Xtreme Motorsports Autocross: These women get men’s hearts racing but not because of their looks

Ghazal and Maliha defy social norms to take part in races alongside their husbands, brothers and male friends.

KARACHI: Most boys get their first remote-controlled car by the time they are five years old. And indeed, racing and cars are almost exclusively linked to testosterone for many people. On Saturday, however, women such as Ghazal Beg Sonia Khuhro and Maliha Ahmed defied social norms to take part in the Xtreme Motorsports Autocross races alongside their husbands, brothers and male friends.

On Saturday three women participated. The winner, Sonia, is the wife of event director Asad Khuhro and the mother of three children. “This was the second time I was taking part so the nerves and fear from the first time were gone,” she told The Express Tribune.

It is understandable for the male relatives and parents of the drivers to be worried, but Sonia explained that as she has been driving since the age of 16, and accompanying her husband in his races for years, if anything, she was expected to win. “I see absolutely no reason for a woman who can drive and has the confidence to take part in the race to hold back,” she added. In fact, she gets a thrill from beating men in the lower categories.

“Of course, it is hard to find other girls who share your interest,” she said. “Unlike boys, girls do not discuss engines and rims over tea.” For her, practice is key, as long as you do it in a safe place, like an empty plot or less frequented road. To all girls above the age of 18 who love to drive, she says: “Get the confidence, come out and try, it’s free, it’s good fun and if you don’t like it you don’t have to come back.”

Asad Khuhro recalled how impressed he was the first time he witnessed women participating in motor-racing in Pakistan. “It was 2004,” he told The Express Tribune. Agha’s Supermarket had organised a 12-hour endurance go-carting event. An all-girls team, including his wife, Sonia, was participating.

They managed to complete the entire race, an event that was extremely physically exhausting.

After that, the racing itself died down, until Xtreme Motorsports began organising the Autocross races in 2009. The tournaments consist of 101 racing competitions and drivers from the age of 16 can participate if they have parental permission. There are two sections, stock and prepared.

The stock section has three categories; anyone can compete, even in the same car they drive to the supermarket. The prepared section has four categories, for more advanced drivers, who are allowed to enhance their cars with racing tires, shock absorbers, turbo engines and whatever they feel will give them an edge in the race. As a result, as the race gains more popularity and competition gets stiffer, car enthusiasts are spending larger and larger sums on their vehicles.

The races themselves consist of a course more focused on a driver’s discipline than speed. There are a number of strategically placed cones through which the drivers must maneuver their cars. The best time of five rounds is taken for each driver. Each cone dropped is an added two seconds in the driver’s time, which means that in order to keep turning, the cars aren’t able to reach dangerous speeds. There is an ambulance and rescue trucks standing by and all drivers are required to wear helmets. Spectators can watch free of cost in the family stand or men’s stand.

Event director Mansoor Halim told The Express Tribune how they received a large number of queries from female drivers after their first tournament. Encouraged by the response, they launched the women’s category. “Regardless of whether you’re a girl or a boy when you get involved in this form of racing, you become a better driver, and in our society better drivers are something we need on the roads.”

He said young boys need some place to vent their frustration. Before they would race wheel to wheel on the road, creating traffic hazards and endangering lives, but now they can race in a controlled environment that is safer for everyone.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 6^th, 2010.