TVS Racing, one of the leaders in two-wheeler racing, announced a collaboration with Alisha Abdullah Racing Academy for Women – India’s first training school for women racers. The academy will get the racing bikes and technical expertise from TVS to train the racers.
Alisha has shortlisted 18 women riders who will race exclusively for TVS Racing Team in the first year. The first batch of students has been selected from 80 entries after clearing rigorous tests. These riders are now being trained to improve physical fitness and hone their racing skills.
The academy is based in Chennai and the racers will be trained on a hired racing track according to their training requirements.
"This association with the TVS will help the academy develop the best talent among women racers as they get exclusive access to best in class machines, racers and technology. I also hope our racing academy will attract and encourage more women racers to get into motorsports in India,” says Alisha Abdullah, founder of the academy.
For TVS, the new collaboration will be a step forward for its ongoing research and development. "We are thrilled to collaborate with the Alisha Abdullah Racing Academy for Women and believe this initiative will help create opportunities for women racers in India. TVS Racing is strongly committed to promote two-wheeler racing in India and generate interest and improve support for the sport in India. We make continuous efforts to take the sport to as many sections of the society as possible and create the ultimate machine and promote the riders for these machines," says Arvind Pangaonkar, Head - TVS Racing Team.
TVS Racing, which was established in 1987, has launched several racing bikes and models like TVS Apache RTR 200 4V. It has helped enhance the performance and handling capabilities of the TVS Apache series of motorcycles.
For the past 33 years, TVS Racing has been actively participating in events like road racing, Super-cross and Motocross, Dirt Tracks, Rally etc. They are the only factory team in India to have any woman rider as a part of their team. In early 2015, TVS Racing became the first Indian factory team to take part in the Dakar rally, which is the longest and toughest rally in the world. It won eight championships across all forms of two-wheeler motorsport events Supercross, Rallies and Road racing last year.