When one thinks or talks about Bike racing, the first name that may come to your mind could be that of Italian Moto GP champion Valentino Rossi, who has scorched the tracks for several years and clinched as many as 7 World titles in a decorated career.
But we in India too have someone whom we can proudly call our own Superbike champion and is on his way to perhaps clinching yet another title in Malaysia soon enough.
Rajini Krishnan has been competing in the circuit for close to 15 years and has won the National Road Racing title a whopping 9 times, a record that he and all of us can be mighty proud of, and is also the first Indian to win an overseas motorcycle racing championship.
However, the journey to becoming a champion wasn’t as rosy as you thought it would be. After losing his father at the age of 15, Krishnan found little support from his mother and other family members with regards to his ambitions of becoming a professional rider.
“Actually, I didn't receive any support from my mother or any of my other family members. My father passed away when I was 15 years old. I come from a middle-class family and bike riding, as you know is quite an expensive sport.
“I have a small business in the form of an automobile shop. Whatever earnings I get out of there I used it for my racing,” Krishnan told Sportskeeda in an interview.
There were two turning points in Krishnan’s life that gave a big boost to his Superbike career. The first of them was when automobile giant TVS gave him an opportunity to ride their bikes and second came when he clinched the 2006 Malaysian Championships in the 150cc category.
“I rode privately for two years. In the first year, I couldn’t win because of a lack of experience. But my second year I won the title(domestic) and following that win, TVS got in touch with me and they gave me a chance to ride their smaller bikes.
“I rode their bikes for 5 years and then moved abroad in 2006. It was very difficult to find sponsorships at the time. But with the help of some friends, I participated in the 2006 Malaysian Championships in the 150cc category and then won the Championships in that category, which I feel was the turning point as people started to recognise me,” he said.
But Krishnan felt that the Malaysia title as well as a few other triumphs a few years later still didn’t help him fetch any big sponsorships that he had hoped he would get.
“Two years later I moved to the 600cc category I rode in the Asian Championships, then participated in Qatar. But despite those exploits, I still found it difficult to get sponsorships. All through the year I find it hard to get sponsorships because I don’t get any support in India. When I win an international event, I return back but still don’t get any support,” he added.
When asked about what he felt about the present Superbike scene in India, Krishnan said that while he was optimistic, the high prices of both the bike as well as the accessories could be a hindrance for many an ambitious rider.
“I think we are moving in the right direction. But once again as I said earlier, the sport is quite expensive. The bike is costly and the other accessories are not easy to buy and if there is very little support from the manufacturers then it becomes ever more difficult,” he said.
On asked if he had any message for the supporters, he said, “Look there is a lot of talent for Superbike, but there is not enough support. I feel there are people who have the capability to go and ride at the Moto GP as well. So all I want to say is support the sport as it has a lot of potential in the future as well,”.
We request you to dig deep and amplify the voice of Rajni Krishnan. Share our story, contribute to our campaign (https://www.ketto.org/rajinikrishnan) and spread the word. So let’s make it happen!
