In top gear: Bengaluru girl to race at Formula Woman

BENGALURU: From zigzagging through Mysuru Road traffic in her hatchback, Pragathi Gowda has come a long way to become one of the three women to represent India at the global-level Formula Woman championship in London, which begins March 2.
Pragathi was chosen for her performances in several rallies since 2019.
“I will be driving for ‘Team MRF Racing’ for 2022. At the championship, we will be judged on skills such as karting, fitness and racing. After three stages, the top six drivers will get a chance to drive a McLaren GT4 racecar in the 2022 GT Cup championship — a British sports car championship,” Pragathi said. The rallies that Pragathi will participate in are held across different surfaces, including ice, where drivers race in cars modified to suit the terrain.
The Rajarajeshwari Nagar resident told TOI, “I have always been into racing. I even covered the Hassan-to-Nelamangala distance, which usually takes over two hours, in just 42 minutes.”
Difficult journey
However, her journey to this international championship has not been a smooth one.
“My older brother was my support and I got into bikes and cars because of him. He got me my first bike and we went on long rides all the time. He always had my back when people questioned the potential of a girl on a bike or behind the wheel,” she said, explaining that she participated in the first race of her life — Autocross 2019 — with her brother’s support.
But soon after, Prajwal died in a road accident in August 2019.
“My parents were shocked and forbade me from touching bikes or cars. I was also shocked but realised I must do everything that would have made him happy. It inspired me to participate in racing events and win them as a tribute to him,” she said.
She participated in the ‘Indian National Gymkhana Championship 2019’ in New Delhi without telling her parents. While her father is a retired government servant, her mother is a homemaker.
“But when I won it, they realised where my talent and happiness lay. Since then, I have always managed to find a spot in the top 12 in general class — a mix of men and women,” Pragathi said.
She did not undergo any formal training for the rallies. “I was also worried about the costs. But I just needed to enter one race and prove myself; support poured in for the talent and skill people saw on the track,” she said as she prepares to fly to London for over a month.