India’s Top Women Rally Driver- Inspiring Mom Bani Yadav.

Women today are not only confined to stay till kitchen. We firmly believe in flying high and breaking all kind of stereotypes. Each mother around me is an inspiring soul. Yes, We are back with an inspiring motherhood journey of Bani Yadav.

Bani Yadav is the country’s top Woman rallyist. She is the only woman in India to have won – The Asia Cup of The Indian Rally Championship ( IRC )as 1st in women’s category in 2015,1st in Class 2000, 3rd in class Asia, 4th in Asia Pacific Rally Cup, 4th in Coffee DAY rally competing against men.

Bani is also the only woman in India to Win the 2nd position in IRC in Rally De North in 2016 creating history.
She has been awarded “The TOPMOST Woman Rallyist OF The Year” Award for 2016 -17, by International Association of Educators for World Peace ( Affiliated to United Nations ) at the World Women Empowerment Summit in Delhi in July 2017.

Bani Yadav has been awarded The Outstanding Woman in Motorsports for Rallying for 2016, which is one of the highest Honour in Motorsports in India given by the Top governing body of Motorsports – The Federation of Motorsports Club of India or FMSCI as it is called. She is the first woman in India to get this award for Rallying.
Bani won the Overall 3rd Position amongst the men and leading amongst the women in the National Ranking for over 1650cc category in the Maruti Suzuki National Autocross championship 2016, where the best & the top drivers from across the country were fighting for the top honors.

Bani is the 1st woman in India to drive formula 4 cars outside of India at the Abu Dhabi Yas Marina Circuit. She has been Awarded the Woman’s Achievers Award by Amity University for the Year 2016. She has been a speaker for the United Nations HEFORSHE Campaign in India.
Bani Yadav has been breaking records and stereotypes of women. Bani is counted among the top rally drivers of the country today. Bani has been increasing her portfolio by taking part in various formats of rallying like the Cross-country rallies, autocross events, IRC championship and TSD events. She has now started her foray into formula 4 cars also.
Bani burst onto the rally scene in 2013 at the age of 43 and started her journey with small track events. Soon she went on to become the only woman in India to win all major rally titles in the women’s category.
Bani has been the winner in women’s category of Maruti Suzuki Raid De Himalaya, Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm, Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare, IRC – Asia Cup, IRC – Rally De North, Ultimate Desert Challenge, which are by far the toughest rallies which are held in the country. Maruti Suzuki Raid De Himalaya is counted as amongst the most difficult rallies of the world as it is the only rally which happens at the highest altitude and with the some of the most dangerous tracks. Bani has been winning innumerable autocross events in various categories across the country. She loves to compete amongst the men, proving that women are no less.
So, Now let us hear from Bani about she being a mom.

Bani Yadav is a mom and here she shares her motherhood journey with us.

I am a proud mother of 2 grown up boys aged 24 & 18. The journey started when I was blessed with Karan in 1994 and Arjun in 1999. A working mother always has double the pressure to not only be an excellent working professional besides being a loving mother, caring wife, and a responsible family member. My kids are my strength. Becoming a mother has made me complete. Motherhood is an adventure, a journey, and a divine calling. The joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times, but amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction. My kids are my reflections and as a mother, I have learned to see the world through my children’s eyes.

Bani Yadav as a Professional. Here she shared her professional side with us.

Motorsports is a passion which I have pursued to fulfill my desire to be in an extreme sport. My Professional career has been equally rewarding. I work with a Telecom Giant and they have always been my strong support. Motorsports has brought me laurels and recognition in a man’s sport. Winning the Asia Cup of IRC championship in 2015 in the Woman’s category was a high point besides winning the Second position in Rally De North – IRC Championship in 2016 in the men’s category.

We all know Bani Yadav as a top rally driver from India. How did this start? Share a little about your first race and how this turned into your passion?

Speed is something which has always thrilled me since I was a Kid. I have been always in awe of my father’s driving and grew up seeing him drive. I just picked up my passion from Him. I did my first race completely on the insistence of my husband in 2013 and after that, there has been no looking back. I have just been hooked on to it! Completely Addicted !!!!!

Being a Rally driver, you need to stay fit physically and emotionally. What do you do to stay fit? Share your fitness mantra for inspiring other mums like me.

