This Lonavala-based motorsport champ aims to set up a racetrack for enthusiasts

Twentyone lakh rupees to compete sixandahalf lakh in damages and yet Dhruv Chavan came home with the title of the Polo Cup 2024 National Champion and the Pop Cup 2024 National Junior Champion Now the 21yearold is planning the next steps for his business Will it be associated with motorsport racing He hopes ldquoMy plan is to bring IndiKarting to Lonavala where people can just come to chill and drive But I will only know for sure after some market researchrdquo he says adding that he is aiming to start laying the tarmac once the monsoon season endsChavan grew up in Lonavala with a keen interest in cars rather than studies ldquoIf I saw a car I would write its name down on my palm and then come home and research about it on Googlerdquo he says talking about how passionate he has been since he was five Chavanrsquos maternal uncle introduced him to the world of motorsport racing via the F1 races and he was hookedAfter completing high school Chavan was geared to head to Mumbai and begin racing But his parents pushed him to go to college which he eventually dropped out from within a year At the age of 18 Chavan came across a team in Mumbai Rayo Racing where he got his first experience of the track The decision was an easy one ldquoI was a natural which helped me be fast from the beginning In my very first race I got a pole which is big for racing driversrdquo he says The pole position is a starting position in racing on the inside of the front row Itrsquos considered the best starting position and is given to the driver with the fastest qualifying time On the second day Chavan enrolled himself and began training as a racer a career that he had never thought he would followBy the time he got into the world of racing Chavan was aware that he would never become a Formula One racer He explains that lakhs of drivers from across the world aspire to become F1 racers and only 20 achieve that dream ldquoSome of these racers start training as early as when they are only three or four years of age They are F1 drivers by the time they are 18 It was already too late for merdquo he says Instead his eye was on the FIA World Endurance ChampionshipSo far Chavan has competed in 15 races most of which he has won He still remembers one loss that cost him a 25 lakh sponsorship ldquoI couldnrsquot understand why I wasnrsquot winningrdquo he says ldquoIn motorsport skills are important but there is also the luck factor I had bad luck with the engines and had to replace multiple of them One of my coaches explained to me that this is what motorsport is At times it does not matter how skilled you are So I lost my sponsorship but I understood that it was not meant to berdquo says Chavan who moved on with his head held high and looked for different opportunitiesFinally came the time to compete at Polo Cup India Colouring a lapbylap picture of the race Chavan talks about the weekend of racing thatrsquos crystal in his head He details each lap and talks about the other racers and their moves as if commenting live from the scene It shows his passion and his parentsrsquo support On day one of the races Chavanrsquos car flipped over This could mean only one thing Pay for the damages or tap out of the raceChavan had a decision to make He spoke to his parents about the situation and told them he would leave the race as the damages were quite high After hanging up the phone he spoke to his coaches and headed back to his hotel room In minutes his fatherrsquos text to him read Continue the race we will take care of the damagesItrsquos this that brought him to tears finally But the next day of the race was not going to be easy on him either Speaking about the lap that finally won him the title he describes ldquoSo moving under breaking is an illegal manoeuvre But he another racer still did that and he didnrsquot get a penalty for thatrdquo he explains ldquoBut then the next lap I made a move on him and he almost took me out After that I just had to finish the race because by the time I had overtaken the guy in front of me he was long gonerdquoThe 21yearold champion has his head on his shoulders and is aware that his racing career is not one that he can solely bank on or explain to most Though winning the Polo Cup has helped him shut down his family members who once offered no support He says that the future of Indian motorsport racing largely depends on the infrastructure which is why he is dreaming of bringing a race track to LonavalaWill he succeed ldquoOnly the calculations after the market research can tellrdquo he says But if it works out by the end of this year Lonavala will see a race track come to life