'Just believe in yourself': How 17-year-old Avani Veeramaneni is steering India’s future in motorsport

Under the harsh, shimmering heat of the racetrack, Avani Veeramaneni carries a magnetism that catches the eye before the engine even starts. At 17, she stands lean and steady, her posture disciplined, her presence calm in a space built on adrenaline. There’s an elegance in the way she tucks her helmet under her arm, a determination reflected in her sharp eyes, and a subtle steeliness beneath her soft smile. Avni looks like she was born to be here, not because the world carved this path for her, but because she willed it into existence.

Her journey into motorsport didn’t begin in a karting arena or from a lineage of racers. It began in the living room of her Hyderabad home, where her older brother played hours of racing simulators. She watched him navigate virtual circuits, absorbed his fascination for Gran Turismo, and felt an unexplainable pull. “My passion for motorsport started because of my brother,” she says simply in an exclusive conversation with WION during 28th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship. “He taught me how to drive a manual car before I ever touched a race car.”

At 15, while most teens were just trying to finish school assignments on time, Avani was searching the internet for opportunities in Indian motorsport, something she barely knew existed. Google searches led her to Ahura Racing, India’s pioneering all-women racing team. Suddenly, something impossible felt within reach. She signed up for their training program without any karting background, an unconventional beginning in a sport where karting is practically a rite of passage. “I came to the track with almost no real driving experience,” she laughs, remembering her awkward first sessions. “Everything I knew came from simulators.”

But talent alone doesn’t define a racer, discipline does. Under Ahura Racing, she trained relentlessly, took instructions with hungry focus, and began shaping her raw curiosity into skill. Yet as a young girl entering a male-dominated circuit, Avni immediately felt the weight of being an outsider. “I was one of the only girls on track. I saw the men staring. I knew they thought I didn’t belong,” she admits.

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But doubt never overshadowed her self-belief. “I knew in my heart I belonged here.” The physicality of the sport hit her hard. Racing isn't just about reflexes—it demands strength, neck stability, shoulder endurance, and total mental clarity. At 14 or 15, Avani was smaller than most competitors, and the aggression on track—often amplified by ego—left its scars. She crashed. She got injured. She experienced the chaos and the pushback. But she also learned the unspoken rules of motorsport: if you don’t assert yourself, you disappear.

“Men play with a lot of testosterone,” she says. “To match their level, I had to build my confidence, resilience, grit, everything.” She started pacing herself behind competitors, learning their patterns, forcing herself to finish races, and celebrating every small improvement. She trained harder off the track, often more than anyone else. She built muscle. She built mindset. And she built presence.

Off the track, Avani is surprisingly gentle, thoughtful, even self-effacing. She laughs easily, explains her experiences with nuance, and switches between humility and fierce ambition effortlessly. She spends hours with mechanics, reviews her GoPro footage with her coach, dissects every corner, every throttle input, every mistake. She exchanges insights with teammates, studying not just how she can improve but how the team can collectively get better.

Her support system is as tight as her race lines. Her mother grounds her emotionally, her father pushes her fitness, and her brother, jealous but secretly proud, watches every race and critiques her like a seasoned analyst. Balancing school with racing, however, remains a tiring duality. “Now my school understands that motorsport is a big deal,” she says. “They let me take leaves for my championships. But it’s still hard.”

Motorsport in India isn’t just niche, it’s expensive, misunderstood, and still struggling for mainstream attention. But things are shifting. Street circuits in Chennai, and soon Mumbai and Goa, have brought new excitement. International talent arriving for the Indian Racing League has created buzz. Celebrities showing up and sharing content online have helped shape a new narrative. “It’s definitely growing,” Avani says. “And having women on the grid inspires the younger generation.” She herself grew up watching Drive to Survive, falling in love with Lewis Hamilton’s dominance and calm charisma. But today, her favorite is Oscar Piastri. “I relate to his mindset the most,” she explains. “He’s humble, focused, consistent. He drives with a smile.” If she could choose a championship winner, she’d pick him.

One of the most defining moments of Avani's early career came during an endurance race last year. She was close to a podium when a sudden collision shattered her race—and her confidence. “That one second changed everything,” she says. “It broke me mentally.” But instead of retreating, she rebuilt. She woke up at 5 a.m. for gym sessions. She spent evenings on the simulator. She watched races, interviews, documentaries, and studied drivers like it was homework. She learned that even champions crash. Even champions get DNFs. Even champions fall.

It’s the comeback that counts. Today, as she stands on the cusp of bigger dreams, like the F1 Academy, she carries not just personal ambition but also the weight of representation. Girls across India are watching racers like Atiqa Mir, Shreya Lohia, and now Avani, to see what is possible. Ask her what she would say to the girls who want to chase motorsport but fear the roadblocks. Her answer is sharp, simple, and powerful, everything she is. “Just believe in yourself. Being a girl doesn’t mean you’re any less capable on the grid. You can match anyone mentally and physically. You just have to start," she signed off with a smile.