<p>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.<br /><br />An only child, who shunned dolls in favour of toy cars and speed are her drug of choice. <br />“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.<br />Like any typical teenage girl, she loves movies (her favourite is Twilight), <br />listening to music (Akon) <br />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.<br /><br />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.<br />Alisha is now working single-mindedly at winning the national championship, which would be a record in the 600cc category.<br /><br /> 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.<br />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.<br />Headed off to Malaysia to race and get trained, Alisha is looking forward to burning tyres on international circuits soon.<br />Jackie Pinto</p>
<p>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.<br /><br />An only child, who shunned dolls in favour of toy cars and speed are her drug of choice. <br />“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.<br />Like any typical teenage girl, she loves movies (her favourite is Twilight), <br />listening to music (Akon) <br />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.<br /><br />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.<br />Alisha is now working single-mindedly at winning the national championship, which would be a record in the 600cc category.<br /><br /> 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.<br />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.<br />Headed off to Malaysia to race and get trained, Alisha is looking forward to burning tyres on international circuits soon.<br />Jackie Pinto</p>