Fitness is always a must irrespective which sports you are in. I start my day early around 4:00 am come summer, winter rain or sunshine. I start with taking my dogs for a walk where I play with them in the park. Next in line are my cats who really make me run behind them. I am in sync with nature and its many moods right in the morning and that is one of my energizing factors. This is what I call my ME time. Starting early helps me to plan my day well and I am able to pack in so many more things to do.
I truly believe it is very important to have at least 30 mins every day as ME time to be at peace with yourself and to discover your inner self.

I as a rule never overeat. I will always eat less then what makes me feel satiated. This way I am never lethargic. I take small meals/food after every 2 hours and this keeps my metabolism really good and my body is quickly recharged again. I also keep a steady flow of liquids is it water, juices or shakes. Eat for the body you want not for the body you have.

I am sure you must have faced challenges in your initial days, what is the kind of support that you got from your family, husband, and kids.

Entering an extreme sport is not an easy task for anyone without the support of the family. My husband has always been my rock solid support and backing for me to pursue my passion in motorsports. He has always taken on the responsibility of the house when I am in rallies, this way I can completely focus on the sport. You cannot be a performer if your attention is diverted. My kids also understood my need for speed and my hearts calling and backed me wholeheartedly in their own ways. My boys have always been very hands-on in terms of taking care of themselves as well as the house, which is a huge blessing in disguise.

Its a man’s sport and it has been an uphill task to find my footing in it but till one roughs it out you can not conquer mountains and that’s how I have tried to do it.

Balance- This interview will be incomplete without knowing your mantra to balance work, life, and your passion. How do you manage all from being a mum, wife and a rally driver?

One needs to be always multitasking and I guess women are born with this skillset. we just need to hone it to perfection. I do think it is extremely important to not live a monotonous life, there should always be something more to you than the routine. we all have some hidden passions, talents, desires which we as women keep pushing it to the back. One must embark on the journey to explore oneself also. We need to break the personal limits and jump to grab the first opportunity which comes.

I just keep prioritizing on a daily basis and things fall into place. Every day is a new jigsaw and I keep playing it. The pain of losing is less than the pain of quitting, so I never stop.

How does rallying affect a person’s overall personality? Especially if she is a woman, How do you sustain the difficult phases of rallying?

Rallying teaches you to focus. I pursue the extreme form of motorsports and It’s a game where a split second of lack of concentration can be matter of life and death. One nanosecond can cost me a position. It makes you more patient, helps you to deal with extreme situations and mostly you are on your own. It makes you emotionally strong to be able to handle crisis situations like an accident, a breakdown of the vehicle, adverse climatic conditions and be alone in miles and miles of wilderness. It teaches you to hand over the thread of your life to your co-driver and be responsible for your co driver’s well being also. Rally imbibes in you the importance of teamwork even under extreme situations.

A woman surely finds it more difficult biologically than a man to sustain this kind of physical endurance but then one learns to train our bodies to listen to our minds. I do not play the woman game by the rules, I am in a man’s sport and play to beat the men. My motto is
” Work until your Idols become your Rivals “

Please share your future events you planned to attend.

I am planning to do the next years complete Asia Pacific Rally Championship rounds. Besides this looking forward to doing various cross country rallies which are scheduled in this year.

Here are some tips for our reader mom’s who wish to be a rally driver from Bani Yadav.

It is never too late to start, age is just a factor, I started at the age of 43 years when most people settle down into a relaxed lifestyle. Discover yourself now.

The greatest prison people live in is the fear of what other people will think. If I had cared I would never have known what I was missing, life would have just passed me by.

Last but not the least how does it feel when young girls come to you and say I wish to be like you. What advice or tip you give them?

It is extremely satisfying to see young girls who want to be apart of this sport, it validates my efforts to bring more women into a man’s sports and that I have been able to positively impact the girls. Do not be intimidated by thinking what can I do alone, remember you came alone in this world, nobody has ever achieved anything sitting in the confine of their comfort zones. Live a life which has no regrets.

Something which I would say to every woman ” Be A girl with a mind, A woman with an attitude and A lady with a class.”

For Ladies who are wanting to join this sport and are clueless of what to do next, you can always reach out to me, I am on a mission to promote women into motorsports through my initiative called Motor Missy – Drive with Bani

 

Bani Yadav – Indeed an inspiring Mom and her personality boost motivation in today’s women to celebrate her womanhood each second and in every phase. I thank you so much Bani Yadav for sharing your adventurous and thrilling journey with us. We wish you all the best for future 🙂 !

I am sure her story must have given you goosebumps. You can checkout more about Bani Yadav here.

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