 km, but it's also about not making a lot of navigation mistakes and being able to reach the finish line as quickly as possible each day so you have enough energy to start the next day. Wow. This this seemed like a like a insane adventure. 14,000 14,000 km which was uh no 9,000 km. It's a crazy adventure. And to make it tougher or more tough or challenging, they said, "Okay, let's not give you compasses. Let's let's get you lost across these deserts and you figure out your way." Yeah. But why? I mean, what's

the problem in giving you compasses? Is that the part of the adventure? The thrill of figuring out through those diagrams and maps the route? It's the format. Rally, cross country rally. That's the format. We don't have GPS. We have something called as the road book to follow. So, it's just been what the format has been for as many years it's been around for. Okay. So, it's not just about the rider, but it's the rider, the mind, the bike, the body, everything. Wow. Yeah. Makes sense. Makes a lot of sense. Uh, you know, excuse me. You've you've given us such intricate

details about the journey so far, right? Uh along this journey, I'm sure you must have had obstacles. U keeping in mind that you're a woman. Did you face those obstacles along your journey? Did people uh say this to you ever saying that you're a woman, you should not pursue I mean first of all pursuing this career is weird. It's not it's very orthodox. It's it's not very conventional. You should not pursue this career. or you are a woman and you should definitely not pursue this. Did you did you ever face these kind of I did hear all of these things but I think from the day

that I started riding a motorcycle. I mean it was more about the fun and the sense of feeling alive that it brought to me than the gender discrimination. Sure. Coming from a country or motorsports or motorcycles being perceived more a male dominant thing um is just the story that's been told to us all this while. So I think beat when I was training with whoever I have over the years, nobody's ever trained me that I'm a girl. Everybody's always trained me for the skill that I bring to the table and as an equal um equal competitor that could give good

competition to another competitor, not the opposite gender. Makes sense. Makes sense. uh now that you know you have won so many titles uh you have I'm sure inspired so many people out there both men and women but just to make sure that the world learns to be less uh male chauvinistic or gender biased are there any ways in which you are giving back to the to the women in the country through various programs yes I think over the last few years I have run a lot of programs or been a part of a lot of programs Stevius has uh for young

athletes from women to kids to even men for that matter. I think we have different programs where people can come learn from us. Um from just learning how to ride to racing on a uh racetrack or being able to tackle the off-road terrain. So I have been nurturing um kids, girls and men to actually get into the sport. That that's fantastic. In fact, uh uh I don't think so people know this, but I think uh I saw you for the first time at a TV Motor Soul event. Uh I think it was a year year and a half back. I was part of TVS back in the day. And I had seen you in Goa doing drag

racing on Ronin drift racing. Drift racing, sorry, on on Ron. And it was so fascinating. And I think when you took your helmet off, you just had a smile on your face like it was nothing. And I was like, "Wow." And I was actually standing in one of those corners completely covered with dust but taking those shots because I was like I'd never seen something like this happen and I didn't know that you know a bike like Ronin could could drift the way you were doing it. Right. So it was like very fascinating for me. I was trying to take the shots and Did you notice it didn't

have any front brakes? I didn't know that. It doesn't have any front brakes. It just has a rear brake and you're technically going in circles drifting the bike. I have no idea technically how to do that. So it was very fascinating to see that and I think that was the first memory that I had seen you there. I had seen you on the panel as well and then I was like you know whenever it happens and coincidentally when I start the podcast I did think about you and I was like you know I need to bring someone like a on the podcast to get those

perspectives out right because it's so fantastic to see that coincidentally at TVS also part of a launch of kids uh you know youth or children development kids development program the kids program or something program right and they they launched one in kids as well in Noa I was there as well at the kids launch And it was very interesting for me to see how those f fancy motorcycles the miniature versions were standing there and children were asked to ride the simulators and you know be trained on that. So fantastic initiatives there. Uh are there also certain you know policy

