Hi! My name is Samantha D’Souza and I am a professional drag racer from Mumbai, Maharashtra. I have an MBA from NMIMS and I’m currently working with Cathay Pacific Airways. My passion is biking however I was a district-level footballer and played for many clubs like Kenkre FC, Mumbai United. I started riding when I was 16 years old and the first bike I rode was a Honda Unicorn. Since then I knew I had a need for speed. I still remember the time when I was a baby around the age of 5-6 years and my parents had to take me for mandatory late-night rounds to put me to sleep or else I used to create havoc. That actually proved I loved speed ever since then. Years later, I pride myself for being India’s fastest female drag racer.
What Is Drag Racing?
Whenever I talk about being a Drag racer the first question I get asked is ‘what is drag racing?’ Let me tell you in detail about my passion. Drag racing takes a lot of passion and courage to start off. It is a quarter-mile run that a racer is supposed to complete in the shortest time frame. It’s all about focus, perseverance and a very attentive mind. The clutching, gear shifting and controlling have to be on point for a perfect launch which is the most important part of drag racing. Two participants compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. A drag race is initiated by the Christmas Tree, an electronic lighting device that activates a timer by each vehicle, which is then stopped once that same vehicle crosses the finish line. We have multiple classes and categories of bikes and cars according to their CC and BHP.
How Did I Start Drag Racing?
Well, I was in the 11th grade and went to Kharghar to watch the Speedway event. At that point, we were kids with barely any pocket money or no pocket money at all. I still remember that we did not have money to purchase the event spectator passes so I climbed this fence and was watching people race from between the fence and stood there the whole day just watching the race in the scorching heat. I could literally feel the Adrenaline rush in me when I heard the exhaust and chambers there. Also, I had not seen any women participants there and I had promised myself to take riding seriously and most importantly drag racing. Since that day I started practising how to launch a bike and have a perfect start and correct my gear shifting. My liking towards speed and the smell of petrol made me get into drag racing.
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The Challenges I Faced
More than the praises that I get today, I have faced many challenges. From people hooting me to making fun of me, I went through it all. It all started off when I planned to take drag racing to a next level and one of my male friends commented “Ladki hai – kya kar legi tu? Ladkiyo wale kaam kar yeh bike sub chod dey seekhna, tera drag mein kuch nahin hone wala hai” and he laughed.
In 2017, just before my race at the Valley Run, I had gone for my practice. I had a very bad accident there and my hands and legs were bruised. It happened 15 days before my race at the Valley Run. I was very upset but I still raced. However, I realized that I was suffering from PTSD and did not race for a year after that. Everyone thought my career in drag racing was over but my mother did not allow that to happen. Though she does not like speed she asked me why was I not racing and explained to me that every dark cloud has a silver lining.
Inspired by that thought I raced in India Speed Week in Bangalore and secured the 2nd position among 42 male participants. I also received the Fastest Lady Rider Award and the Fastest Time of the Event Award.
You know, my height is only 5 feet, but I never let that be a weakness. But people still made fun of me and teased me whenever I rode. Everyone thinks height plays a vital role when you want to learn to ride a bike. But I strongly believe that if someone is passionate about learning to ride a bike, they will be successful at it. Nevertheless, My parents are very supportive of my passion. My mom does not like speed but my dad is a fan of it. My younger sister accompanies me for all my races. She takes care of my gear and food timing. I also have a close friend who helps me to develop my bikes and gets it to all my races. When it comes to empowering Indian women who make a difference, did you know Avani Awasthee Is The Youngest Indian To Travel To Antarctica?
I still remember I went for my first race without even knowing what was I suppose to do at the starting line. When it was my turn all the cameras were capturing me as there was no girl who raced from our own city ever. In fact, I gave my first interview that was telecasted and my parents were proud to see me on television. On multiple occasions, I have shared a podium with men, but to reach this level, it has cost me sleepless nights and a whole lot of practice and stress. I work from 9 am to 5 pm. But I barely sleep before my race, as we need clear roads to practice and that happens only after 1 am in the morning.
So, at times, I sleep after work and wake up by 1.30 am and leave to practice near an area close to my house that has a long stretch. I cannot do that in the day due to heavy traffic. But when I have to practice on my drag bike I need an open road to do so. At that time, I take my bike in the Innova for 2 and a half hours that is 110 km away from my house to practice. I set out at 4.30 am and start my practice by 6 am. I wind up by 7 am and directly report to work. I practice this routine for days on end.
Awards & Accolades
I have won numerous awards over the years. Here is a list of the awards I have won.
- Roaring Champions – India’s Night Drag event (Vasai, Mumbai) – 2015, Finished 9th among 16 men in the 225cc category.
- The Valley Run (Aamby valley, Pune) – 2016, Finished 19th in the 135cc 2 stroke among 47 male participants.
- The Valley Run (Aamby valley, Pune) – 2016, Finished 15th in the 225cc 4 stroke among 31 male participants.
- The Valley Run (Aamby valley, Pune) – 2017, Finished 21st in the 225cc 4 stroke among 39 male participants
- The Valley Run (Aamby valley, Pune) – 2017, Finished 16th in the 390cc 4 stroke among 33 male participants
- India Speed Week (Jakkur, Bangalore) – 2017, Finished 10th in the 225cc 4 stroke among 22 male participants
- India Speed Week (Jakkur, Bangalore) – 2017, Awarded as the Fastest Lady Rider of the Event
- India Speed Week (Jakkur, Bangalore) – 2017, Awarded with the Female with Fastest Time of the Event
- India Speed Week (Jakkur, Bangalore) – 2017, Finished 2nd in the 390cc 4 stroke among 42 male participants
- The Valley Run (Aamby valley, Pune) – 2018, Finished 16th in the 390cc 4 stroke among 33 male participants
- The Valley Run (Aamby valley, Pune) – 2019, Finished 3rd in the 390cc 4 stroke among 33 male participants
- The Valley Run (Aamby valley, Pune) – 2019, Awarded as the Fastest Lady Rider of the Event
- The Valley Run (Aamby valley, Pune) – 2019, Awarded with the Female with Fastest Time of the Event
Drag Racing Changed My Life
Drag racing taught me a lot as I have spent so many years of my life racing. It has taught that we humans aren’t perfect beings. And no matter what we do each day, there will always be scope to learn more. If you truly love speed and feel the adrenaline rush when you hear the exhaust or expansion chambers, or smell petrol, then you should meet the race track at least once in your lifetime. It will be a whole new experience and a whole new world in itself. You will see so many new mechanical experiments that workout and increase speed of vehicles, over and above witnessing a large number of amazing cars and bikes. Once you get into it, there is no turning back or escape whole you will just keep going deeper and deeper if you better in it. It is worth a try!
Tips For People Wanting To Try Drag Racing
If you want to try your hand at drag racing then know what your weak points are and learn your strengths related to racing. You must understand which bike suits you best whether its a 2 stroke, 4 stroke or a superbike and do not limit yourself to the speed because that’s when you learn. Push yourself to learn new techniques so that you can reach the podium. Also, try asking other riders what specification will work for you and which category you should race in. At a point, you will automatically learn new skills and you will tune yourself in a unique manner which will be distinct from any other ride. This will come to you as you get into it completely. Till then, happy racing!
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This article was contributed to Curly Tales by Samantha D’Souza. If you have an article or similar experience to share, do write to us on hey@curlytales.com