16-year-old races ahead to fulfil childhood dream

BENGALURU: All children put curious questions to their parents, and Yash Aradhya was no different, though his queries used to be different for a six-year-old. He would ask questions about cars, and the sight of the vehicle in a magazine would hook him to the page. When Yash was eight, he started training in the go karting circuit.

The student of Bishop Cotton Boys’ School started his motorsports career at nine, under the guidance of Akbar Ebrahim and made his debut in JK Tyre MMS Rotax Max Karting Championship India and was titled Vice Champion Rookie in Micro category. In a seven-year career, he has set the motorsport track ablaze with his performances, reaching 59 podium finishes and winning 13 National Championship titles.
Now, the 16-year-old is making his international Formula 4 debut in Thailand, starting Saturday. The FIA Formula-4 South East Asia consists of 10 rounds, with four races in each round. Out of the 10, points of eight rounds are calculated to the Championship. Yash, however, could not compete in the first two rounds in Malaysia last month, which clashed with his Class 10 board exams.

“I know that missing the first two rounds will make it difficult for me. Now every single race in the next eight rounds matters a lot. I don’t have an option to drop any round, and neither can a single round go bad,” Yash, who left for Thailand on Tuesday, told CE.

He was well supported by his school, and could skip exams till he was in Class 8. But he started focussing on academics too in the ninth and tenth grade. “I was missing the tracks, but I knew that exams were also important,” said Yash.