based frameworks or other other aspects of regulations etc that could be important for the development of the sport in the country. Well, I think there have been a lot more grassroot level projects be it with TVS or even uh I think mostly TVS I have seen take this initiative like you said the kids program that they did or the women's cup that they do or we also have the new youth road racing um program right where we have kids between it was between I think 12 to 17 now it's now they've increased the age limit to I think 16 to 18 now. Okay. So I think

yeah um there have been a lot more grass grassroot level initiatives that is helping for it to grow and considering for road racing you don't really need to have a license as such. Um there are kids from the age of four to uh 16 that race in the supercross. M um there there's a demo class for like I think kids between 4 to 8 and then there's I think a class for uh kids between 8 to 9 to I think 16. So that's like a class by itself. So you can actually see the over the years parents come forward and bring their kids in the culture's just been growing more and

more today. That's fantastic. In fact, uh, someone had once asked me while I was at TVS, right, that, you know, don't you think it's not safe for kids? And I said, no, contrary to what most people believe, it's a it's a sport. It's a professional sport. It's a expensive professional sport. and TVs and few other entities are trying to provide a safe secure environment environment for them for the kids to be trained meaningfully so that they they can then enter the professional motorsport category in a more meaningful way without injuring themsel. Kids have no

inhibitions of fear. Yeah. And if actually trained right and given the opportunity to them at a very young age, we could have more world champions coming out of our country as well. All the world champions across the world start at the age of 3 or four with their small little motorcycle and today you're slowly seeing that culture evolve in our country as well. True. In fact, in some senses of it is that the way I look at it is that that you know some of these bodies including TVS have democratized access to a expensive professional sport. Yes, they've made it more

accessible. They've made it more affordable. They've created different avenues to be a part of. Yeah. That has made it more um achievable. Fantastic. Uh Ash any role models or inspiration that you look up to in this in the field of motorsports or outside as well? I think when I started it was just a few of our um riders from our country that was CS Santos, there was Arvin KP um and I think as I have gotten as I spent more years on the sport there's a lady called Lia Sans she is from Spain and she's the only woman who has finished top 15 with

the men at Dhaka. So I think uh these are a few motorsport inspirations that I have but there's Lindsay Juan from um skiing that I look up to as well. So yeah these are the few people that I do look up to. Fantastic. Uh how difficult is it to manage the physical and mental demands of this profession and specifically you know balancing both professional and personal lives. I think we're not all born with the quality of being able to handle all of them. I think we learn and teach ourselves along the way with the different challenges that come our way as to how we could

deal with it better to be able to bring the best outcome of the situation. Got it. If I may, you know, over the last few days that I've tried to have conversations with you, I've seen that, you know, you've been constantly on the road traveling. uh if you're in Bangalore you have caught up in shoots uh like today or maybe I'm sure a lot bigger ones in fact last last week a couple of weeks back also I saw you uh you know at the Mercedes shoot and probably it came out later but uh around uh women's day and international women's day this whole month being international

women's month so where do you get time do you have do you can you say that you have a personal life or is it all professional I mean rally life is not about having or racing is not about having two different lives. It's about who you are in a regular day is who you are on the racetrack as well. So you might see all these actuh activities that I do with different brands or the uh different shows that I need to be a part of. But training takes the first priority. So that's going on in the background no matter what I'm doing. Being on the road

feels like home. Living out of a suitcase feels like home. If I have to be home for over a week doesn't feel very comfortable. Okay. All right. Makes sense. But but are there moments where you let's say miss uh staying up late in the night watching a movie with friends, hanging out? Does that happen or do you get the chances to do that? I do find time to do everything. I try to I mean when I'm busy I'm busy but if when I'm back on my rest days I do make time for my family. I have two dogs. I love going uh outdoor trekking with them go taking them out. So we do take road trips. Um I

do spend time with everybody. And what about your diet? I mean can you can you take those cheat days? Oh I am a foodie and I love my masal dossas from Bangalore. So um I do have a diet that I follow. It was it's more about eating clean because when we travel we don't have access to a strict diet to follow. So it's more about being able to eat clean and I have certain things that I follow from my nutritionist and yeah it's more about being eating healthy. Amazing. Uh it's a very uh I I'm sure you must have been asked this question quite a few times

but I did want to ask you this uh firsthand as well right uh you know from closing your visor to strapping your gloves switching on the ignition or whichever order is the right order and seeing the track or the off-roading terrain through your helmet to your goal. What do you see? What what goes on inside your mind? We're just about to start. It's silence. Okay. There's a lot of chatter around me, but there's just silence and it's just me. Um, so my pre-race ritual

is to listen to a lot of music that uplifts or like helps me focus to visualizing to uh doing my breathing techniques to setting a goal to what I want to achieve in the race. And when I'm on the racetrack just before the start line, it's thinking about how I'm taking the first corner. It's just silence. There's so many people. There's so much chatter, but I can just zone out and be where I want to be. Wow, that's fantastic. When we while growing up, I always heard of the story of

Arjun, you know, then when he had to aim at the fish's eye, all he could do was look at that and nothing beyond that. And you know, now when you're seeing this, this is fantastic, right? Because I've seen this in movies as well. they have biopics or uh you know on on certain uh athletes and they say that you know as an athlete the biggest strength that you have is to shut down every noise and just be focused on your goal. That's so fantastic to hear that from you. Uh now we'll get into some quick rapid fire questions. Uh I think they're fun questions. Let me know what

you think. Uh favorite racing memory. You know what's the most memorable moment of your racing career till that still gives you goosebumps? Winning the world championship. The final leg when you're reaching there. What was the exact moment? When I found out they're actually giving me the World Cup trophy in that race and I didn't win one World Cup. I won two World Cups that year. Uh one with the boys and one in the women's category. So I think that moment when I was standing up there on the podium. Wow. Yes. Amazing. What's your dream racing

location anywhere in the world and why? Uh, Dhaka. Mhm. Because of the complex city. No, that's because pinnacle like you said. I mean, it's been a dream for as long as I have been doing rally and I that's why. Wow. Makes sense. Uh, if you could have any superpower to enhance your racing skills, what would it be? What would it be? Any superpower that you already do not have? I'm sure you have a lot of superpowers. Discipline. Discipline. You don't have discipline. Being able to repetitively do it like I I do it but all of us struggle with it. We're not

super humans that we can you know we don't have like are you not are you not a superhuman? You you ruptured your pancreas, broke your collar bone, your back winning so quickly and so many of them. I mean I still look at myself as a regular human. Okay. You say so. Awesome. Uh discipline. So for people who are listening to us, discipline is what Ashura says is the superpower that she would probably add a lot more. Yes, 100%. What's your favorite feature on a motorcycle and why do you love it? The fact that it could take me to places

where people have to just walk by foot, but I can be there on my motorcycle. Yep. Okay. In fact, you came in a very nice truck as well. So very fancy to see that, too. Yes. Uh what's the toughest you've ever raced on and how did you adapt to it? Um, I think the toughest terin was Morocco because it was a lot of rocks. It was a different different kind of rocks. They were like boulder rocks. So to be able to learn how to ride these kind of terrions was the challenging one. Got it. Is there a racing movie that you really like and enjoy watching?

Senna. Mhm. Why? Speaks about I think I will change that. I I think uh it's a drive to survive on Netflix. I think that's the series of the whole F1 drivers. I think it's very interesting to see what happens with the athletes, their mindset. It's technically the reality of what goes behind a racer. Yeah, I saw season 1. It was uh very very shocking for me to understand that there's so much of mental pressure apart from what you go on in your head on the racetrack. What all goes on behind the scenes. That's just the 10% all the

stress is 90% off track preparing raising money all of that is the actual stress. Wow. Yeah. Uh you know you you said that you know you listen to some music. What's your what's is there any interesting music track or tracks that you really want to listen to just before your race starts or pre- ritual pre-racing ritual? I listen to various genres of music. There's no particular music that I stick to and I think over the years I I listen to say devotional music that is really pumping

to metal like there that's the broad spectrum of genres of music I listen to and there's not one song that is stuck cuz I get bored of it and it can't really resonate with me so it keeps changing. Yeah. What's a current favorite? current favorite is um good question. There's so many. There's no one favorite. There's no one favorite. Okay. If you could have any historical figure, dead or alive as your coowriter, who would it be and why? Anybody. Anybody. It doesn't matter.

Doesn't change the outcome. I don't have an answer to this question. All right. Uh, do you have a do you have a particular way of celebrating your big wins? I think having a good meal with my family and my dogs and yeah, I think that's that's pretty much what I've done all all all the times that I've won. A win is just another tick on the checklist. It's not something I celebrate as much till I reach what I have set my goal for. That's the Dhaka. I think for me celebration is back home with my family

and friends over a meal and um yeah that's celebration for me. Brilliant. Uh any unusual racing advice that you got which you may have found peculiar at that point in time but you followed it and you you it helped you. So stay away from my phone while riding. No, not while driving for sure, but before the race like mostly like you know in today's world where our attention span is going from say 1 minute to 30 seconds to maybe 10 seconds today. Uh I think that's something uh they asked me to try and stay away from my phone as much as I can which worked

very well for me. Okay. Uh any racing quote that's very fascinating in your head? Bin it or win it? Sorry. Bin it or win it? Wow, that's cool. The most adventurous ride so far. I think the whole journey of motorsports. Wow, fantastic. Uh, how how do you want to be remembered in the world of motorsports? What's a legacy that you want to really uh leave behind? When I started racing, I didn't have a role model or an inspiration to look at. So I aspire to inspire many more to look at

me to follow and set a path for them to reach the world stage. Fantastic. One last question. Big boss or rodies? Dhaka. Thank you so much. That's been fantastic. Fantastic answer. And we wish you all the very best Ashwara. I'm sure you you're going to make us all proud with that win as well. You already make us so proud. I'm sure I'm speak on behalf of all the Indians out there, but it's been so so fantastic having you and getting those conversations rolling and you know getting some of those perspectives in. Thank you so much. And

on that note, I do have something that we want to give you. This is a small gift hamper from our side. Uh it's sponsored by Capek Design. Capic is into personalized stationary for corporate gifting and they've been kind enough to sponsor this. So it's personalized to your name. Oh, it's very nice. Thank you for this. Thank you so much for again joining in. Folks who are watching us who are listening to this conversation, please do share your feedback. It was a fantastic conversation and would love to receive uh feedback from you. And Asha,

thank you so much once again for being here. And in fact, I think I'm going to, you know, off the record ask you a bunch of questions later on as well. Thank you so much. Thank you for having me, Abear. It's been a great talk. Thank you. Wait, I want to say something else before you stop rolling. The there was a part where you asked me the things that people asked me and I just realized when we're talking that um when I wanted to take motorsports up seriously, everybody wanted me to have a regular 9 toive job and do this as a hobby over weekends. Nobody believed

that this could be a full-time career but like any other sport it needs 100% time dedication uh for it to become successful at what we doing and I think when I started as a uh privateier everybody just suggested that this was not going to work but when I started to win against TVS and then I was signed on at TVS's uh racer for the factory racing team it went from being a hobby to a career so I I think these were the few other roadblocks as well or like things that people said that you can't do. So in fact on that note uh do you do you uh do you see that TVs had a

good pivoting role to play in your career uh training as well? Definitely. I think um from winning just three national championships before I was their racer to winning three world cups and the eight national titles with them. I think they've played a major role of where I have been able to reach in my career. That's fantastic to hear. In fact, uh is there any advice that you would want to give to budding uh motorsport enthusiasts who want to pursue this as a profession? I think if you want to pursue this, it isn't going to be an

easy path, but don't let the naysayers drag you down. Keep your focus, work hard, and you'll reach where you want to reach. That's fantastic. Can people reach out to you? 100%. uh they can reach me on my Instagram that's missp um and would would love to help as much as I could. That's amazing. Thank you so much and that for you folks out there if you are really into motorsports you are enthusiasts who are wanting to pursue this as a profession said it out you can reach out to her and she's going to give you a lot of guidance as well. Thank you so much once again Ash. Thank

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