Thrilling race to finish

Alisha Abdullah, daughter of former legendary racer, R A Abdullah and India’s only woman super bike racer looks like a pretty action figure coming to life. Exuding a unique mix of wide-eyed charm and engaging naivete,  she talks nonchalantly about the near death experiences, she has survived on the track, competing with boys (she gets a real kick out of beating them to the finish line) and her gruelling daily schedule.

An only child, who shunned dolls in favour of toy cars and speed are her drug of choice.
“My father introduced me to the racing track when I was just nine and it has been my arena ever since. I started with go-carting and became really good at it. However, my dad insisted that I move to bikes. I wasn’t thrilled with the switch and the first time I rode one, I fell off.I had to get back on immediately and learn to ride it proficiently,” she says.
Like any typical teenage girl, she loves movies (her favourite is Twilight),
listening to music (Akon)
and hanging out with friends. “I have a lot of friends but I’m beginning to lose them as I cannot keep dates and promises to meet. They just get fed up!” she says ruefully.

Boys find it a bit of an ego deflator to be beaten by such a dimunitive and feminine package. “They try to convince me to give up racing, stay home and find regular girly activities.When I was a go-carter, they used to call me ‘the pusher’ as I used to push them off the track if they tried to bully me,” she laughs.
Alisha is now working single-mindedly at winning the national championship, which would be a record in the 600cc category.

 At 19, she is already in the top three of the elite category list of superbikers and is the youngest superbiker in Asia. To her credit, she has a few podium finishes in the UCAL Rolon Racing Championships in Chennai and Coimbatore.
Life is not all about thrills and spills on the track but plenty of daily hard work and discipline too. “My schedule is gruelling. I work out with my personal trainer at the gym everyday, go for runs on the beach and keep my studies on track. I cannot expect any leeway from my college and have to pull my own weight,” she says.
Headed off to Malaysia to race and get trained, Alisha is looking forward to burning tyres on international          circuits soon.
Jackie Pinto