From Wobbles to Wins — A Racer’s Journey in India | Aishwarya Pissay | TEDxDYPAkurdi | Aishwarya Pissay

Video Description from YouTube:

Aishwarya Pissay, the first Indian woman to win a World Championship in motorsport on two wheels, shares her inspiring journey while shedding light on the true nature of motorsports. She begins by describing her unconventional entry into racing, marked by limited resources and lack of formal training. Without access to professional academies or even her own motorcycle, she relied on determination. In her first race, she borrowed a bike, received tyres the night before, and reached just in time—learning that true desire always finds a way.

As the only woman competing among more than sixty men, she had no role models to follow. Instead, she chose to become one. She emphasizes that motorsport does not recognize gender—it values skill, focus, and performance.

Her journey included major setbacks. Failing her 12th-grade exams made her question her future, but she turned failure into motivation. In 2017, after a serious accident, she returned within a week and won. A life-threatening crash in Spain in 2018 further tested her resilience, but she used recovery time to plan her comeback.

Aishwarya also highlights that motorsports demand discipline, strategy, and intense physical and mental training. She concludes that success comes from consistency, teamwork, and belief, encouraging everyone to find their own “helmet”—a purpose that drives them forward despite uncertainty. Aishwarya Pissay is an Indian motorcycle racer in road racing and cross-country rally, and the first Indian to win a motorsport world title with the 2019 FIM Bajas World Cup (women’s), also placing runner-up in juniors that year. A multi-time national champion, she holds seven FMSCI National titles, including consecutive Indian National Rally Championship wins from 2017 to 2022, and early one-make crowns ith Honda and TVS. She became TVS Racing’s first woman factory rider in 2017 and the first Indian woman to compete at Baja Aragón in 2018, expanding to international rally-raid events. In 2025, she became the first Asian and Indian woman to win her class at the W2RC BP Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal, reinforcing her trailblazing status in global rally-raid competition. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx