Alisha Abdullah calls herself the 'Racing Angel'. Why not? When you happen to be the first woman superbike racer in the country, driving the boys to nightmare on the track and crazy off it, you very much qualify for the title. "It feels good," to be competing against men, says the 19-year-old without a fuss.
That composure is superfluous, for it could barely hide her passion for the sport. Her voice gives away the emotion when she talks about her turbulent growing period as a competitive rider.
"Guys used to pass all kind of comments, in the middle of the track when I am racing. Initially, I used to cry a lot. That's the weakness of our women, the honour is more important for them. And men know it," says the second year Sociology graduate student from Chennai.
But once she passed that stage, she became stronger. Alisha simply started to give it back. "Once in a go-karting race, me and a guy were tied on points for the championship. There were some rough comments".
Alisha's father is a Muslim and a former bike racer and her mother's a christian,"My family on the father's side would ask me why I am wearing shorts. I think if Sania Mirza hasn't been there, it would have been that much difficult," she said.
{{/usCountry}}Alisha's father is a Muslim and a former bike racer and her mother's a christian,"My family on the father's side would ask me why I am wearing shorts. I think if Sania Mirza hasn't been there, it would have been that much difficult," she said.
{{/usCountry}}Karthik-Naren duo win
Karthik Shankar and Naren Shankar from Team Rams Racing stormed to victory in the Formula LGB Hyundai Enduro first race of the JK Tyre National Racing championship's third round at the Kari Motor Speedway on Saturday. Team WSRF’s Leela Sudanand and Prithveen occupied the second place on the podium with 67 laps.