India’s upstart youngster, Anushriya Gulati, has been an all-round sports person since her early days. With a national representation in shooting and state representation in basketball for Uttarakhand, she’s got an ensemble fit for a thrill-seeker. Her love for motorcycles is unparalleled and makes her an eager adventurer. That’s why India’s comet on the national tarmac, ventures beyond borders, to the Formula Woman finals in the UK which has been a prestigious platform from 16 years focused on kick starting and find the next female motor racing champion of the world. The Indian assessment was conducted in Nov 2021 and Anushriya was one of the finalist to make the cut. The Formula Woman was founded by Graeme Glew, a motorsport consultant 30+ years experience in professional racing, sponsorship and hospitality. Graeme started Formula Woman with an aim to create an opportunity for women who could only dream of becoming a racing driver to actually enter the competition and have a go.
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Anushriya’s endeavour begins across our borders and in front of the world as she travels this week to be a part of the Formula Woman Championship in the UK. Formula Woman was a successful motor racing competition back in 2004, where thousands of women of all ages and from different walks of life entered to see if they had what it took to become a racing driver.
3500 women were assessed at race tracks across the UK and 100 finalists took part in a three day shoot out to find 16 racers who then went on to compete in the first ever Formula Woman Championship. The winners of this year’s competition will receive a fully sponsored McLaren GT4 seat in the 2022 GT Cup Championship. The multi layered assessment is based on driving, karting, reflexes, physical fitness, data analysis, written test and media test. Expressing her excitement to be part of the global event Anushriya said “I have been training very hard for this event both mentally andphysically and working constantly on my racing skills as I compete against the best in the world. I am equally excited to participate in Formula Woman as it’s a great platform to promote the community of women motor sports globally”
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Anushriya started making a name for herself driven by her passion for motorcycles. In 2017 she completed 1,00,000 KMS on a ride to the Southern H.O.G.® Rally 2017. This adventure earned her the title of the first female rider to achieve the same and Anushriya has reached a H.O.G.® mileage of 1,60,000 kmsalready along with being the first female rider to reach Khardung La, Ladakh the highest motorable road in the world. She attempted and successfully completed the Harley Davidson ‘Big 5’ challenge for 5 consecutive years (2015-2019) only female to do it for five consecutive years along with completing the Harley-Davidson ‘21/365’ challenge for 2 years. Anushriyain February 2022 attained a rare achievement at Hero MotoCorp’s 1.74 km, 45 degree banked oval track at the Centre for Innovation and Technology on a Harley-Davidson Sportster S to ride the furthest any motorcycle has ever has gone in 24 hours in India. She also is the youngest and only female coach amongst the 4 certified coaches at Harley-Davidson Riding Academy in partnership with auto car.
However, this daredevil needed more. Her desire led her off the rough track and onto the smooth tarmac, on four wheels. The rare double champion won the trophy in two categories of the JK-Tyre-FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship which takes place at Kari Motor Speedway, Coimbatore Tamil Nadu. She made her debut with MRF F1600 with JA Motorsport at the Madras Motorsport Racetrack in Chennai.
Anushriya says, "It's the thrill of every turn that keeps me hooked. I really love being active and I think it's my biggest asset." On her achievement she humbly added, "I think I pour my heart out on the track. I give it my best and despite most challenges, I'm happy to take the prize back home."Having been shortlisted for this championship, Anushriya sets off, on yet another adventure, with her determination and zeal to conquer the tarmac abroad!
