HYDERABAD : For the longest time, Alisha Abdullah has been tagged India’s only female bike racer. “But I want to change all that,” says the ambitious 25-year-old.
And it isn’t a just a dream. This lady came armed with a plan to mark the launch of her brand new Alisha Abdullah Racing Academy for Women, but also the announcement of a talent search. “I’m on a mission to find a hundred lady bikers across the country,” she said. The goal? To shortlist 25 ladies with a need for speed to put together the country’s very first all-woman team of biker racers in 2015. Talk about an adrenaline rush, just thinking about it.
While she has trained youngsters informally in the past, “more guys than girls,” she admits with a laugh - something of this magnitude is a whole different ball game. “People I discussed this with have said, ‘What, a 100 girls? Where are you going to find that many?’” But Alisha, clearly needs no convincing. “Between colleges and IT professionals, I know it’s possible,” she states without the slightest hint of doubt. And while teaching may appear to be a natural progression to anyone who has followed this youngster in the news, the irony is, what led to the idea was of all things - Kollywood!
“Ever since I started acting in films, more people have come to know about me and what I do,” she lets on. The Irumba Kuthirai actor tells us that she’s been overwhelmed by the number of Facebook messages pouring in, with young girls, asking her to teach them how to race. “It’s not just the numbers that suprised me, but some of the most remote locations they came from,” she adds. “I got one message from a 13-year-old in Bihar who wants to be a racer someday, I’ve videos of young girls doing wheelies...it’s crazy.”
The dates for the big biker search are yet to be decided, and we’re told that for now, Alisha will be focusing on finding her sponsors. “That’s an important part because I want the entire process to be free for participants,” she explains. And to get the venture on the road, several well wishers such as Akbar Ebrahim from the Federation of Motor Sport Clubs of India, Ashok Verghese, director of Hindustan University (the only University which has the distinction of offering a Degree in Motorsports Engineering), Dr Renuka David of Radiant MediFitness and Bruce Schwack of GemLN are offering their support. “I think beyond the racing, there’s also going to be a lot of focus on the fundamentals and safety,” said motorsports coach Ebrahim, who has been on the circuit for decades now. Amid bursts of confetti and behind-the-scenes videos from Alisha’s races in the past.
Well, two wheels to be specific. “And there is no office,” Alisha responds, when we ask her later where the Academy will be set up. “All our work will be done on the race track.”
For details, log on to alishaabdullahracingacademy.com