Diana Pundole the First Indian Women Car Racer – Who is She?

Diana Pundole is an inspiration to all women, balancing family life and the teaching profession and winning a national championship title in the saloon category at the MRF Indian National Car Racing Championship 2024. Diana Pundole was named after Princess Diana, and she honoured her name on the racetrack. 

Diana Pundole has become the first Indian woman to win a national car racing championship.
 
Her inspiration for becoming a car racer came from her parents; she used to watch Formula One racing with her parents. Diana’s first coach is her mother. She stepped next and started going to the go-karting tracks. Then, she participated in the competition in coimbatore, and she earned a spot among the top six contenders.

All About Diana Pundole Racing Champion

Diana is 28 years old and from Pune. She is a teacher and mother of two children. 

Eight years ago, she got an invitation to participate in a car racing championship in Coimbatore. At that time, she was among 200 women who got selected across India to undergo rigorous trials as part of a national talent hunt program. Her brother encouraged her to participate. She accepted the invitation, participated, and earned her dream; Diana became a top-six contender. 

She struggled a lot as she is a married woman, and her profession is teaching. She has to give time to her children and family and practise racing.

Diana Pundole also participated in many world-famous and high-profile racing competitions like Dubai Autodrome, the Hockenheimring, the F1 Circuit de Spa in Belgium, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, the Ferrari 488 Challenge, the BMW M2 Competition and the Renault Clio Cup.

During this journey, she analysed many things and practised intelligently to beat the competitors in racing tracks. She struggled to secure sponsors in her early stage of racing, but later, she got sponsors. By winning the 2024 racing championship, she achieved everything and broke the gender stereotype; she enlightened that women can also be in a car racing competition.

Diana Pundole: First Indian Woman Racer to Win National Championship

Diana achieved this championship with struggle, passion, support and dedication; her children were her main cheerleaders. 

Her coach took away her phone one or two days before the race so that she could focus on her practice; it was because it was Diana’s birthday week, and she may have been disturbed by calls and texts. On August 18, 2024, she won the title as national championship in the saloon category at the MRF Indian National Car Racing championship. After winning the race, she turned on her phone, and she got a lot of birthday wishes, greetings, and wishes for becoming the first women’s racer champion in India. 

Pundole is the first woman to participate in the Indian Touring Cars mixed category, a competitive racing competition for seasoned racers with a minimum of 10 to 20 years of experience.

What is the Saloon Car Category in Racing?

In racing, the Saloon car category is a type of car that follows a design of three boxes. Looking at the vehicle from a side view, you can see three separate car options. Those separate three proportions are the Engine, Compartment, and boot. Saloon racing cars are a type of Sedan car. 
 
The Saloon car racing category was invented as a low-cost amateur racing formula. 
 
Below is the image of the car that Diana drove in the race; it is a white car, and the serial number of the car is 15.

2024 MRF Indian National Car Racing Championship Participants (Saloon’s Race)

1. Diana Pundole (First)
2. Anil Dharvin (Second)
3. Manan Patel (Third)
4. Jaden Rahman Pariat
5. Abhay Mohan
6. Biren Pithawalla
7. Srinivas Teja
8. Angad Matharoo