Go kart prodigy Aarav Sureka (9) is blazing a trail on national and international motor racing circuits. Last January (2024), Aarav won the FMSCI IndiKarting Pro Season Championship 2024 held in Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Nine months later, this Mumbai-based go-karter finished #5 in the Final of Round 5 (Chennai) of the Rotax Max Challenge India (Nationals), and was adjudged India’s youngest racer to reach the final in his debut rookie season.
Nor are these the only encomiums that this tiny go-karter has won. Aarav led the Indian contingent in Rotax Max Challenge International Trophy (RMCIT) in Pattaya (Thailand) this January. Later in March and last month, he was the sole Indian to race against the best drivers of Asia under the IAME x30 Asia Series in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), finishing #11 in a competitive grid of 22 drivers.
Born and raised in an adventure sports-loving household, Aarav, a class III student of Mumbai’s Jamnabai Narsee School, was attracted to the thrill of racing at age five when he first got behind the wheel of a rented kart at the IndiKarting, Wadala tracks. “Recognizing my talent and love for this sport, my loving parents invested in a professional 2-stroke Rotax racing kart, engine and safety gear when I turned six,” recalls Aarav.
Since taking to professional children’s go-karting in 2021, Aarav has trained intensively under the supervision of eight-time national champion Rayomand Banajee and Polo Cup champion Saurav Bandyopadhyay of Rayo Racing at the Ajmera IndiKarting track, Mumbai. “I train at the track three times a week for six-seven hours after school and on weekends. Training includes a daily fitness regimen, high-protein diet and meditation. Above all, racing has taught me discipline, which helps me focus on any task I undertake,” says Aarav.
Although yet to attain double digit age, Aarav is licenced by Federation of Motor Sports Clubs, India (FMSCI) and FIA (Federation Internationale de Automobile) which qualifies him to race in India and abroad. Most of his expenses are covered by his parents, Mohit and Sonal Sureka, who are software professionals.
Aarav aspires to become a Formula 1 driver and bring glory to Indian motor sports, but not at the expense of his schooling. “I balance my studies and racing because I need a strong education foundation to pursue my racing dream,” says this amazingly mature child prodigy.
Paromita Sengupta (Bengaluru)
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