Vrooming past gender barriers

Jennifer Christa Paul always had a liking towards heavy machines. Once she turned 18, her father gifted her a Yamaha R15 V1 with one condition — not to show off her riding skills on the road but on the racing track. Nevertheless, her intention was never that — she wanted to understand the various mechanisms of a motorbike. She was also part of the Honda One Make Ladies Race (Round 1).

“Racing is my passion since childhood. I used to go out with my father and buy the spare parts and even sit with the mechanic to see how he works on a bike. I like the mechanism of motorbikes and racing cars,” she says.  

Jennifer’s love for motorsports made her learn more about the technical aspect of it and she joined for Automobile Engineering at SRM Institute of Science and Technology. She was the only female student in a batch of about 220 other students. “I was a spoilt student in the college. Since the faculty and students were so supportive, I never felt left out with a bunch of guys around me. None of them treated me differently and this gave me the courage to push beyond my limits,” says the 22-year-old Chennai girl.

With biking being a financially demanding field, Jennifer didn’t want to be a biker. But that didn’t stop her from learning. The youngster went ahead and interned with JA Motorsport team (the current promoter of the international series MRF Challenge) to acquire some industrial experience.

“They make Formula 3 spec cars and every year, they organise F1600 and F 2000 Championship series. In February, I worked with the race engineer of Jamie Chadwick, a British race car driver. I couldn’t contain my excitement — this was the best job I have ever got,” she exclaims.

The youngster believes in gender equality and wishes to become a race engineer. “A race engineer is a motorsport team member whose role is to communicate with the data analyst as well as the mechanics to determine the changes to be made to the vehicle. It’s a highly competitive field and moreover, there is a misconception that this field is exclusively meant for men. I wanted to change that mindset and inspire more women to take up the profession and also the sport. I have applied for Master’s degree in Technology in Motorsports Concentration at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. If everything goes as per the plan, I will join the classes this August,” she sums up.