Though Chennai-based racer Alisha Abdullah admits that she misses having a normal life, she says that her love for speed keeps her going and helps her stay afloat in major championships across the country. “The speed is the real thrill. And the adrenaline rush that I get from racing is incomparable,” the 22-year-old racer explains. Being used to winning races since she was 11, Alisha is all geared to have a go in the finals of the Volkswagen Polo R Cup India 2011, which will be held at the Irungattukottai race track at Sriperumbudur on November 26 and 27. She is currently ranked seventh after five rounds and is the only female racer out of the 2,000 entries. Talking to City Express about her preparations for the race, Alisha reveals, “I prefer to prepare myself before every race. I go to the gym, meditate and when I’m on track, I ensure that I am always focused on what I am doing.”Competing against men, in fact, motivates her to do well on the track and she makes no bones about it. She says, “There have been instances where guys have tried to put me down. But I ensure that it is not a hindrance and it does not really stop me from doing what I want to do. That’s why I am here today.”This killer instinct and penchant for speed is in her genes. Her father R A Abdullah was a famous bike racer and has been a seven-time national champion. However, during the initial years, Alisha was drawn to go-karting. When Alisha was 13, she won the MRF National go-karting championship and the Best Novice Award in the national-level formula car racing in the open class. She then gradually moved on to formula car racing, finishing fifth in the JK Tyre National Championship in 2004. She made the switch from four-wheels to bikes the same year. “I always wanted to try my hand in bike racing, as my dad was a bike racer. I wanted to see how good I was in it,” she explains. She is back to four-wheelers now, as she says it’s the speed that matters. Alisha, who races in a difficult situation with almost no sponsorship, feels that fellow girl racers should aim for more than just the podium. “Girls are fiercely competitive and want to be on the podium which is a wrong way of thinking. All of us need to go through a lot of challenges to reach the top.” And Alisha wants to do just that - reach the top, come what may. “I need to be at the top. I need to show what a girl can do in life,” she remarks.
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