<p>From singing to dancing to fashion designing, young Shreya Sundar Iyer has dabbled her hands at many things since her teens before realising her calling in motorsports.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Now, the 24-year-old Mount Carmel College graduate stands on the threshold of realising her ambition after TVS Racing decided to give wings to her dreams by roping her into their team.<br /><br />“This is the most exciting thing that has happened to me,” said Shreya at a press conference here on Tuesday. “This will be the first time I will be riding competitively. I’ve been riding a lot in the past. I’m glad all that effort has taken me here. I thank TVS and very importantly my parents for all the support and encouragement.”<br /><br />Despite having no competitive racing but having covered plenty of miles in off-road races across South India and a sand dune race in Dubai, Shreya becomes the first woman rider to be a part of any racing team in the country. <br /><br />Staring at what could be a very difficult journey, she feels a strong outing in this season’s Indian National Rally Championship that kicks off in Bengaluru on May 1 could inspire more women to take up motorsports as a career.<br /><br />“Motorsports is considered a male dominated sport and I think that’s false. There are so many women competing in rallies, circuit racing and off-road events now. I hope I’m able to break the stereotype that racing is meant only for men in the country. With TVS coming on board to support me, I hope more and more women take up this sport professionally,” added Shreya. <br /><br />Shreya, who first rode a bike when she was 17 years old and will be riding a RTR 200 for the upcoming championship, said she’s been training very hard. “I’ve been doing some intense fitness training. On the dirt track close to Horamavu, I’ve been spending 5-6 hours every day. Racing against time is going to be very tricky. I’m running some trials and practising, getting an idea as to how a rally works. Hopefully I will do well. It's my first season, so it's a huge learning curve.”<br /><br />A sport fraught with danger, Shreya’s parents -- father Sundar R and mother Usha Sundar -- weren’t too keen on her pursuing her goals but gave the green signal after much cajoling. “They were concerned about the safety factor. I sat them down and talked them through it. They've always stood by any decision I've made. For me, motorcycling is liberating. I wouldn't like it if someone was going to curb that.”<br /> </p>
<p>From singing to dancing to fashion designing, young Shreya Sundar Iyer has dabbled her hands at many things since her teens before realising her calling in motorsports.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Now, the 24-year-old Mount Carmel College graduate stands on the threshold of realising her ambition after TVS Racing decided to give wings to her dreams by roping her into their team.<br /><br />“This is the most exciting thing that has happened to me,” said Shreya at a press conference here on Tuesday. “This will be the first time I will be riding competitively. I’ve been riding a lot in the past. I’m glad all that effort has taken me here. I thank TVS and very importantly my parents for all the support and encouragement.”<br /><br />Despite having no competitive racing but having covered plenty of miles in off-road races across South India and a sand dune race in Dubai, Shreya becomes the first woman rider to be a part of any racing team in the country. <br /><br />Staring at what could be a very difficult journey, she feels a strong outing in this season’s Indian National Rally Championship that kicks off in Bengaluru on May 1 could inspire more women to take up motorsports as a career.<br /><br />“Motorsports is considered a male dominated sport and I think that’s false. There are so many women competing in rallies, circuit racing and off-road events now. I hope I’m able to break the stereotype that racing is meant only for men in the country. With TVS coming on board to support me, I hope more and more women take up this sport professionally,” added Shreya. <br /><br />Shreya, who first rode a bike when she was 17 years old and will be riding a RTR 200 for the upcoming championship, said she’s been training very hard. “I’ve been doing some intense fitness training. On the dirt track close to Horamavu, I’ve been spending 5-6 hours every day. Racing against time is going to be very tricky. I’m running some trials and practising, getting an idea as to how a rally works. Hopefully I will do well. It's my first season, so it's a huge learning curve.”<br /><br />A sport fraught with danger, Shreya’s parents -- father Sundar R and mother Usha Sundar -- weren’t too keen on her pursuing her goals but gave the green signal after much cajoling. “They were concerned about the safety factor. I sat them down and talked them through it. They've always stood by any decision I've made. For me, motorcycling is liberating. I wouldn't like it if someone was going to curb that.”<br /> </p>
