Motorsports is probably the only sport that allows women to compete with men. And to raise them to that level needs some planning and grooming. The Federation of Motorsports Clubs of India (FMSCI) has been working on this for some time now.
And Akbar Ebrahim, its Head, told The Hindu , that its intention is to support this platform and be in line with the push given by FIA and FIM (the global bodies of 2W & 4W motorsport).
“We have Navaz Sandhu, member of FIA WIM (Women in Motorsport) Commission, exploring new avenues globally for enhanced participation of women in the sport.”
For a more focused approach, he said the FMSCI set up a separate WIM Commission in 2017 headed by Delhi’s Sita Raina to understand the existing level of participation and put together various plans for more opportunities.”
“We have some talented young women participating in various forms of the sport at the national level. A few of the 2W riders and karting drivers have even gone on to compete at the Asian level,” he added.
He said a separate Ladies’ class for motorcycle racing was introduced in Chennai this year followed by a Women’s regularity (navigation ) rally in Mumbai. “Last week, we also saw the launch of an exclusive women’s racing team, promoted by Ahura Racing and backed by JK Tyres.
Heartening
It was heartening to see six young drivers competing with the boys.” Now, the FMSCI, along with WIM India, is working with one of its member clubs to introduce the ‘Girls on Track’ programme, a FIA initiative, this year.
“It’s grassroot level karting that will comprise ‘Karting Gymkhana’ competitions. The talented girls will be given an opportunity for an entry-level training-cum-racing programme with fun karts. They will then move on to professional karting with the two-stroke engines, and a separate class for them will be set up to hone their skills before they get to compete with the men in the National championships,” he said and quickly added that a separate women’s class in the 2019 National Gymkhana championship is also on the cards.
