Sarah Khan, fighting the odds to shine in bike racing: A profile
A series of Special articles and profiles of promising riders and drivers will be published for all fmsci National championship till the season begins. Here is the first…
Bengaluru, 2 Jan 2024: Sarah Khan began the 2023 season with a podium in the TVS One-Make Championship (OMC) ladies class at the Rolon Round, the first round of the MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship for two-wheelers 2023 which concluded at the Kari Motor Speedway in June first week.
Rookie Sarah Khan, who gave a tough fight to celebrated champions in the very first year of her participation in the MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Drag Racing Championship 2022, finally ended up third in the Championship due to lack of exposure and experience, but the determined lady rider worked hard and won many hearts with her perseverance. Amidst all the competition, one rider who silently improved every round as she notched up a podium every time she took part in a race is Sarah Khan. She began with a third place in the first round itself and went on to become the 2nd runner up National Championship and bagged a total of 11 podiums overall in her rookie season itself.
Sarah Khan is a modest, soft-spoken girl in early twenties. She is born on February 19, in the last year of the last millennium, in a traditional Muslim family. Behind the tall athlete’s humble appearance, lies a strong will to achieve and the reason is her passion for speed. A dedicated and hardworking biker, she worked hard to save every penny after acquiring a Bachelor of Business Management degree in Mumbai’s MMK College of Commerce and Economics. Without a single penny in her pocket, she started to fund her motorsports activities on her own by trading stocks, working hard to save every rupee. Striving to be a high-performance motorsports athlete, competing with men on equal footing, she overcame many hardships both at home at the tracks to pursue a career that is not easy for girls.
“The spark for me is the feeling of thrill and speed. And the adrenaline rush that pumps up my blood. Racing gives me a sense of being alive, a genuine happiness. Despite the struggles and hurdles, I cannot quit racing or do something else. I feel like it’s in my blood… intricately woven into my soul. All I think about is racing all day, everyday… That’s just how my brain is wired,” says Sarah, the eternal optimist.
The struggles she went through to make her childhood dream a reality did not deter her. Her perseverance conquered and she finally made her racing debut in 2022, at the Mecca of Racing in India, the Madras International Circuit. Despite coming from a non-motorsport background and having no support, she opted for racing and made it on her own, traditionally considered a man’s world and she is breaking all stereotypes, which the MIC is known for, promoting many a woman from traditional communities.
“I have genuine love for racing. And I could not keep quiet. I did fight hard to get out of the house to race. It made me stronger. And I will continue to race, even when I turn old, as long as I am physically fit. Later, too, I plan on train young riders with a similar dream, who aspire to be great one day. I just want to race at the highest platform possible on earth,” she says. What she does not say is, she threatened her family that she will leave the house, if anyone tries to come in her way of becoming a racing athlete. A reluctant loving mother had no choice but to agree.
Thus began a career, which broke all the stereotypes.“Being stubborn towards my dream was the only way to make it happen,” says Sarah. The struggle behind her journey is one of the reasons for her determination to win.
