Living life in the fast lane is a thrill experienced by a very exclusive club of Indian racers. From Narain Karthikeyan, Karun Chandhok, Jehan Daruvawala and now Parth Ghorpade, motorsport may not be synonymous with the Indian subcontinent, but India is brimming with talent, waiting to showcase their skills if given the right platform and guidance.

In an exclusive interview with SPOGO, Indian motorsport driver Parth Ghorpade speaks about how he got involved with the sport, the various challenges that he faced, winning the F3 Car Test at the Ferrari Driver Academy, motorsport idols and memorable events, elevating Indian racing and future goals!

Q 1) You come from Kolhapur which isn't exactly a motorsporting city so how did your interest in this sport grow?

I always had a love for cars and used to watch Formula 1 races with my dad when I was a kid and there was actually a small rental track in Kolhapur. My dad also had a thing for cars and races which is why we started going to the track more and more often and it just clicked. That’s where it all started, because of a small go-to location in Kolhapur.

Q 2) What are the biggest challenges a racing driver has to overcome in order to pursue this sport professionally in India

Unlike Europe, the United States or other countries, India does not have many facilities for racing. The level of the sport is a lot higher in other countries and the facilities are a lot more sophisticated and professional as motorsport is one of their main sports. As those facilities don’t exist here, I had to go for testing to Europe and that was one of the main challenges that I faced. It’s an expensive process so funding was another challenge that I faced in my journey.

Q 3) Tell us about your experience winning the F3 car test at the Ferrari Driver Academy?

I got the drive because I won the Asian title at the Formula Pilota Championship. It’s a small track but Formula 1 cars are tested there and Maranello and Fiorano is the home of Ferrari so it’s a legendary circuit where every race car driver wants to test drive and be a part of that team. It was quite a good experience, the way they work and their facilities are amazing and it’s a dream come true to be at the homeground of one of the best Formula 1 teams in the world.

Q 4) Who were some of your motorsport idols while you were growing up? Which has been your most memorable race or victory so far?

There is an idol that I look up to but he’s not there with us anymore, his name is Ayrton Senna. Unfortunately, he passed away when I was a kid, but I used to see his videos because of my dad who also followed Formula 1. He’s one of the legends and he will always be my favourite. The most memorable moment for me would be the race in Sepang, Malaysia. It was the last race of the Asian Championship which started off with completely dry weather which then became a thunderstorm. Hardly any cars managed to finish that race because it was pouring and one of the drivers, Antonio Giovinazzi on the grid is now in Formula 1. That was one of the most memorable races I have ever had in my career so far.

Q 5) How much of a change has the Indian Grand Prix brought in the motor sporting ecosystem of India?

Right now, the Indian Grand Prix is not there but when they were it was a huge pickup for Indian motorsports and people came to know about it. Even though it had an impact, we need more tracks to come up and get some life back into motorsport in India.

Q 6) What are the areas you think India needs to address in order to elevate the level of India motorsports to that of Europe?

India needs more go-karting tracks, because that’s the best way to get more individuals to start racing. There needs to be more racing tracks as well, there is one in Chennai and another in Coimbatore but it would make it easier for Indian racers to do what they do in Europe right here in India instead of travelling all the way for testing. These would make a big difference to Indian motorsports.

Q 7) What are you next looking forward to and how do you plan to achieve your goals?

The last two years have just been deleted because of the pandemic but I’m looking forward to doing the Asian Le Mans and then the plan is to go to Europe for the European Le Mans. I also want to progress to the World Endurance Championship because it has more openings that helps you earn earlier compared to Formula 1 and single seaters. We just need to keep our heads high and do what we do best, work around this pandemic and keep moving on.