Diana Pundole
Diana Pundole (born 15 August 1993)[1] is an Indian racing driver from Pune, Maharashtra.[2] She is the first Indian woman to win a National championship in the history of Indian motor sports where lady racing drivers compete on equal footing with male drivers.[3][4] She won the National title in the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2024 in the saloon cars class organised by Madras Motor Sports Club at the Madras International Circuit, near Chennai on 18 August 2024.[5][1]
Early life and education
[edit]Pundole was born into a Parsi family in Pune. She completed her M.A. in English in 2015.[6]
Career
[edit]In 2018, she started her racing career. She took part in the nationwide Talent Hunt for ‘Women in Motorsport’ organised by JK Tyres in Coimbatore. Out of about 200 participants, she was selected in the top six, who were given a fellowship for a free drive for one year in the JK Tyre National Racing Championship. She took part in the championship for two years in 2018 and 2019.[6] In 2021, she participated in the Volkswagen Polo Cup championship at Chennai and a year later, she made a big jump in 2023 to take part in the MRF Saloon Cars National Championship.[7] In 2024, she capped her six year journey winning the National Championship in Saloon cars, with multiple wins, fastest laps and pole positions.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Reporter, P. T. (24 August 2024). "'Diana Pundole Makes Motorsports History'". Parsi Times. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
- ^ "All about Diana Pundole, a teacher-turned-racer and why is she trending". The Times of India. 22 August 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
- ^ "Mother of two Diana Pundole breaks glass ceiling to win top Indian racing championship". gulfnews.com. 3 September 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
- ^ "Diana Pundole from Pune Makes History as First Indian Female Driver to Win National Racing Championship Title - PUNE PULSE". 19 August 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
- ^ "Diana Pundole: The mother of two who became India's first female national racing champion - All about Diana Pundole: From Pune teacher to first woman car racer". The Economic Times. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
- ^ a b c "Against All Odds | How a girl named after Princess Diana battled loss to speed her way to top of the racing game". The Indian Express. 25 August 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
- ^ Santhosh, Aswathy (25 August 2024). "Diana Pundole: Fueled by passion and a heart for racing". thebridge.in. Retrieved 11 October 2024.