Accidents do not come with a warning sign and when they occur, they can be life-changing. Sai Prasad, an interior designer from Bangalore, has fashioned success out of a mishap by pursuing his passion in motorsport.
Riding motorcycles was always something Sai Prasad revelled in. He participated in the Scissors Action Rally, Charminar Challenge and K1000, and won the South India championship rally (two-wheeler) in 1995.
But, he paid a huge price for his passion — he met with an accident during a two-wheeler rally in 1996, where he seriously injured his right knee joint.
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Post the accident, he was hospitalised for a year-and-a-half. Though shaken psychologically, he eventually recovered and began four-wheeler rallying in the time-speed-distance (TSD) format. He participated in the Mysore Safari, Southlake and Kodava rallies, among others.
He tasted success again when he won second place in one of the categories of the Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare race and first in the Southlake rally. In October, he came second in the car stock expert category at the 15th Maruti Suzuki Raid de Himalaya 2013, considered one of the toughest motorsport rallies in the world.
“Motor sport is the only sport that has recognised me despite my disability. There, I am never seen as a handicapped person. They support me and this is seldom seen in any other sport,” Mr. Prasad says proudly.
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Looking ahead
He is now preparing for the Royal Rajasthan Rally in January and Desert Storm Rally in February 2014.
He aims to simply immerse himself in the sport and dedicate all his energy into it.