BENGALURU: Karthik Muthuswamy is a classic example of the fact that with hard work and determination, nothing is impossible. The city-based racer claimed the first place in the grand finale of JK Tyre FMSCI National Karting Championship Sodi Kart 4 Stroke, which took place at the ECR Speedway on the outskirts of Chennai on Sunday.
The 30-year-old racer is on cloud nine for his recent victory, but his journey has not been easy.
“The qualifying races for the championship event took place in various cities. I participated in the Bengaluru and Hyderabad races but got disqualified. Finally, I got selected for the Coimbatore event, after which I got a chance to be in Chennai for the finals,” says Muthuswamy, who has been racing since 2009.
There was no prize money for this championship but he has been promised some goodies from sponsors of the race.
Though originally hailing from Ramanagara, Muthuswamy completed his education from Bengaluru and works as a driver in a travel firm. He is now looking forward to joining Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation after he finishes the mandatory one-year training next year. His father is a retired electrician with Silk Factory, Ramanagara.
Coming from a humble family, his parents didn’t support him in pursuing this as a career, so he paid for his practice sessions for karting through his personal savings, whatever was left after he gave his share of contribution to run the family. Later, seeing his determination and passion for these sports, one of his friends, Harish V S, an advocate and partner at DNS Law House, decided to sponsor him.
“It is a lot of hard work. I can’t leave my job just to follow my passion, since it is just my brother and me running everything financially. But I will continue participating in these kinds of competitions since I really love to,” says Muthuswamy.
He started his racing career by participating in local events, but went ahead without winning any of them.
In Muthuswamy’s words, “I loved it so much that I never gave up.” With rigorous practice, he slowly started climbing the ladder. However, Muthuswamy feels his hard work alone won’t take him to places and is hopeful that in future, racers like him receive more financial support.