Riding on the waves of success
By Raj K. Machhan

A MAN has only one destiny. Amar Sandhu’s was made the day he first rode a bike. The realisation was quick and final — speed was to be his trip, his ultimate high. And moving along the charted path the unassuming, soft spoken Amar has turned out to be the youngest national rally champion for two wheelers in India. Perhaps his predilection for speed lies in his blood. His father, Col R.S. Sandhu raced for team Arty in the Army. "Right from childhood I loved watching this sport on TV. I admired Kevin Schwantz, the American Rally Champion and I idolised my father" says Amar reminiscing about the early days.

He passed his 10th standard examination from Bishop Cotton School, Shimla in 1992. His stay in the boarding house of BCS was to stand him in good stead later as it helped him develop the inherent toughness and strength of character required for a successful rallyist. Just out of school he came into contact with Shashi Garcha, the veteran rallyist who prepared him for the Mountain Challenge Rally, 1992. This event proved to be a turning point in his career. "On a stock (normal) bike I had beaten all the top riders, who were riding on modified machines. Right from there my confidence got such a boost that I said — this is my profession". After this event there was no looking back for Amar and several good performances later, he was signed on by MRF racing, the premier rally team of the country, in 1994. And then in 1996 Amar Sandhu became the National Rally Champion at the age of 22, the youngest ever. He attributes his success to his natural proclivities, sharp reflexes, long hours of constant practice and above all support of his parents "If it wasn’t for my father I would not have been into rallying just now. Except for him rest of my relatives were of the view that rallying is very risky. Even till today everybody wants me to study and maybe qualify for some job". The support from his parents has been one of the major factors for his success. Ask his mother about his vocation — "I am proud of my son. Though a high risk sport, as far as accidents are concerned, they can happen any time to anybody. So why worry"? she quips.

Amar feels the level of competition in the sport has increased in the recent years. Though the degree of professionalism among the teams has improved, the same cannot be said about the bodies governing the sport. "The governing bodies are lacking, that is why the sport is not picking up the way it has abroad" says Amar. He feels that these bodies can do a better job of promoting and marketing the sport so as to get it up to the international standards. Sponsorship is another nagging issue. Presently there are only four companies, MRF, JK Tyres, TVs Suzuki and Escorts Yamaha, who are the main sponsors. A new rider has to begin as a privateer and riding being a costly sport, this entails a lot of expenditure.

Based in Chandigarh since the beginning of his racing career, he has mixed feelings about the place. "As far as racing is concerned, being based in Chandigarh is a big drawback. There is lack of exposure. The action lies in the south and you have to go out of the city to do some thing."

Amar is full of plans for his future. He is all set for the current season which consists of eight rallies from June to December. With a change of his bike (he now rides a Yamaha 135), he hopes to come up with trumps this year. He is also keeping a watch on the car rallying scene and plans to shift to cars in the near future.

A sports car enthusiast, he likes to zip around in his Mazda Miata during his spare time. Fast cars are his passion "Real car, real fast", is his credo. The dynamic Ferrari F 40 is the dream car for Amar. Do girls and fast cars go together? A big no, says Amar. He takes his sport very seriously and says that though the opposite sex is influenced by the image of the sport it should not make any difference to a rallyist’s outlook.

Amar Sandhu ultimately hopes to get a break in the international rallying scene. "That would be a dream come true for me" he says. A tall order, considering the ground realities. But looking at his single-minded devotion, it won’t be a surprise if one of these days, you find him on the podiums in the international circuit.