Memories of sitting on his father’s lap andmanoeuvring the car at the tender age of 12 are memories that are as fresh asthough they happened yesterday. This young lad’s uncontrollable urge to learnto tame the wheels beneath him made him learn the art of driving on his own, ata young age. But it was the adrenaline and the excitement of living on the edgethat revved his passion for rally motorsport.
Vaibhav saw a major turning point in hislife in 2005, when he participated in the go-karting race titled ‘Can You BeatIndia’s Fastest Driver?’ at Verna karting track alongside Narain Karthikeyanand beat his timings. In 2006, with financial aid from friends and family, heparticipated in his first Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) which washeld in Goa. Ironically, he went on to become the only Goan to have completedthe round and was felicitated for the same.
Vaibhav feels that there is a need toencourage young drivers by promoting motorsports in Goa. The idea of motorsportis pretty novel to Goa and a lot of awareness needs to be created to publicisethe sport further. The current lack of training facilities, coupled with adearth of sponsorship, is enough to discourage any budding talent. Vaibhavsays, “The cost involved in completing just one leg of the INRC with a rentedcar, including the entry fee and the transportation fee amounts to around Rs1,70,000. I have approached private companies and the sports authority of Goafor sponsorship, but the response has not been encouraging. I have not beenable to complete all the rounds because of financial constraints. I feel that fewpeople in Goa have what it takes to do well in the INRC. I think the governmentof Goa should develop infrastructure to spot talent from within the state. Ifwe have a rally track for practice and a sturdy financial support, Goa willhave a strong presence in rally motorsport in India.”
Vaibhav is living in hope that he willrealise his dream of participating in the INRC someday. He signs off, saying,“I have given myself two years to win the championship, and I know I will, makingGoa proud."
