The Indian National Rally Championship is a tough sport. But Krishna Kumari's passion helped her overcome every obstacle and emerge a winner. Here is a day-by-day account of the Power M1 challenge, as recalled by the rallyist herself

Day 1: Finally all the apprehensions and nervous anticipation gave way to some action! Even though this first day involved no racing, it was the day I got my rally car and had to test it. Having paid MRF to prepare and transport the car, I reached Chandigarh to delivery of it. Most of the day was spent putting the car through its paces and getting the technicians to tune it to suit the circuit and my driving style.

It is extremely important for my confidence level, as with most drivers, that I have a car I feel totally comfortable with. A day well spent; the evening had us meeting the other teams, discussing the current and previous events amidst general discussions. A formal briefing by the organisers on the route and the schedules followed.

Day 2: The second day was when we all got to check the rally route. This recce is always the busiest time for all teams, especially for the navigators, since they use this time to note down details as the cars do their rounds. It was indeed a busy time for my cousin and navigator, Namrita, as it was for me, a time to focus on making mental notes of all the curves and corners as well as acclimatising myself with my car. The evening was spent once again with friends -old and new, from the other teams, initially discussing the track followed by general talk - everyone subtly trying to dispel the butterflies in their tummies.

Day 3: I had a disturbed sleep that night, which added to my nervousness and apprehensions about the day's event. The rally section was designed more for spectator enjoyment. It was an enclosed stadium circuit surrounded by a large cheering audience, called the 'Spectator Super Special'. I had never before taken part in such a circuit, and that too, under the scrutiny of so many spectators. By the time I rolled onto the track for my turn, I was practically getting stomach cramps. But I remembered what one of my athlete friends had told me much earlier about his 100m sprint athletics events. On the day of the race, he was a nervous wreck and extremely conscious of the spectators.

However, the moment the gunshot went off, he exploded from the block, with no thoughts other than that of finding the quickest way to the finish line. It was exactly the same with me. The moment the flag went down, I slammed the pedal to the metal and all I could see was the track, and all I heard was my navigator's voice. I could think of nothing but the finish line. My timing, as it turned out, was good; at the end of the day, I heaved a proud sigh of relief. An interesting aspect of this close circuit racing, resembling rally-cross so popular in Europe, is that it gives lesser-experienced drivers like me a chance to watch the professionals at work and learn a great deal from them. After the day's events, most of the evening was spent checking and getting the car ready for the next day's main rally.

Day 4: Another restless night! Another nervous morning, more butterflies in the stomach and another action-packed flag-off. Luckily, this time around, I was feeling fine well before I got to the start line. The rattle and roar of beautifully tuned rally cars combined with the unmistakable smell of hot racing car engines and warm ready-to-race tyres were what I needed to get the adrenalin flowing and concentration going. The day's rally involved three laps of the main route.

I was just a couple of minutes into the first lap, when disaster struck. We had a punctured front right tyre and there was no time to stop and change it! We did the entire leg with a blown tyre and then managed to change it within six minutes in the section where it is permitted. This was no easy feat when you're handling a shredded tyre and a burning red-hot wheel rim. Amazingly, at the end of the section, which brought us back to the flag-off point to start our second leg, we had still done pretty well.

We hoped that our bad luck for the day had been expended in the first leg and that the second and third leg would be uneventful! Little did we know that our deepest apprehensions were to come true halfway through the second leg! This time, disaster struck in the form of an electrical short circuit! It filled our car with thick smoke, choking us and forcing us to stop, fearing the worst. We lost a lot of time but luckily, managed to solve the problem and get going. The remaining legs were free of any incident and we managed to complete the rally, securing first position. The only other woman driver, veteran rallyist Rajiv Khanna's daughter in her first event, had unfortunately crashed out of the event.

The Victory: Although the win was truly thrilling, what was important to Namrita and me, was that we had been competitive overall and gained the respect of the fellow participants for our grit and determination to finish the rally despite all odds.

That evening and the following day of the awards presentations were mostly spent in festive mood. Everyone was happy for the winners and for the completion of a rally without any serious accidents. We also came away from the event with many new friends and admirers. What we felt really proud of was the positive attitude with which the other teams bid us farewell and expressed their desire to see us competing again soon. We were happy that women had truly been accepted with respect into what is unfortunately still a male dominated sport.

About Krishna Kumari

Krishna Kumari, who belongs to the royal family of Panna, is one of the few women rallyists in India. She was taught to drive at the age of 15 by her father. She took a great liking to cars and soon became a good driver. With encouragement from her parents, she began learning the technicalities of the motor vehicle. As a young child, she would sit with the mechanics and learn various little technical tricks on their old Bentley car - rearrange the tyres and wash the cars.

The Power M1 Challenge was her first rally in the MAI (Motoring Association of India) circuit.