Want to win more for India: Pragathi Gowda

Bengaluru-based rally driver Pragathi Gowda is the only Indian to make it to the World Women’s Finals next year. However, the 25-year-old, who is preparing for the finale set to take place in Peru in January 2023, says the journey has been “quite challenging” due to the lack of resources in the country.

“We don’t even have the specific race karts [needed to train] available in India. It was a tough challenge for me because the other competitors were really fast and had immense technical knowledge about the karts they were driving. Racers like Vicky Chandhok from India and Niroshan Pereira from Sri Lanka have been helping me throughout by suggesting what can be done best for me to train. I hope the government also steps up to help me train as I want to win many more races for India. I’m also planning to get some training in Europe since the karts are accessible there.”

Talking about her journey to this stage, Gowda says, “I’ve just been two years in the sport, so I’m catching up on the basics this year like learning race lines and the technical aspects. The selection rounds for the Asia Pacific Rally Championship took place in three cities this year: Bengaluru, Chennai and Delhi. 16 competitors from India participated and at the end, three male drivers and one female driver got selected for the finals, and I was one of them. It was my very first time seeing and driving a kart like this! Now I am onto the world finals, competing against female drivers from every other continent.”

Gowda, a post-graduate in finance, has a lot of hope riding on this championship. “Currently, I am tackling a financial crisis. One of my dreams is to represent India at Formula One and I also wish to see more Indian drivers on the track. But for the near future, I just wish to hold the trophy high and prove to the world that India has great talent too; We just need the right opportunities. I just hope the support for various sports increases in the country. Who knows, in the future we will be home to world champions for every kind of sport!”

2022 was a year of achievements as well as learnings for Gowda. “I got the chance to represent India on two major occasions. I learnt that I need to stay focused and nurture my mental and physical health,” says Gowda, adding, “Apart from wanting to win the world finals, I hope to take part in the European Rally Championship next year.”