Girijashankar Joshy, a gentleman rally driver retires

Bengaluru, 2 Oct 2019: It is exactly two years back, a stalwart of Indian rallying announced his retirement through the pages of Facebook. A disciplined, dedicated sportsperson with high-calibre of commitment, sincerity and hardwork, Girijashankar Joshy.

This writer had the pleasure of watching Joshy for over 15 years, and as he says it was a wonderful journey. Unfortunately, within a few months after his debut, I left Indian Express and had no time to write about the gentleman of Rally, more later but here is the Retirement Announcement!

By Girijashankar Joshy

It was a wonderful journey of 16 years in Motorsport. I have a life-time of memories and experiences as a rally driver. I want to thank many people who helped me in fulfilling my dreams and achieving success.

Almighty first! I thank my beloved goddess Sri Adishakthyathmaka Sri Annapoorneshwari for her blessings and permitting me to do what I loved the most when I sought her permission. In my journey of rallying, I want to thank my family starting with my dear appa Bheemeshwar Joshy G, amma Rajalaxmi Joshy, my soulmate Savithri Joshy, my three lovely kids and all my family members who stood by me despite all the ups and downs of my rallying career.

It just makes no sense, if I don’t thank my navigators. So a big shout out to all my co-drivers who sat with me with “NO” fear and trusted and believed in my driving ability that I will get them home safely.

My beloved friend Srikanth Gowda with whom I started in 2005 and went on to win two Cchampionships, and later with Prajval Pai, with whom I won the overall first runner-up in 2008 INRC Championship. In 2010, Chandramouli Madiraju sat with me and we came very close in winning Group N championship but had to settle down to Second in Championship.

It’s time to thank my tuners without whom I would not have driven those strong and reliable Rally cars. Firstly, Saminathan Sami of Kari Sports Car Works, who was like my elder brother as he always guided me and gave a wonderful car to compete in.

Leelakrishnan Narayanaswamy with his mechanical and moral support, I have achieved a lot. Thyagarajan and Roshan from Chettinad Sporting for supporting me to make a comeback in 2017 for a short time.

Yousaf Ahmed from SNAP racing, who provided me with a fantastic service in the rally in the 2019 season.

I am very great full to team #Snapracing and #VolkswagenmotorsportIndia who supported me to make a full-time comeback driving in the INRC Class in a Polo 1.2 TSI rally spec. Special mention to Sirish Vissa, Karan AM, Sumit Panjabi and Nitin Jacob, they made my day.

Would like to thank my sponsors without whom I may not have survived financially. Starting with IndianOil, MRF Tyre, JK Tyre, Team Winspeed, Team Tata Motors, Ovion, Torq3 Sports and Adventure, and Snap Racing.

Lastly but not least, I like to thank all my friends, well-wishers, fans and followers for coming and supporting me, and cheering me all the time when I was rallying.

My beloved goddesses Sri Adishakthyathmaka Sri Annapoorneshwar has different plans for my future.

Hence, I announce my retirement from Motorsports as a rally driver.

But my love and passion for Motorsport will keep me around in different roles.

Signing of as a rally driver.

Girijashankar Joshy