MARGAO
Olesya V Dias from Maina Curtorim has been riding and racing motorbikes since early age and now competes in dirt bike racing.
"I try to hold my own against the girls and I race hard, I race fast and most of all I have fun," Olesya says. "I love the feeling of being at the gates and racing other competitors... You've got to remain focused and just twist the throttle on."
Speedway is an oval-shaped dirt track and riders complete four laps on bikes that reach up to 80 kilometres per hour with no brakes and no gears. Instead, riders "drift" around corners.
"My main goal is to go and race in the the race. So I've been trying my best just to get as many wins as I can," said Oleysa. "My friends think I'm crazy, but they also think I'm amazing at what I do," she says. "It's really hard not being able to hang out with them on the weekend, but I'm committed to my sport and I love racing."
Oleysa started offroad training in Dubai with a session at MX Academy under South African rider Joshua Brodalka in 2018. There was a gap after which I didn't get to ride. In 2020, I invested in my second training session in Kuwait, the country where I grew up," Olesya
It was a 3-day training session with a Redbull athlete Mohammed Jaffar, who is also a KTM factory rider of Kuwait and has his own training school. This training consisted mainly of desert terrain. "After attending the session, I purchased a new dirt bike, Husqvarna FC250. Once I had my own bike I started practising alone, consistently and with discipline. I even started training much more in the gym," she revealed.
I practised mostly alone for an entire year and then moved to Goa in July 2021. "The girls racing these days are incredibly talented and it's really nice to see girls and women given their titles for their hard work," Olesya said. "A lot goes into making a champion, including family support and dedication," she said referring to her father Salvador Dias (Salu) and mother Olinda Rebelo.
Regarded as the fastest woman in the State, Olesya's love for machines is evident. For her, life changed when she finished on the podium in the Hero National Dirt Challenge in Jaipur which was her first national championship. Olesya's aim is to win national level TVS Drag race. For now, she is preparing for the MRF MOGRIP Super Cross round 5 National Championship 5 to be held on November 13.
