Rally Raid
Meet Deepti and Shivani Pruthvi, the mother-daughter rally racing duo
Just what spurs a mother-daughter duo to compete at the top level of Indian rallying? We followed Shivani and Dr Deepti at the first round of the 2019 Indian National Rally Championship to find out.
Motorsports in India is full of interesting stories and fascinating people.
Passion is a factor that is found across the board, but a few unique aspects usually set some racers out from the rest.
At the South Indian Rally – the first round of the 2019 Indian National Rally Championship – Indian motorsports got one of its most unique stories in the form of a mother-daughter racing pair.
Shivani and Deepti Pruthvi pose with their rally car
© Srinivasa Krishnan
The duo is Shivani Pruthvi as the pilot and her mother Dr Deepti Pruthvi as navigator, competing in a Mitsubishi Cedia in the INRC3 category. They were also the only all-women pair to compete at the first round of the rally championship which was conducted at Chennai’s Madras Motor Race track and adjoining run-off and service areas.
They go over the road book together
© Srinivasa Krishnan
Shivani began racing in 2018 when she participated in Volkswagen Motorsport India’s Ameo Cup and joined India’s first all-women racing team, Ahura Racing. Since then, she’s won the Sprint de Bengaluru, been India’s first female racer at the Asia Auto Gymkhana championship, and has many other credits to her name. Not bad considering she got her first lessons in racing from her father just two years ago as a 19-year-old.
The mother-daughter duo preparing for the recce
© Srinivasa Krishnan
Shivani’s father is BS Pruthvi, a well-known racer in Bengaluru’s racing circuit, and a local legend for having completed the last 60 kilometres of a local club rally on a flat rear tyre in 1992.
As a child growing up in Chikmagalur, Pruthvi would watch rally stages pass by his house. His passion for motorsports grew as he watched some of the country’s best rally drivers in action. He entered his first local rally at the age of 16 and managed to finish on the podium. Through the 1990s, he participated in many local and national rally championships – on two wheels and four – before giving up racing to focus on his family and the family business.
Shivani consults her father, BS Pruthvi, about the road book
© Srinivasa Krishnan
Having been an off-road racer, Pruthvi was perfectly placed to train Shivani for autocross and rallying when she approached him for coaching two years ago. He initially trained Shivani on an open field near their home in Davangere, where they store cement water pipes manufactured by the family business.
Deepti makes changes to the road book with inputs from Pruthvi and Shivani
© Srinivasa Krishnan
Shivani is a medical student in her fourth year of MBBS; taking up academically after her mother who also holds an MBBS degree and is a professor of pathology. Shivani told her father that she couldn’t just sit with her books and so took up racing for some excitement. It seemed the logical choice since he had the vehicles at home and the know-how.
Shivani and Deepti say being able to communicate easily works well for them
© Srinivasa Krishnan
When Shivani decided to participate in rallies this year, Pruthvi sought a navigator to co-pilot her car. Unfortunately, her lack of experience in the sport meant that no one was willing to take up the offer. On one of their morning walks together, Pruthvi turned to his wife and suggested that she be the navigator.
“[Shivani and my] combination had always worked, so it made perfect sense,” said Deepti about how she agreed to be the navigator for her daughter.
Shivani and Deepti keep it light-hearted during race weekends
© Srinivasa Krishnan
Pruthvi initially trained Deepti for the time-speed-distance events, but Shivani’s decision to participate in INRC meant Deepti would have to learn the ropes of cross-country rallying as well.
“I learnt to make the pace notes and read the road books,” said Deepti about the early training she got from Pruthvi.
Action during the first round of the Indian National Rally Championship
© Srinivasa Krishnan
The mother-daughter duo says they find it convenient to work with each other since they have a good understanding. They went on the recce together, made the pace notes and kept perfecting them throughout the day. Communication has been very straightforward for them, given their relationship.
For Shivani, having her mother in her team also means she gets more benefits than other racers in the field, including some motherly love and care. When Shivani tuned into her competitive mode for the rally, she forgot to eat lunch. So Deepti brought over a meal and fed her to make sure she was taken care of.
When Shivani forgets to eat, her mother is on hand to feed her
© Srinivasa Krishnan
With Pruthvi also there to support them, the race weekend becomes like a family road trip. And Pruthvi’s support has been constructive too. On Day 1 of the rally, Shivani and Deepti were given a penalty for a mistake by an oversight during the rally stages. Pruthvi was seen consoling them to keep up their spirits for the next day’s stages.
Pruthvi was seen consoling his wife after the pair was given a penalty
© Srinivasa Krishnan
Deepti sat in the rally car for the first time this year. To get her ready for the experience, Shivani and Pruthvi resorted to some unusual training methods.
“As part of my training, they made me sit in a closed room with no fan. Davangere is very hot anyway. But they kept me in the room in full gear and helmet with no ventilation. They said if you can sit in the heat, you will be ready for the rally car. I was able to sit for about one hour, and then they said I’m ready for rallying,” Deepti recalled.
Shivani helps her mother strap into the rally car
© Srinivasa Krishnan
The effort put into the training helped, and Deepti was able to navigate Shivani to success at the first round of INRC as the mother-daughter duo clinched the trophy in the Ladies category of the South India Rally.
They drove 116 kms across special stages and 181 kms on the liaison stage
© Srinivasa Krishnan
And with her limited time in the rally car, Deepti has already understood how she can help her daughter further.
“Fitness has been really difficult. I realised after sitting in the car that I will have to work on my fitness. So there’s a long way to go and a lot to learn. But I will do anything for my daughter, so I’m ready for it,” said Deepti.
Shivani and Deepti won the Ladies category at the first round of INRC 2019
© Srinivasa Krishnan