Greater Noida: Kalyani Potekar became the fastest Indian motorbike racer, hailing from the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. She earned this title after completing a lap of the renowned Budh International Circuit in 2.08 minutes, breaking her previous record of 2.16 seconds.
While most women in India find it difficult to pursue bicycling as a career, Potekar received the required support and encouragement from her father. Her father, in fact, was the one who introduced her to the world of motorsports and taught her how to ride a bike at the age of ten. He assisted her in changing popular perception, which previously held that riding a motorcycle or bike was a manly pastime.
The 23-year-old women finished the ‘Raid de Himalaya’ – one of the world’s toughest bicycle rallies – during her last year of graduation in 2013, before moving to circuit racing. She went on to finish her motorcycle riding training at California Superbike in 2017 and has since represented India in a number of international competitions.
Potekar had a lot of support from her family in order to pursue her ambitions, but she also received a lot of criticism from many people during her career. She had to deal with everything from not being permitted to ride a certain bike because of her gender to being lectured about how this is not a suitable job for women.
She has undoubtedly grown into an inspiration for many now, having taken up the sport when it was almost non-existent for Indian women.
