Unperturbed by injuries, Honda rider Rajiv hopes to make it big in two-wheel racing

From a broken knee to a dislocated hip, Rajiv Sethu has suffered severe injuries on the circuit but each wound has strengthened the Honda rider's resolve to reach the pinnacle of two-wheel racing.

The Chennai rider, who represents Idemitsu Honda Racing India by T Pro Ten10, became the first Indian to race in the Asia Production 250cc Class of the Asian Road Racing Championship in 2017.

He had an impressive outing at the 2018 Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC)final in Chang International Circuit here, finishing 13th in race one and thereby claiming his first international points in the AP 250cc class.

Inspired by his elder brother S Sivanesan who rides for TVS, the 21-year-old's career started off with a disaster. He broke his wrist in his maiden race in 2014.

"It was just the beginning as in last two years I've had injuries to my knee, wrists shoulder, and a hip dislocation that had kept me out for nearly two months. But every time I come out stronger," Rajiv told PTI on the sidelines of the final round of 2018 ARRC here.

The first race of 14 laps around Malaysia's famed Sepang International Circuit was a steep learning curve for Rajiv and the 17-year-old let his nerves get the better of him.

He crashed out of the race in the opening weekend, subsequently missing the rest of the competition owing to injuries.

But having come through wiser after that challenge, Rajiv has added a few feathers to his racing cap.

In 2017, he became the national champion in the Pro Stock 165cc category of the Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship and followed it up with a first runner-up finish at the Honda CBR 250 Cup.

"The injuries have in fact made me stronger and more determined," Rajiv said, outlining his goal of making it to the top five of the ARRC and Spanish Championship so he qualifies for the world championship.

"The ultimate aim is to reach the world championship. I don't want to lose hope. I will keep fighting, work for it more and more. I will fight hard."
"Initially my mother was not supporting. My brother was into racing and he was not shining. She thought it would be a bad move because I had even stopped studying because of races. After seeing a couple of podiums, and newspaper articles she was quite happy and gave me full freedom."