Ajith Kumar opens up on when his passion for racing started

Chennai, May 20 (IANS) Actor Ajith Kumar, who has been doing the country proud in the world of motorsport and who is currently in Europe, blazing away to glory, has now disclosed how and where he picked up the passion for motorsport.

In an interview to Mashable, the actor, while replying to a question on where and how his passion for racing was born, said, "My first exposure to motor sport happened when I was probably five or six years old in the mid to late seventies. My late father P S Mani, who was in the pharmaceutical industry, worked for a Mumbai- based company. One of his managing directors, there were three of them and one of them whom we used to call Vimal uncle used to race for Vijay Mallya's team. He was very closely associated with a person whom I knew as Chewy uncle, who was one of the leading Tuners. So, you know now where it started."

The actor went on to say that as a kid, he would look forward to the first two weeks of February. "We would come back from school and have a quick meal and come down. The mechanics would make us a part of... you know like probably give us these engine blocks, to get the carbon tape and give us a petroleum brush.And that's how it started for us. We would sit in the car and pretend that we were race car drivers. We would try to shift gears when it was static. That is where racing started. Somewhere deep down I think I always wanted to pursue or become a race car driver. We were also into motorcycles. I started riding motorcycles very early in life. So it was either motorcycles or four wheelers but I always wanted to be in a race car on a race track and that is how it started."

When asked about his idol in the racing world, Ajith said, "My favourite person, who, like you say, I idolise, is Ayrton Senna."

For the unaware, Ajith is not only racing but is also the owner of the team Ajith Kumar Racing. Ajith's other teammates who participate with him in races are Mathieu Detry, Fabian Duffieux and Cameron McLeod. Ajith’s team has roped in Bas Koeten Racing as its technical and logistical partner.

The actor's team began the year on a winning note, emerging third in the 991 category of the 24H Dubai 2025. The actor and his racing team recently emerged third in the intensely contested 12H Mugello car racing event in Italy. He and his team followed it up with a third podium finish at the Creventic Endurance Race held at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, in the Porsche 992 GT3 Cup category, where they secured the second place.

--IANS

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