“I have been chasing this goal for years now.” TVS One Make Championship winner Saimah Ajaz Baig on her racing journey

In just two years, Saimah Ajaz Baig has gone from discovering racetracks to dominating them. A self-taught rider with no motorsport background, she carved her way through the TVS One Make Championship to emerge as the 2024 champion. Her story is one of resilience, self-discipline, and a relentless drive to chase her passion – despite the crashes, sacrifices, and the nerves that come with stepping into a grid full of the country's best. In this conversation, Saimah opens up about her journey, the support she found in TVS Racing, and what lies ahead as she prepares for a new challenge with the RR310 category.

 As told to Aditya Sinha

Q: How did your racing journey begin exactly? What first drew you into the world of motorsports?

A: My racing journey began in 2022, and for me the starting point has been TVS racing itself. It was in 2022 when I applied and got selected for the TVS one make Championship. That's where it all started for me, I got the exposure to the racetrack, proper riding, and training.

Q: Apart from TVS, have you raced in any other series or classes?

A: I have done a few other championships, but for me the main stage and platform has always been TVS racing till now because I was able to improve my skills and build my base stronger.

Q: Did you face any challenges as a female racer in India? How did you overcome them?

A: As a female racer, my entire journey till now was not challenging in a way that there was any sort of gender discrimination, but there were many challenges throughout. I did not have a lot of exposure or resources earlier in the beginning days. I had to look up on, do my research on where I can start off and what I can do. That's where I came across the One Make Championship and I really made the most out of the platform and opportunity because I looked at it as my only chance to do and achieve something that I want to. My first selection round was in Bombay in 2022. I did not keep any expectations that I have this one chance and that's it. If I'm good or not, or what's going to happen. I looked at it as more of a learning opportunity at that time. I thought this is my first time on a racetrack, I don't know how I would be doing and that's where I got the exposure to riding on race track for the first time, I was able to have a TVS trainer with me who could guide me around the race track and make me understand the apex, corners, braking, markers, the importance of safety gear. And that's something TVS focuses a lot on. It's not like you're getting into just any unsafe environment. Your safety is always taken care of.. You have to be responsible enough for making sure that you are in the correct riding gear and taking all the necessary precautions.

Q: What's unique about TVS racing for new racers?

A: I don't come from a racing background or somebody who has a lot of people to guide me around me. I had to do everything by myself. Let's say you are a newbie, you want to go racing and you apply for something like this. What TVS creates is they give you everything in one particular platform in this One Make Championship series. They try to provide you with everything. You have a trainer in the selection round who will help you understand the basics of riding a bike on a racetrack. They provide you with racing gear also. You only need to get your own helmet. That's it. TVS makes sure that they have the riding gear for you. That's your leather suit, boots and gloves. You don't need to purchase or invest in anything. The bike is also provided by them. You get the bike from them and they provide you with the entire structure of what a racer has. Every month you have 30 days to prepare yourself for the second round of the race. It's sort of like a good structural way of actually how you would be doing racing on the huger level.

Q: What does this title mean to you personally and professionally?

A: It's so very, very close to my heart because I have been working very hard to achieve this. It's not been a matter of just a few months or a few days or a few weeks. I have been chasing this goal for years now. From 2022, I have been trying to improve myself. I have been giving it everything. Let's say in terms of practising and building my skill set. You have to make sacrifices and discipline yourself. It's not just the time that you're on the race track. It's everything that you do before a race and after a race. The mindset and making yourself more calm before every race. I had to work a lot on myself but overall, it has been a very, very long journey. It's something when I look back, there's been a lot that happened throughout this entire time, from improving to facing a crash, to learning how to face these challenges and become a better rider. Setbacks are there. You have to keep moving ahead, and come out of it stronger.

Q: What exactly are the skills and habits you need to be in this field that has actually helped you achieve this championship?

A: I had to work a lot on my skill set, I had to get a lot of practice time before my races. Whatever time I could, whatever things I could do, like just practise on the bike, improve my skills. And try to become a faster rider. So I did not miss out on any of the practice sessions that I could attend. And apart from that good fitness routine, because it's not just the bike which is performing you as a racer have to be fit enough to be able to complete all your laps and the entire race while giving your best and without fitness you cannot do that. Apart from that, when I say discipline, a lot of other areas and parts of your life like family, friends, going out and all those parties is something you will have to sacrifice if you want to achieve the championship. If you are looking at it just as a hobby, you can do it just by riding a bike also. But apart from that, if you are looking at winning a championship, I think the sacrifices are very much a part of it because that's what I had to do. And you have to be more focused and not get distracted easily. Then there comes the entire thing about keeping your mental state calm. You cannot rush into the process. You have to take it step by step, and that's what I did. When I had done my first few races, I went all over the place I wanted to win the race in the first lap. This is not a calculated way of racing and taking the risk at any move that I was making in the race versus any of my races in 2024, I had to keep my mental state very calm, keep myself prepared and calculated way of racing.

Q: How did you deal with the pressure before and after the races?

