Aishwarya Pissay becomes first Indian to win world title in Motorsports
Biker Aishwarya Pissay has made history by becoming the first Indian to win a world title in motorsports
Biker Aishwarya Pissay has made history by becoming the first Indian to win a world title in motorsports. She won the FIM World Cup in women’s category after the final round of the championship, which was held in Varpalota, Hungary recently. International Motorcycling Federation, which is the governing body of the motorcycle racing in the world, has conducted the event.
Aishwarya, won the first round in Dubai and then she was placed third in Portugal, fifth in Spain and fourth in Hungary, but she finished with a tally of 65 points, which was just four points ahead of Portugal’s Rita Vieira in the final scoring for the women’s category.
In Hungary, Aishwarya (with 52 points) and Vieira (with 45 points) were the top contenders for the world title, but finally Aishwarya ensured her victory in the world cup. Speaking to media after winning the title Aishwarya said, “It’s overwhelming. After what happened last year, when I crashed in Spain to come out and win the championship, it’s a great feeling.”
She also added, “winning the World Cup is huge for me. It is an absolute honour for me to be the first athlete to bring home a world championship title and put India on the map of international motorsports”.
The 23-year-old motorist now aims to make the country proud at the Dakar Rally. As she says, “I hope I will be able to get more sponsors on board and eventually realise my dream of participating and finishing the Dakar Rally, which is considered the world’s most difficult cross-country race. In any case, I will pursue that dream no matter what”.
FMSCI (Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India), the governing body for motorsports in India also congratulated Aishwarya for the historic performance. In a tweet FMSCI wrote, “Aishwarya Pissay of TVS clinches the FIM Baja World Cup 2019 in women’s category. FMSCI congratulates India’s first-ever FIM World Cup champion”.
Last year, Aishwarya also become the first Indian female rider to compete in the grueling Baja Aragon Rally. But unfortunately the rally ended prematurely for Aishwarya as she crashed and suffered from ruptured pancreas during the process.
She recalls, “I have had two major accidents. One in which I hurt my collarbone in 2017, then I had a bad fall and ruptured my pancreas in 2018. I underwent surgery and was in hospital for two months. There was not a single day in the hospital that I thought I would not be able to race again. That incident taught me the importance of never giving up”.
In the year 2017, doctors inserted a steel plate and seven screws in order to fix her collarbone. She was advised not to race for another three-four weeks. But she says, “I had a race in just five days. Nothing was going to stop me. I got up and raced and won the championship”.
Aishwarya Pissay, who started biking only five years back, is also the first Indian woman to have won five national road rally and racing championship titles.