Without a hint of regret, Vikash Anand relates how a careless mistake saw him disqualified from the first round of the Volkswagen-JK Tyre Polo Cup India 2010 in Pune. But, don't mistake that for lack of seriousness; it stems from self-belief. For, Vikash enjoys every moment spent behind the wheel of a racing car, and is not perturbed by setbacks on the racetrack. Vikash knows time is on his side, and believes he'll come good.
Vikash turned 16 only recently, and was the youngest of the 20 competitors in the first Polo Cup championship. He made it to the Polo Cup by surviving a strict and long selection process that tested 1,100 motor sports enthusiasts around the country. Vikash gives himself a pat for his performance at the trials in Coimbatore. “I managed timings close to those achieved by Sailesh and Saran,” he says. (Sailesh Bolisetti from Vishakapatnam and Saran Vikram from Chennai, are hot contenders for the title.)
Parental support
The lad's positive attitude has seen his parents G. Vijayanand and Geetha Vijayanand, turn into his fans — his performances in the Amaron Karting Championship seven years ago convinced the two lawyers that Vikash was more than a weekend go-karter. Ever since, they have been partners in his quest for racing glory.
Their contribution has included taking time out from their busy law practice and accompanying him to practice, being his cheer-leaders at races, and almost always playing the generous financiers. And, in Geetha's case, taking down school notes from his friends — as he's busy competing in big karting championships at the junior level as well as in the Formula Rolon and FISSME. Last year was particularly hard on Geetha because Vikash was in Class X. However, his title victory at the JK Tyre Junior Rotax Championship 2009 made it all meaningful. Geetha credits her husband with Vikash's progress. “Vijayanand wants to see Vikash as an international racer,” she says.
There's one other person who shares that desire — racing ace Narain Karthikeyan. Narain provides Vikash with technical support and has even given the boy his Formula Rolon car. Vikash says Akbar Ibrahim (who has launched many racing careers), Radha Selvaraj (a successful saloon car racer, who shares his expertise with Vikash), Raja and Raju (go-kart tuners and coaches) are the other architects of his success.
