Chasing Alisha

• 15 Oct 2014
• Features

Wendy Abdullah looks on as her daughter getson a Hayabusa and revs down the road. She is accompanied by the Bullet Buddhas,a group of Enfield bike enthusiasts,as they roar down the road to inauguratethe latest performance studio in Kochi; Lap 47. Any mother would be concernedto see her child on a powerful machine and so did Wendy Abdullah at one pointof time. But with a family that is crazy about speed and that shares a love forracing, Wendy understands her only daughter’s passion for bikes and cars.Alisha Abdullah is a known name in the racing circuit in India. As the onlyIndian female racer to take part in international events and competing with theboys in the home circuit, Alisha has been making a name for herself. Wtzup satdown for a chat with this diva and boy, does she break a lot of stereotypes.

So you are thinking fast cars, muscular bikes and leatherjackets right? That is not Alisha Abdullah for you. Dressed in a white polo Tand skinny jeans, Alisha lets her hair catch the wind as she takes off herhelmet. You wonder how such a petite person could be racing at speeds of 285km/hr. This young lady who has accomplished much in what might be mostly a man’sworld is also an actress, a model and a business woman. Underneath the professionalexterior is also a girl who enjoys fashion, chit chats and sitcoms.
How did you get into racing?All thanks to my dad who is a professional in the field.I grew up with cars and bikes and have always been fascinated by it. I wantedto be an automobile engineer initially but then racing just happened. I startedoff with bikes but now have moved on to cars.  
How important is it to break stereotypes?Let me put it this way. It was very difficult to get towhere I am today. I used to come last for every race and get bullied. It was aconstant struggle especially because people couldn’t accept that I wanted to race.I hated every minute of training,but I remembered a quote from Mohammed Ali, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and livethe rest of your life as a champion.”  Everytime I cross a hurdle, it instills more confidence in me.
What would people besurprised to know about you?First food and then comesracing. (I’m surprised and Alisha is smiling).I love cooking and eating. I don’tbelieve in dieting but I do eat responsibly for fitness. I am pretty good atmulti tasking. Once in two hours I made butter chicken, naan, cake and prawns.Fitness is very important to me and I spend a good amount of time in the gym. Iplay a lot of tennis too. I am scared of flight turbulence which is kind ofironical and heights.
Tell us about the manyprojects you have up your sleeve.(Alisha laughs) I cannot sitidly. I am constantly doing something or on the lookout for new activities. Idesign cars when I have free time. I have done a cameo in the Tamil movieIrumbu Kuthirai. It was so much fun. I am a big fan of Johnny Tri Nguyen and itwas great to act with him. I have another movie lined up in which I play acharacter along the lines of the Girl in the Dragon Tattoo. I am starting a racingschool only for women. (Aren’t boys going to ask to join?) Anyways 99% of thedrivers are men. Being an Indian girl, there is a lot of sacrifice going tointo it. I would love to see women modifying cars and driving powerful cars. Indiais such a big country, I am sure we have a lot of talent here. We need goodcoaches to lay the foundation like my dad did for me. The idea is to promotewomen and instill confidence. It would be amazing if I could create an impact andthe sport gets recognition.

Alisha Abdullah is abundle of energy as we keep talking about more food and her favorite Burberryshades. She claims she is horrible on Indian roads and is still to master thetraffic. She wants to face her fears head on and is planning to sky dive offthe Burj Khalifa. Alisha explains how different it is to drive a car and bike.For a bike you have to use your forearms and legs and for a car it’s the lowerspine and neck. Her enthusiasm is infectious as she explains how she istraining to do the Dubai 24 hours challenge. This spunky youngster has reallycome a long way and has more to go.

Quickies
What do you drive? 
A modified A class Mercedes. (She shows me aphoto of the dazzling pink Merc. I notice it matches her phone).
Favorite circuit in India
Buddh circuit
Music
John Martin – I’ll goanywhere for you
Captain Hook
A racer you admire
Danica Patrick from USA
What is most important?
Confidence and discipline