Rallyist Pragathi Gowda to represent India in Peru

Beyond the dust and gravel rising, is a steadfast girl with her foot on the pedal as she races ahead with confidence and alacrity. All of 25, she has overcome great struggles to make podium finishes, and is now onto an international circuit in Peru to prove her mettle as the only Indian girl to reach the FIA finals as the FIA Asia Pacific winner.
Yes, Bengaluru-based Pragathi Gowda loves speed, has a natural ability to handle a rally car and, as a newbie, she has clinched many first prizes.Yet, the teen who loved to race almost halted her career mid-way after a devastating tragedy – her brother’s untimely death. But, it also made her resolve stronger.
The peppy upstart won the ladies class was runner cup in JNRC and finished ninth, amongst 65 at the K-1000 rally held recently. And now it's to Peru for the FIA finals.
A race to the podium
The tomboyish lass has been fast friends with bikes and cars since 15. As a child, her training ground were the streets of Bengaluru. Incredibly, the tiny girl learnt driving by silently observing her brother and father, and repeating it on the sly. One fine day, she asked, “May I drive?” She was such a natural that she left them astonished.
“My friend first noticed my skill, and she told me (laughs), roads are not the place. With my ability to control a car, I should get into something called motor sports,” grins Pragathi, who hasn’t looked back since.
Then, like a whirlwind, she went on to compete in autocrosses, knowing nary a thing. She won her first in 2019 – on her debut – then the Indian National Gymkhana Championship in Delhi. Soon, Pragathi was unstoppable. When someone suggested rallying, she dove right in.
Not one to idle, she threw herself into rallying in 2020. Her first win was at the rally of Arunachal, JINRC 3 class. She admits sheepishly about not knowing what a rally car can do, or its specs. “You give me a car, and I’ll drive, and go fast!”
Soon, Team MRF Tyres noticed this Bengaluru girl’s prowess on the racing circuit, and she had a spot on the team. Then, ARKA Motorsports stepped in too.
The road to Peru
“I took part in the Formula Women, held in Gujarat – I topped among 35 girls in 2021. In March, I went to London to represent India for the Formula Women finals. I didn’t place, but the experience and exposure was amazing, I learnt so much,” says Pragathi, for whom it was the first time abroad. “I got to understand my potential, where I stood, and the work I needed to do,” she adds.
“When I was selected for the FIA rally star programme, I was surprised, and I finished first,” she grins. She then topped the FIA Rally Star Asia Pacific finals along with Taylor Gill from Australia. Unlike Gill who goes straight to WRC 3 with a year’s FIA sponsored training, she pipes, “For girls, we have another round of selection – the World Finals, in Peru. I’ll be representing Asia against other girls from other continents.”
Training has begun. With no cross cart in India, and lack of sponsors, she has a tough uphill climb ahead. But the speedster isn’t afraid. “Even when I did my . Asia finals, I was inexperienced. I got three days. The first day, I was slow, but understood how the kart behaves. The second day, I pushed myself on how the kart can handle speed. The third day, I could get my hands on it and drove uninhibitedly,” says Pragathi.
To train, to race abroad
Hoping to get cross kart drive time in Malaysia and Europe soon, she is being mentored by former racing driver, Vicky Chandhok. “We don’t have cross karts in India – that is sad, nor do we have support. Even the government has not recognised racing as a sport, and it’s hard to find sponsors. I am very lucky I got Vicky Chandhok sir who is helping me improve my driving skills, teaching me track circuit racing. We speak every day and he helps finetune my skills. And Jaidas Menon sir, who believes in my aptitude. He is making every effort to secure sponsors for me to train abroad,” says the girl whose co-driver, Trisha Alonkar, is her best friend.
“I am just learning, every rally I learn new stuff. You have to control emotions. I have never seen anyone else as my competition, I wanted to grow for myself and to beat my own timing,” says the dirt circuit speedster.

When Pragathi lost her brother in an accident, the family was inconsolable. Ready to quit, she took strength from what her brother Prajval told her. “My brother was a biker. I started riding bikes when I was eight seeing him. When I won first place at an autocross, Prajval told me that I have good driving skills –this is where I belong as I am so good at it. When he met with the accident, we were devastated and depressed. I thought I will end my career as he was the one who had encouraged me and he wasn’t there. Then one day I felt, ‘you gotta do this at least for him, he’ll be happy.”
What followed was Pragathi going for races, on the sly, and winning medals, and hiding them in her car, so her parents wouldn’t know. Her father found out when a colleague showed him an article with her podium photograph. Her parents were worried about her safety. She then got them to sit inside the car, explained the safety aspects, the roll cage, etc. Now, her mother packs her dietary meals and her dad motivates her and supports this expensive career in racing.
- Suruchi Kapur Gomes