“I was crazy about bikes and cars and he was already in rallying. It started with me being his navigator, competing in local bike rallies,” says a beaming Anitha.
Her first car rally as navigator was in 2002. She decided to form a ladies team in 2003, with Priya as her navigator. Needless to say, they won all nine out of 10 rallies. There are no separate categories for ladies; they compete along with men. Initially, Anitha did not have any women to compete with. But now things have changed, she says and she finds two or three teams of women taking part in rallies.
Rallies organised by K-1000 - Karnataka Motor Sports Club are sponsored. Motul prepares the cars, with Amjad, their star tuner. Souping up a car can cost up to 3 lakhs, then a lakh on maintenance, a year. ‘It’s important to finish, then be the first to finish. Your aim is a podium finish the minute you step on the gas.’
Competing in Karnataka, Kochi, Nasik, Delhi rallies, they assert driving at 140 km on dirt is high adrenaline, there’s no time for mistakes, getting temperamental, or being pressurised by another driver.
‘The event spaced over three days is well organised, Bharath Praneet the K-1000 organiser does a great job. Driving 200–250 km a day, its on day one, you figure your car’s performance levels and how much you push it said Rupesh. They’ve the best routes, provide all amenities.
As passionate about food as racing, Rupesh started a restaurant Epicure. “Can’t go wrong with food, which kept the moola coming, for racing is an expensive sport,” said this crazy, born driver. Then came Akimbo a boutique in 2001, retailing bric-a-brac and artifacts from the Far East.
Anitha, a born fashion designer, beautician/ hairstylist for ramp shows, retailed ready made clothes, moving into designing. “I can only complain about no time, and so much to do, no time to practise between rallies, it’ one to the other” says this ex-Miss Bangalore.
Aryan’s arrival last year, undoubtedly, is the most exciting moment in their lives. “He allowed me to go back to work in fifteen days. I bundled him along and he never troubled me. Took a break last year from rallying, this year he’s come with us, accompanied by my mother.”
Kochi in March, Chickmagalur in May, a day before his first birthday, August 20, celebrated at the ITC Windsor, with a cake in shape of a Formula-1 car, she returned clocking the highest speed, and the championship cup, a gift for her K-1000 baby .
Cheerful, handsome and photogenic, he’s a natural model. At eight months, he did a photo shoot for Rohan Jharotha (Builder’s,) and, day’s before the rally, for BSA cycles. It was a whole day’s shoot, not once did he protest about posing. “He’s the super model, a born racer, definitely will surpass us, and such a blessing” say the bubbling parents.
