Little wonder on wheels

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He is all of 10 years and is already charting his way up on the national-level karting championships. Just three short weeks after he lifted the Micro Max Cup in the overall Open Class event at the Rotax Max Kart Open 2013, Bengaluru racer Yash Aradhya pulled off another spectacular podium finish, with a very credible second at the JK Tyre-Meco Motorsports Rotax Max National Karting Championship 2013.

Conducted over two action-packed days, the event drew the best of karting talents from all across the country at the Kart Centre in Hyderabad.
In a candid interview, the Class V student of Bishop Cotton confesses how he was drawn to the smell of engine oil, the scream of heated engines and tyres. His enthusiasm and passion made him want to race for India on the international circuits of the world. When Yash took his first laps around the racetrack and participated in the JK Tyre Rotax Max Rookie Championship 2012, little did he know that he would be placed in the first position.
Ask him what attracted him to the fast track sport and he says, “When I was six years old, I told my dad that I want to be a racer. He then took me to a karting centre and trained me. After my win in National Rookie cup last year, I decided to take up karting very seriously. Akbar uncle, Armaan and Ayrton Senna are my inspiration.”
Under the able tutelage of his mentor, Indian racing legend Akbar Ebrahim, his continuing passion for the highly competitive sport is taking him places. About his other passions, Yash shares, “I am a very friendly person and am always happy. But I am also very serious and hard-working. I play tennis and that’s my other passion after karting, I watch a lot of sports on television and play a lot of video games like others my age. I also like to play and try out different sports.”
Talking about how challenging this sport is, Yash states, “Karting is a very demanding sport. It requires lot of physical fitness, endurance and reflexes. I like speed a lot and hence I got into it. As a child I always had a passion for speed.” Sharing a funny incident on the track, he adds, “In one of the training sessions, two new guys Mathew and Arjun were ahead of me and they kept looking back to see where I was. In the process, both of them got confused and drove into the mud and hit the tyre barrier.”
Amidst all the training and races, how does the young boy manage to find time for studies? “My school is very supportive, when I go to race and miss classes I get personal tuitions during the physical education periods. I complete my homework during the lunch break. I finish my lunch quickly and my parents also help me with the studies. My schedule is very tight; I get up at 6.30 am and leave for school by 7.45 and return at 3.30 pm. From 4.30 to 6.30 I play tennis and do fitness exercises and from 7.30 onwards, I do a mix of studies and play.”
Undergoing extensive daily fitness regime that includes physical fitness, swimming and tennis under the guidance of Ronnie Sehgal, he follows a diet set by his nutritionist Ryan Fernando. His future plan is to “pursue motorsports seriously. My dream is to be a Formula 1 racer. I believe that ‘No dreamer is ever too small; no dream is ever too big’.”