“Champions are not made in gym. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream and a vision.”
Racing is a mania where one must sacrifice everything without reticence and hesitation. Today, we are gonna cover one such dedicated and ambitious racer whom Motorsport has always fascinated. Chittesh Mandody, is a huge name in go- kart racing across globe and has also won accolades internationally. With a whopping success in the Formula BMW championship in his kitty he is looking forward for something more big and huge to elevate his racing career. From a garage in Kolhapur to Formula 4 racing championship, his journey was not a cake walk. He keeps pushing things to see what’s possible and that’s what racing is all about. He always fancies cars and his love for cars and racing has increased all more. He idolizes racer Kimi Raikkonen and admires his racing talent. With a positive dose of inspiration that success is not final and failure is not fatal, it is only the courage that matters, he tries to improve his graph in racing career.
1) Chittesh, tell us more about your background ?
I belong to a family of car mechanics, who have been running a garage for the last 85 years. My family garage is famous as Kolhapur’s erstwhile Royal family has been sending its cars for servicing and repairs there ever since its inception. Talking about his journey he says,”I started taking interest in racing from the age of eight. As a young kid, I would go to the garage, set up by my great grandfather, and often wanted to drive those luxury cars. From there it all started, the passion for driving, the dreams of becoming an F1 racer… and this journey got a meaning when I reached the final of the JK Tyre Karting National Championship in 2002–03.” Then I won JK Tyre Rotax Juniormax and Seniormax championships in year 2007 and 2011 respectively, and have represented India twice at the Al Ain Rotax world finals. I am also a second runner up in Formula Rolon, Formula LGB and Formula BMW where I represented team Dark Don racing. I have also done records with Team Tata and Team Overdrive which are also highly memorable and important early achievements of my life.
2) How did you start off with go kart racing ?
I started go karting at the age of eight. I had been to a dinner to a family friend’s house where he showed me a trophy he had won in some racing competition. This made me excited about the sport and I went to a racing track in Kolhapur and received my initial training from Ashutosh Kale Sir. Gradually, I started to go to various training camps and participated in my first event where I finished first. This accelerated my racing career.
3) How is The Rotax Championship important to you ?
I made my debut in Rotax in the year 2007. It was difficult to manage expenses in this expensive sport as I come from a middle class household. Luckily, I was supported by my father and Team Mohite’s racing academy. I managed to win the championship. I represented India in Dubai Al Ain finals. Since then I am being sponsored by JK Tyres.
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4) What’s your take on the involvement of the government to familiarize the ?
Drivers spend a lot on this sport and get nothing in return. Government should support this sport so that big companies would take interest in sponsoring it. National racers should be offered government jobs like other sportsmen are, to take it to next level. There should be concession in transport and other facilities. Elaborating on the difficulties faced by people who choose this sport, he said,“Unlike other sports, racing doesn’t get any government support. There is a limit beyond which you can’t expect private companies to support you. So most racers are forced to rethink their future. India does have a lot of motorsport enthusiasts, but money is always the hindrance.”The government has of late officially recognized motor sports but Chittesh feels there is still a long way to go.
5) Share with us about the accolades you won in the 20th JK Tyre Annual National Racing Championship.
First round of JK Tyres national racing championship went on very smoothly for me. It was my debut with team Avalanche. Lot of hard work was put in by the team owner Fazal Khan. We kept our focus and lap times consistent. This was the main reason to win all that I won. It’s all about how focused you remain and how confident you are in yourself as everything else will fall into place.
6) What are your future plans and currently what is your main focus ?
I am concentrating on our family business for now but RACING is what I live for. With Ferrari’s Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen as my idol, I look forward to the day when I’ll be acknowledged as a successful racer at the international level as I want to shine in this field at a global level as well.
7) If you were to give an advice to the aspiring racers, what would that be?
Just stay focused. Keep your aim crystal clear and fight for it. You will have ups and downs in the race but do not give up. Good concentration is the key for consistent performance and never get discouraged if there is lack of support, you have to trust yourself and the sport.
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