By Diptayan Hazra
Crans-Montana [Switzerland], September 24 : INDE Racing, India's pioneering bike racing team, has made history by securing a third-place finish in the prestigious FIM E-Xplorer World Cup, an electric off-road racing competition.
In their debut season, the team accumulated an impressive 479 points across four rounds, placing them on the podium behind Bonnell Racing (498 points) and Honda Racing (490 points).
Sandra Gomez, INDE Racing's standout female rider, clinched the top spot in the Women's category with a total of 271 points. Spencer Wilton and Runar Sudamann contributed 162 and 46 points respectively, leading to the team's overall third-place finish in the men's division.
Spencer Wilton, while speaking to ANI, reflected on the team's success and spoke about the challenges they faced throughout the season.
He said their hard work paid off in the end and they are excited to be on the podium.
"We had a long season," Wilton said. "I had an injury partway through, so we had to find another rider. We've been switching bikes and racing across Europe, travelling thousands of kilometres. It isn't easy, and it's a lot of logistics but we worked hard together, and all the hard work paid off in the end. We are super excited to be on the podium in third place," he added.
Looking ahead to next year, Wilton emphasized the importance of strong early performances.
"Next year, I think we need to come in at those first rounds and get good finishes at the start. Build our points up. So then, at the final round, all we have to do is maintain our finishes and hopefully land on the top step," he said.
When asked about the strategy in the final rounds and managing performance under pressure, Wilton stressed on the need to deliver strong starts noting there is "intense competition" at that stage of the game.
"The final round was super tight. The points were close, and everyone shows up to race at the last round. That's where the stiffest competition is. So next year, we need to start strong and build our points early, so we can maintain our position in the final rounds," he said.
Being asked about his mindset, Wilton said, "I think for me, like I was a kid once riding dirt bikes too, and if you love it enough, you can do anything you want nowadays. You just have to put your mind to it. It's not about not having the skill. If you work hard enough, you can achieve anything."
Abhishek Kankanala, the owner of INDE Racing, also shared insights about the inspiration behind the team's establishment and their journey to the World Cup.
"One of the fundamental things we've been looking at for the last three or four years is that India needs to wake up to sports beyond cricket," Kankanala said.
"We have invested quite a bit into badminton, volleyball, handball, golf, boxing, and more. We are proudly representing the country and pushing the sport forward. It's been a journey to change the narrative and give a reason to support an Indian team. INDE Racing reflects India, and we are excited about the future of motorsports in our country," he added.
Kankanala also highlighted Spencer Wilton's connection to India.
"Spencer has a bit of Indian roots, with his mother being of Indian descent multiple generations back. This connection adds a personal touch to our team's journey," he noted.