Live to race, race to win!

As Hyderabad is all set to host India’s first-ever street circuit race, which will begin today and end tomorrow (November 20), The Pioneer connects with Hyderabad’s very own motor racer, Anindith Reddy, who will be representing the Hyderabad Blackbirds along with the other team members. Anindith talks about his journey, his passion for motor racing, and the upcoming street circuit race in an exclusive interview with us.

Tejal Sinha

Hyderabad’s excitement is on cloud nine this weekend. And, why not? For the first time ever, the city of Nawabs will be hosting the Indian Racing League, a 2-day street circuit race that will begin today and end tomorrow (November 19 and November 20) and on December 10 and 11.

The street circuit race is a precursor to the upcoming Formula E race, slated for February 11, 2023. The league will feature 24 drivers, which includes both Indian and International drivers. There will be six teams, and each team will have four drivers. And, guess what? Every team has a spot reserved for a female driver. The six teams include the Bangalore Speedsters, Chennai Turbo Riders, Goa Aces, GodSpeed Kochi, Hyderabad Blackbirds, and Speed Demons Delhi.

Without further ado, we connect with the Hyderabad-based motor racer Anindith Reddy, who will be representing the Hyderabad Blackbirds team.

Ever since he was a kid, Anindith has always had a burning passion for cars and motor racing. Taking us through it, he says, “I don’t think there was just one thing that inspired me, but it was something that I wanted to do from a very young age. As much as I can remember, I really loved anything that moved fast, be it cycles, bikes, or cars, and I think it’s a natural progression because I think racing is the most extreme expression of any of these things. It was just something that I became very passionate about in my life.”

Anindith is the son of Joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals Sangita Reddy and Indian engineer, entrepreneur, and politician Konda Vishweshwar Reddy. He is the grandson of a cardiologist, who founded the first corporate chain of hospitals in India, the Apollo Hospitals, Prathap C. Reddy, and the great-grandson of the first Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Konda Venkata Ranga Reddy.

Being a graduate of mechanical engineering, the motor racer believes that the degree has been an advantage in his racing career. He says, “I think there are two ways where race car drivers become successful: learning from a court and spending a lot of time understanding what’s happening, and then the other one is truly putting your mind into it and understanding what’s happening, and then you have the opportunity to kind of teach yourselves. So I would definitely say that having a degree or understanding of how things work is beneficial to my racing career.”

In 2014, he had the opportunity to pursue his passion at a professional level. This was a dream come true for him, and he perused it with the highest level of seriousness.“In my debut year, I raced the Volkswagen Polo R and managed one pole position, multiple podiums, as well as winning the Rookie Championship. While I was pleased with this for my debut year, it only pushed me to aim higher the next year. It felt fantastic to compete against a lot of them who have been in this sport for quite a long time. So it felt good winning against them, and it was always onward and upwards from then on. I had won the rookie championship that year and then moved to formula car racing. I think it was right from that championship in 2014 that I knew this was something I’d love to do for the rest of my life,” the maestro says.

Anindith, like any other debutante, had no prior racing experience prior to his debut. However, it was his love for the sport and the track — that was something that’s always been there for him. He was a firm believer that he would surely be fast on the track. But “what most people don’t realise is that there’s a difference between just being fast on the track and actually racing. So those kinds of things you actually learn from experience and really putting your mind to what happens and things like that, but the experience is a big part of it.” It will be edge-of-your-seat excitement for viewers with the extended 2.7 km race track of “Hyderabad Street Circuit” set to unfold over the next few days at the scenic Hussainsagar promenade. The racetrack path is being laid around the NTR Gardens and passes in front of Prasads Multiplex, skirts the Indira Gandhi statue roundabout, and then passes in front of the Hussainsagar with a U-turn near the new Martyrs Memorial before taking a sharp turn around the NTR Gardens. Earlier, the route was supposed to be over 2.37 km with 12 turns. Now, the longer route will have 17 turns, according to officials working on the race track.

Being a Hyderabad-born athlete and representing his hometown yet again, Anindith is extremely excited about the upcoming race. To this, the Indian Touring Car Race winner and ITC Endurance KMS50 race winner says, “It’s super exciting, and you know more sports are coming over to our city in a big way. It’s also not a small event, but it’s one of the first times a street racing circuit has been introduced to the country. It’s definitely going to be a fabulous event, and it’s really exciting. I think it’s phenomenal. Hyderabad actually has a rich history of motorsports, so it’s just that in the last 15 years there hasn’t been much in the city. But prior to the 1990s, there were lots of rallies. So it’s nice to see more sports coming back to Hyderabad, and I hope the sports catch on and that we will soon have a permanent racing circuit in the city.”

It was even in the X1 Racing League in 2019 when the FMSCI Motorsport Person of the Year represented Hyderabad and has been associated with the team. “The league was a fantastic format. Obviously, at that time, there was a draft, and I really didn’t mind which team I would join. But I definitely preferred representing my hometown. So, in 2019, I drove for the team, and we had some good races, but also some bad luck. So it’s good to be back with the Hyderabad Blackbirds this year, and we hope to get a better result.”

Wrapping up the interview, multiple podiums and a class winner have a message for the budding racers. “First, do your research and approach it in a professional manner. A lot of people who like racing intend to do it on the streets, but I would encourage them to do it in a more responsible way. There are lots of racing schools out there now that they can approach, and that would be the best way to build their career; there will be lots of ups and downs, and it’s not an easy sport to pursue, but believe in yourself and follow your dreams,” he signs off.