This Rajini is a racing superstar

K Rajini

Adversity and success are strange bedfellows. Wherever man is faced with adversity, human determination comes to the fore to meet the challenge and eventually triumphs. From an auto mechanic to the fastest Indian on two wheels, K. Rajini has turned every bump on the road into a stepping stone to success. An elementary school dropout, Rajini, was shouldering the burden beyond a 16-year-old’s capacity. After the demise of his father, Rajini was sweating it out at his family-run auto lining workshop to make ends meet. Back then, racing was the least of his priorities.
However, a trip with a friend to the Irungattukot-tai race track, near Chennai, changed Rajini’s life for ever. “I fell in love with the sound of the revving engines. I started training on my own and the money I earned from the workshop paid for my racing pursuits. Had I continued with the auto lining work, I’m sure I would have made more money. But racing has given me a new identity,” said Rajini, who is a force to reckon with in the national championships with 10 titles already to his credit.
Rajini was an instant success at the race track. His fearlessness and hunger to achieve more saw him defeat his rivals effortlessly. After his stunning show in 2003, Rajini was signed up by TVS Racing for a two-year contract, which proved to be the turning point of his career. Till date, Rajini is the only Indian to get onto the podium at the Asian Road Racing Championship, the continent’s premier two-wheeler event.
With great difficulty, Rajini managed to come up with Rs 4 lakh, the participation fee for the 2006 Malaysian Super Series, where he won the Kawasaki Cup. India is the largest producer of two-wheelers, but the auto industry has done little to support this motor sport. “In other countries, being part of racing is a vital part of marketing. In the Indian national championship, TVS has been the sole factory-run team for more than a decade. The quality of racing will improve only when there is more competition. We drastically need the involvement of large brands like Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki in the racing arena,” said the 31-year-old Rajini.
With organisers of the i1 Series planning a “Super Bike” league next year and Moto GP set to foray into India, Rajini is keeping his fingers crossed. “i1’s initiative of the franchisee system such as the IPL will surely improve bike racing in India. We have been craving for television coverage, which is very important to take the sport to the masses,” he added. Like every biker, Rajini’s ultimate goal is to compete in MotoGP. “I need Rs 5.5 crore to complete a season in Moto2 (600cc). With the Indian GP drawing a lot of attention, I am hopeful of soliciting the help of some sponsors,” he said.