Meet Kalyani Potekar — The fastest Indian woman motorcycle racer

Riding a motorcycle or bike has long been considered something which only men partake in. But, this perception has been slowly changing over the past few years. Leading this change of mindset in India is the 27-year-old Kalyani Potekar.

Hailing from the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, Kalyani Potekar is the fastest Indian motorcycle racer. She recently achieved this tag after completing a lap of the prestigious Budh International Circuit in just 2.08 minutes, going past her previous best of 2.16 seconds.

Taking up biking as a profession in India might not really be easy for most women in India, but Kalyani Potekar found the necessary support and encouragement from her father. In fact, it was her father who introduced her to the world of motorsports and taught her how to ride a bike when she was just 10-year-old!

During the final year of graduation in 2013, Kalyani successfully completed the 'Raid de Himalaya' - one of the toughest biking rallies in the world before switching to circuit racing.

She then completed her motorcycle-riding training from the California Superbike in 2017 and has since represented India in multiple international events.

While she did find massive support from her family to follow her dreams, Potekar did encounter her own share of criticism from various quarters in her career. From not being allowed to ride a particular bike due to her gender to getting schooled about how this is not a right profession for women, she faced it all.

Having taken up the sport when it was virtually non-existent, especially for women, in India, Kalyani Potekar has surely grown into an inspiration for many today.