A: As I said, it's not just the time that you're in the particular race that you're a part of. It's about everything that goes in and around about it, and that's where you are improving yourself and preparing yourself for the next race. What I have faced and what I had to do, not sit with any set back and think and look at it as that's the end of it. Every other race is your new opportunity. It's like a brand new day for you. For me, I try to push through and overcome any of my fears. In 2022 I had a pretty bad crash. Apart from all those small crashes which keep happening, that's where I even fractured my leg. If at that point I would have thought that it's very dangerous, I shouldn't be coming back at it or I shouldn't get back on a motorcycle to race, it's very dangerous. Today I've broken a leg. Tomorrow it can be something worse. But that's not what you do as a racer, as a racer, you look at it as learning. You have made a mistake. You have crashed. You have had an injury. It's a part of the sport. You have to move above it, move beyond it, improve and take it as a learning lesson and improve yourself. That's what you do in every race. You would not just look at the competition around, but you try to work and focus more on yourself.

Q: Now you're stepping into the RR310 category, what excites you the most about this?

A: It's a big leap for me because I'll be moving now from the TVS One Make all women grid category to an open championship where racers from all over the country, the best, the top bunch will be coming. The bike is a completely different motorcycle from what I have raced on previously. It's a different category. It's a more powerful machine and thanks to TVS, now I am able to get my hands on the motorcycle, so I am looking forward to practising a little more before my selection round in May. And it is something very exciting and nervous but I would not want that nervousness to take over the best of me. I would want to go out there with an open mind like I went earlier and just perform my best.

Q: How do you expect the 2025 season to go considering you’ll be going against the best racers in India?

A: I wouldn't be so fast to jump out the entire season and comment about that, but the main aim right now is first to go for the selection round and be able to get across that because again, it's going to be just top ten riders. So without being able to clear the selections, I will not be able to even race in that season. My first aim is to go with my proper preparation for the selection round. Learn about that bike. Get more time with the RR310 because it's not a it's not the same like we have been waiting on earlier from the 200CC to the 310 category. It is a big jump. I need to get comfortable with the bike first. I'm looking forward to the selection round first because that's where I will get to try the bike out on the racetrack first.

Q: Do you have any other aspirations beyond this championship, like competing in international races?

A: Oh yes, I am looking at doing or taking part in or exposing myself to a different format of racing as well. I want to sort of get that exposure which will help me also as a racer and rider to improve myself. And slowly, once I have improved once I'm able to, you know, get there. I am looking at doing international as well. I'm looking for maybe better or those kinds of opportunities, but like I said from the RTR 200 woman grids, from TVS championship to now moving to the 310RR category, it's one step at a time. You can't take a big leap. So I would focus on one, one thing at a time and then probably increase the level.

Q: After racing in the 2024 championship, what changes would you like to see in this ecosystem to support new racers?

A: I think a lot of more awareness needs to be spread about it and for anyone new who wants to come and join this, I think people as individuals should also be more open to approach people and ask questions and talk about these things because a lot of people don't go for it just because they don't have the right guidance or they don't know anything about it and they don't ask about it. All the details and information is shared by TVS which a lot of people don't have, they don't ask questions or have some sort of prior misconceptions and they don't come to join such races. In my opinion, anyone new to this should not hold back and they have to come and give it a shot. That'll help get more people on board without being hesitant and get the right guidance.

Q: What's next for you in 2025?

A: For 2025, my main goal is firstly the RR310 TVS Championship and apart from that I would like to explore other formats of racing and maybe even the Indian National motorcycle Racing Championship. So I would be planning to take part in all that comes my way.

Q: You have recently been gifted a TVS Apache RTR310 by TVS Motor Company, what do you have to say about the bike? How has the riding experience been so far?

A: For that, I am very excited. Throughout the weekend I was riding the bike around, I was very impressed with the motorcycle to be honest. The nervousness which I have for the RR310 category is only that the grid is going to be full of the best riders of our country. But apart from that, I have no doubt about the motorcycle because I've been riding the RTR version of the 310, but the bike is exceptionally beautiful because it's got way more power. It's effortless and has no limitations. Something like this, this kind of a machine to take it to the racetrack, I am actually very excited about it.

Q: How would you say is the environment inside TVS racing? Especially considering that most of the time you guys are racing yourself.

A: Coming to that point, when I went to the Madras International Circuit for the first time, or on the Kari Motor Speedway, all because of TVS. I did not know what are the racetracks in India, where do people go to ride bikes on a race track where a practice round is qualifying before a race. This entire format of understanding what the structure is for a bigger championship like the INMRC came to me because of TVS. The exposure that I got because of TVS racing was one of the main things where I could plan things further. You have to aim to get into one thing at a time and inside TVS you realise we have the pits right before our races and we have all the bikes parked. That is where your bikes are getting revved, getting prepared before a race or before a qualifying round up. The pit is full of everyone from TVS Racing. From somebody like Jagan Kumar, Sarthak Chavan, Deepak Ravi Kumar and all the top racers are there with you. It's not like you are somewhere on the side and the top bunch is somewhere else. What TVS does is you are surrounded by all these big names and all these racers who've been doing this since a long time and they have so much experience, I could actually go and sit down with one of them and I could ask them my doubts. That is what TVS provides you. You don't have to look at it like, “Oh, I need to get training before my race from somewhere outside”. Everything is included within the house. You have the exposure and the freedom of being able to go and ask them about the doubt you have or how you correct a mistake. This is what I'm doing and it really, really helps and improves you. It gives you motivation that this is where I'm learning from, this person is the best in the category, because TVS is dominating it across all categories in the INMRC also. It was pretty overwhelming, but even at the same time very, very motivating to be around these people and be able to have that access to learning from them.