16-year-old Shriya Lohia, a grade 11 student, hopes to make a mark in the formula racing motorsport arena one day. At the age of nine, Shriya began cruising at 110 kmph on go-karts; and by the time she was 15, she was whizzing past over 210 kmph at the Indian Formula 4 Championships.
Shriya’s passion for racing was planted during an early age family trip, where had a first-hand driving experience. Back in the day though she wasn’t chasing a dream or looking for a career, it was just a fun activity at a go-karting track.
Realizing her engrained desire to take up racing as a professional sport and set her on the path to success, her parents decided to leave no stone unturned. Over the past years, she has participated in multiple national and international karting championships as well as Formula 4 races.
Shriya is one of the few professional females racing drivers in India.
Unlike other sports, the training patterns and criteria for karting differ significantly. “Before you can participate in any championship, you have to train for two to three days before the event and then take part in it,” Lohia was quoted sharing in an interview.
Lohia balances her educational work with demands of racing and has overcome many hurdles in a highly male dominated sport. Her ambition to inspire more women to join the adventure sport and propel motor sports in India to newer heights has been nothing short of a far-fetched dream.
Hailing from a family of sports enthusiasts, Shriya has had to face a fair share of challenges too, but her determination always kept her grounded and focused on her target. With family backing, she was able to move from Pune to Bengaluru for advanced training facilities.
In 2018, Shriya made her debut with the Rotax Max India Karting Championship, finishing fourth in the Micro Max category. Later Lohia won the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India’s (FMSCI) Outstanding Women in Motorsports’ award for four consecutive years.
In 2023, her hard work made her the first-ever and youngest female to race and score points in the inaugural Indian F4 Championship, representing Hyderabad Blackbirds. With over 120 races and eight awards to her name, Shriya is gradually edging towards fulfilling her dream.
Shriya’s journey in motorsport has earned her notable accolades to date. She received the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar in 2022, an honour she describes as a milestone for her and the sport.
With every lap she completes and every barrier she breaks, she’s not just racing towards her dream but also inspiring a generation to challenge stereotypes. As an adolescent, her other hobbies include playing basketball, badminton, pistol shooting, cycling and strength training.
Shriya follows and supports different forms of motorsports, and her long-standing goal is to become one of India’s very few Formula One driver and bring laurels to her country, without being subjected to any form of gender bias or discrimination for being a woman racer.
By: Tulika Agarwal
