COIMBATORE: He has been racing since the age of 6 and Vishnu Prasad knows what goes on behind the scenes in motorsport racing.
He has gone through almost every level of racing in the country, from Karting to Polo Cup (now Vento) to the JK Tyre Racing championships, and has come out on top more often than not.
“When I was six, my father put me into the go-karts. At 13, I entered LGB4, which is the Indian version of Formula cars. When I was 16, the Polo Cup came out and I took part in it for a couple of years, and then the Formula BMW series began. So I started racing in that series as well,” says Vishnu, who was in action at the JK Tyre Racing Championships at the Kari Motor Speedway here. Vishnu won three races over the weekend.
However, it has not been all smooth sailing for him. He has not been able to find sponsors, which has impeded his chances of competing abroad.
“I’m from a middle-class family, so I need to find sponsors because at some point, I will find it difficult to sponsor myself. Convincing good companies, that too face to face, is very difficult,” he adds.
A number of drivers, who started off later than Vishnu, are driving in series abroad. The Chennai lad feels there is little that he can do. “These guys have the money to provide and sponsor for themselves. Even though I have been winning races and championships for a while, getting sponsors has been a task. When guys like Armaan (Ebrahim) and Karun (Chandhok), who have been successful for while now, find it difficult to find sponsors, then you can imagine my situation,” said the 21-year-old.
Provisional Results: JK Racing India Series: Race 2 (15 laps): 1 Vishnu Prasad (16:41.467), 2 Ananth Shanmugam (16:44.760), 3 Akhil Rabindra (16:46.631). Race 3 (15 laps): 1 Akhil (16:49.329), 2 Vishnu (16:50.157), 3 Constantino Perroni (16:51.495). Formula LGB 4: Race 3 (15 laps): 1 Sudarshana Rao Karwal (24:08.966), 2 Chittesh Mandody (24:09.330), 3 Rohit Khanna (24:10.341). JK Tyre- Volkswagen Vento Cup (15 laps): 1 Karminder Singh (17:54.468), 2 Anindith Reddy Konda (17:55.902), 3 Sahil Gahuri (18:05.705).