From sneaking out to national glory: The fast-paced journey of rally champion Visakh Balachandran

The thunderous roar of supercharged engines and the dramatic spray of dirt flying off tight hairpin bends never fail to electrify motorsport enthusiasts. Today, Kerala boasts its own shining star in this high-octane arena: Visakh Balachandran, the 2025 National Rally Champion. His journey into the world of speed traces back to the early nineties, to a childhood memory of sitting on his father Balachandran’s lap, his small hands gripping a steering wheel for the first time. Decades later, as he stands on the podium amidst deafening cheers, he is living the dream that the little boy inside him always knew would come true. In an exclusive chat, Visakh shares his high-speed journey from a quiet Thiruvananthapuram neighbourhood to the podium of national motorsports.

Originally from Sreekaryam in Thiruvananthapuram, Visakh currently works at Infopark, Kakkanad. He completed his engineering degree in computer science at the Government Engineering College, Painavu in Idukki. His obsession with racing blossomed early, though he cannot point to a single defining moment when it took hold of him.

The secret starting grid
In 2017, he visited an autocross event at Cochin International Airport (CIAL) just to watch. Determined to learn the ropes, he tried networking with as many drivers as possible. That was when he met Sumesh, a driver who stood out by competing in a modest Maruti Alto. Sumesh generously shared the practical details of how to enter competitive motorsport in India.

By then, Visakh owned a Maruti Zen. He eagerly waited for the next event, which turned out to be a V12-organised autocross on the Kakkanad Infopark Expressway in 2018. He secretly obtained his competition licence and registered for the race without telling his family.

Sneaking past the home front
However, race day presented a major logistical hurdle: his parents were scheduled to fly abroad, and he was supposed to drop them off at the airport. Knowing they would never approve of his racing, he hatched a plan. He sneaked onto the track, finished his run, and rushed back home before the results were announced to drive his parents to the airport. It was only later that he learned he had secured third place. It was a bittersweet moment, unable to share his joy with his family, but the podium finish gave him the confidence to commit to the sport. He continued competing in secret, slowly racking up wins before finally coming clean to his parents. While they were not ecstatic, they eventually relented, realising his determination. Today, Visakh is an official driver for MRF and races for Duran Racing, a professional four-member team based in Hyderabad.

Crashes, grit, and the first rally
As his commitment grew, Visakh acquired a rally-prepared Maruti Esteem in 2018. Aiming to make his official rally debut at the Coimbatore Rally in 2019, he entered a local rallycross in Kothamangalam for practice. During a steep descent, he lost control of the vehicle. The car flipped upside down on a dirt mound. Despite shattered windscreens, he emerged uninjured, got the car upright, and remarkably managed to finish the race in second place.

His subsequent debut at the Coimbatore Rally brought a different set of challenges. Heavy downpours turned the track into a muddy swamp. During the final stage, his car got stuck in the mud, and the vehicle behind crashed into him, bending his suspension. He finished at the very bottom of the pack, but the setback only fueled his desire to succeed.

Tragedy and the ghost of a friend
Motorsport is as much about camaraderie as it is about competition. Visakh belonged to a tight-knit circle of racing friends who travelled, stayed, and competed together. The anchor of this group was Dr Prem, the head of neurosurgery at Kannur Medical College. A passionate petrolhead, Dr Prem had been a prominent face in rallies since 2022.

During the Coimbatore Rally in 2023, Dr Prem was ahead of Visakh on the track. After completing a stage and heading back for service, Visakh noticed Dr Prem’s car parked peacefully by the side of the road. When Visakh reached the service bay, he was met with a devastating silence. The perfectly healthy 50-year-old doctor had suffered a fatal medical episode and died right there inside his car.

The sudden loss shattered the team. Driven by corporate sponsor commitments, Visakh had no choice but to push through the grief and complete the race. Overwhelmed and unable to focus, he struggled with timing and made multiple errors, but somehow crossed the finish line before heading to Kannur for the funeral. Even today, every time Visakh lines up on the grid, the memory of his late friend sits right beside him.

Chasing the ultimate dream
Having secured the title of National Champion, Visakh is already looking at a larger horizon. His ultimate ambition is to represent India and win at the World Rally Championship (WRC). With the solid backing of Duran Racing and MRF, he believes this dream is well within his reach.

Visakh comes from an academic family. His father, Balachandran, is a retired professor from Government College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram, while his mother, Shantakumari, was the principal of the engineering college in Painavu during his student days. His brother, Vivek, is a professor at Singapore. He lives with his wife, Anila, who is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of Hyderabad, and their son, Alai.