Hyderabad: Young go-kart racer Aarav Sureka has been making heads turn with his scintillating performances in the motorsport circuit. The rising motorsport star, who is mentored by eight-time national champion Rayomand Banajee and races for Rayo Racing, recently finished fifth in the Round 5 of the Rotax Max Challenge racing event. He also trains under Polo Cup champion Saurav Bandyopadhyay.
Aarav’s breakthrough performance in the go-kart scene isn’t a flash in the pan. The eight-year-old young racer has steadily risen in the ranks after finishing fourth in the pre-finals in Round 4 of the same competition in Bengaluru before a terrific race in Round 5 stamped his authority.
The Round 5, raced at the Madras International Karting Arena (MIKA), saw Aarav starting in the last position in Heat 2 due to a penalty acquired in the previous race. However, that did not deter him as the young racer scorched the tracks and finished 13 positions higher than where he started, displaying tremendous racing knowledge.
Rayomand Banajee, who mentors and coaches Aarav, wasn’t surprised with his ward’s performance as he always believed in Aarav’s skills and racing abilities. Aarav, who has been with Rayo Racing since the age of six, has shown the spark and is a quick learner, according to Banajee. “At a very early age he had the spark, and was a very quick learner. He is always ready to put in the hard work and do the dirty boring things which other kids would try and avoid,” Banajee told Hans India in an interaction.
Banjee added that Aarav’s training routine helps him in his knowledge and builds his endurance levels. “Aarav trains thrice a week for six hours at the local track in Mumbai on a four-stroke kart, which helps him build his race craft and endurance,” Banajee added.
The mentor added that while Aarav has an aggressive nature on the track, he has got a long way to go with respect to pushing himself during the race. “He enjoys speed, and has an aggressive nature on track. He looks calm and reserved off track, but on track he is completely different. He also puts in the required time and hard work in training, which at this age is very commendable. His aggressive nature, being his strength, but is his weakness also, as he needs to learn when to push, and how to push without the lines going all over the place. Adaptability to new tracks and new racing lines are also a factor, which he will learn by driving at different circuits over time,” Banajee added.
Aarav puts in the hard yards by training to develop his endurance and also by studying dashboard videos and analysing his race data. By his admission, Aarav’s long-term goal is to become a Formula One driver and in the short-term, he has set his sights on winning the Rotax Karting Champion. “Motorsports is a very challenging sport physically, so I am training hard to develop upper body strength, neck training and most importantly – endurance. For my race craft, I am learning from my coaches who put in a lot of time with me, studying dashboard videos and analysing data on how I can improve my speed. I am confident that by next season I’ll be challenging the top drivers and be a true championship contender,” Aarav confessed.
Banajee added that Aarav is well in line to become a champion at the Asian level and can set his sights on Formula racing in a few years down the line. “We are giving him a platform to build his career in motorsport. The immediate goal for all of us is to give him the required experience and training and make him ready not only for India, but also at the Asia Championship over the next two years. Aarav has his age to his advantage, and can truly be a F1 contender by the time he turns 15,” Banajee concluded.
