One of India’s youngest racers, teen prodigy breaks gender barriers
Munish Sood
KULLU:
The roar of engines may have faded as the Kullu Festival of Speed concluded recently, but one young racer from Himachal Pradeshensured the valley continued buzzing long after the chequered flag came down. Seventeen-year-old Shreya Lohia of Sundernagar, already known nationally as one of India’s youngest Formula-4 racers, brought a different kind of energy to the event — one that blended raw talent, youthful grit and a message of responsible riding for the new generation.
While the festival celebrated speed, skill and tourism promotion for the Kullu Valley, Shreya’s presence stood out as a reminder that motorsport is no longer an arena dominated by men or metros.
She participated not just as a competitor but as a symbol of what young Himachali talent can achieve when given the right track to run on.
Received Prime Minister’s National Child Award in 2022
Shreya’s story is anything but ordinary. A national awardee who received the Prime Minister’s National Child Award in 2022, she started gripping the steering wheel at an age when most kids learn to ride a bicycle. Go-karting at five, racing by nine and today standing tall with over 30 podium finishes, she has become the most prominent young female face in India’s motorsport circuit.
Her breakthrough came in 2024 when she became the first Indian female driver to compete and score points in the national Formula-4 Championship, representing the Hyderabad Black Birds. For a sport where the very idea of a female racer still attracts curiosity, Shreya turned it into applause — four times honoured by the FMSCI as the Outstanding Woman in Motorsports.
But what gripped the crowd at Kullu was not just her racing résumé. It was her message. Speaking to young riders, she reminded them that “speed has a place — and that place is a track, not the road”. In a festival designed to encourage adventure tourism, bike safety and disciplined riding, her presence connected perfectly with the theme the organisers wanted to put forward.
Festival insiders said that Shreya’s participation gave the event a “credible youth voice” as Himachal tries to position adventure motorsport as a tourism asset while also battling rising road accidents. Her story — a small-town student balancing Class XII science studies through homeschooling while preparing for international racing circuits — offered the kind of inspiration that reaches beyond the racetrack.
Preparing for Manali Himalayan Rally
Shreya is already preparing for the Manali Himalayan Rally, which she can officially compete in after turning 18 next year. Plans are also underway for her training abroad for higher-level Formula racing in the coming months.
For Himachal, a state known more for mountaineering and trekking than motorsports, Shreya’s appearance at the Kullu Festival of Speed was more than a celebrity cameo. It was a signal that the next generation of national racers might just emerge from the hills — with girls like her leading the grid.
