PEDAL TO THE METAL
Noida-based Garima Avtar, 40, is one of a handful of female rally drivers to have participated in almost all of India’s major motorsport competitions, including the Indian Rally Championship, the Raid De Himalaya, Desert Storm, the Mughal Rally and the Autocross and Speed Sprints. Now, she’s getting ready for a new adventure: leading a unique expedition of 20 female drivers to the inhospitable Spiti, in Himachal Pradesh, in September this year. “The expedition is not meant to be a joy ride,” she says.
“It is aimed at boosting confidence among women,” adds Avtar, who says knowing how to deal with inhospitable road conditions will give participants the courage to explore the beautiful Indian countryside from behind the wheel and make the outdoors a part of their lives.
She says that travel companies catering exclusively to female travellers have already demonstrated the market potential for such expeditions. Women will also feel more comfortable driving with an all-female team, says Avtar, a former member of the Professional Mahindra Rally team in the ‘Time Distance Speed’ category.
With 40 per cent of the seats for the expedition already filled by women from across the country, including from cities like Ahmedabad and Chennai, Avtar is optimistic that this is just the beginning. “Let us see what happens on the ground. Next time, we can choose even tougher terrain and make the grind even more challenging,” she says.
Avtar, who is also a trained classical singer, joined the rally circuit in 2011, with the Women’s Car Rally (a drive from Delhi to Jaipur). She traces her obsession with four wheels back to her childhood. “While other girls were playing with dolls, my room was full of small toy cars. This sport has taught me so much… it has taught me integrity and perseverance, things that matter more than craft, in the long run,” she says. Part of the Mercedes-Benz Luxe Drive in 2016 and an instructor at the Porsche Test Run hosted by the Porsche Centre, Gurugram, in 2017, Avtar stresses that she has always felt welcome in the traditionally male bastion of Indian motorsport. “Not only did I receive a positive reaction from my male counterparts from the very beginning, they have always been very supportive and encouraging,” she says. However, she says that sponsorships remain few and far between in the sport, despite the fact that Indian rallyists like Gaurav Gill have proven their mettle in major events like the Asia Pacific Rally Championship. Avtar, who trained under Gill in 2014, says that “the problem of funds cuts across sports. Cricket is the only game that attracts corporates. Let’s see when sponsors open their purse strings to this sport”.
In the next five years, Avtar wants to hit the international circuit. “Everything is going as planned. In order to maximise my potential, I have created a tight bubble of total focus around me,” she says.
SPONSORSHIPS REMAIN SCANT, DESPITE INDIAN RALLYISTS HAVING PROVEN THEIR METTLE