Gurgaon teen racer finishes third at Asian Championship

While all eyes were on 18-year-old Prithvi Shaw as the Mumbai youngster scored a century in his Test debut against the West Indies on Thursday, another teen sportsperson did the country proud this past week. Gurgaon-based 19-year-old car racer Arjun Rao bagged a podium finish in the Asian Auto Gymkhana Championship held from September 28 to September 30 in Mumbai. Incidentally, just like Shaw, this was Arjun’s debut in the senior motor sport competition. The Gurgaon lad partnered with Bangalore-based racer Ashad Pasha to finish third in the doubles competition at the Championship, where he was competing against drivers from 13 countries across Asia. At 19, he was the youngest member of the Indian team competing here. He also competed in the singles and team competitions, but failed to make it past the quarter-finals in both of them. However, he is far from being disappointed. This win has inspired the teenager to do more and push for better results in the future. He says, “I wasn’t expecting to do so well and secure a podium on my debut. This has been amazing. Now, I want to win and secure better standing in competitions in the future.”Arjun is currently a student of Maharaja Agrasen College of Delhi University, from where he is pursuing journalism. He had been placed the overall fastest driver at Speed Sprint XVIII, a regional-level competition held last month in Manesar. Racing is in Arjun’s blood. His mother Bani Yadav is a rally car driver of some pedigree, having won several national level titles in rallying over the last few years. Arjun says, “She has been a great inspiration and also a wonderful mentor. It helps to have an accomplished professional racer in the family because you learn a lot.” Arjun began racing while accompanying his mother to several events as a teenager. “At first, I was just doing it for fun but gradually, I got serious about it and last year, I made my senior debut after turning 18,” he tells us. Arjun’s first foray in professional motor sport was as Bani’s partner and navigator in the prestigious Dakshin Dare Rally last year. “That was just for exposure. But that experience helped me realise what I need to do more,” says Arjun.