Thrissur racer Viswas battles steering failure to clinch maiden touring car win

Switching from open-wheel formula cars to the touring car championship is always tricky for any racing driver. But for Viswas Vijayaraj, his touring car debut turned into the sort of ordeal most racers dread and at the same time dream of.

Just moments before the start of Race 1 in the second round of the MRF Indian Junior Touring Car (IJTC) Championship, the power-steering system in his car failed. His team—Team Performance Racing (TPR)—tried everything in their power to get the car fixed, but the clock was ticking against them.  The team's only message to the Thrissur native was simple- "Just try and finish the race."

But for Viswas, a hardcore Ayrton Senna fan, participation has never been about merely finishing. Starting his maiden touring car race from the podium position, he saw the setback as a test of his resilience and determination rather than a reason to hold back.

During the formation lap, he realised the full extent of the problem- the steering had become almost ten times tighter than normal and negotiating corners turned into an extreme physical ordeal, a test of arm strength. But when the race lights turned green, so did all the doubts in his mind.

"Once the race began, I stopped thinking about the pain or the steering. All I focused on was to give my best and get the car finish the line first. I was racing against drivers with more touring car experience than me, so I just had to give everything I had," Viswas said.

What followed surprised the entire crowd and even his team. Although a few drivers initially got ahead, he soon reclaimed the lead, expertly navigating the corners despite the mechanical handicap. He then defended his lead and managed both machine and body fatigue through all eight laps. When the chequered flag finally fell, he crossed the line with an emphatic 11-second lead on his Honda Jazz, sealing a remarkable victory on debut.

"After the race, my hands were aching badly. But I didn't feel anything during the laps, and once I got out of the car, the pain hit me," he recalled.

It was during the second round of the MRF IJTC, held from September 19 to 21, that Viswas achieved the unthinkable. After his dramatic victory in Race 1, he secured a second-place finish in Race 2 and third in Race 3, lifting him to third in the overall championship standings despite having missed the first round. The opening round of the championship took place in July, but his team did not participate in the race.

"The third round is in December and the fourth is in January. My goal is to win both and fight for the championship title," he said. The IJTC championship comprises four rounds, with each round consisting of three races. With two rounds remaining, he still has six races left to secure the title, a feat he had consistently achieved in open-wheel formula racing over the past seven years.

Viswas entered the racing arena in 2017 through the DTS Racing team, where he trained for nearly a year before making his competitive debut in 2018 in both the MRF and JK Tyre championships. He went on to become a two-time National Champion in the MRF 1300 category, clinching the title in 2023 and 2024.

Viswas describes 2022 to 2024 as the peak period of his career so far. In 2024, he was also crowned the KMS Endurance Champion, and the previous year, he finished as the MRF 1600 Vice Champion. He also holds lap records at both Kari Motor Speedway and the Madras International Circuit.

Viswas’s journey to the racetrack was abrupt. Born in Thrissur and brought up in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, he first discovered Formula 1 during his school days. "Once, my father and I were watching TV when he changed the channel and an F1 race showed. It was the first time I had ever seen Formula 1. My dad, who was also crazy about cars, started explaining it to me. That was when I saw Michael Schumacher being crowned champion," he recalled. From that moment on, Viswas knew he wanted to become a racer. His father, however, advised him to first complete his schooling before pursuing the dream.

Years later, while in Class 12, he came across a Facebook post about Max Verstappen competing in F1. "I was stunned to learn that Verstappen made it to Formula 1 at just 17. Here I was, 18 and only dreaming. Then I started researching online and realised kids begin karting at a very young age to build a racing career," he said.

He then put in more research, convinced his parents, and reached out to a racing team in Coimbatore that agreed to hold karting trials for him. Around the same time, he came in contact with Diljith T S, a fellow Thrissur native and national racing champion, who founded the DTS Racing team.

Diljith gave him his first real opportunity and began training him. He was even allowed to drive a Formula car before starting formal karting practice. "When I entered the track for the first time, the smell of burning tyres and the sound of the engine captivated me. I instantly knew this is where I belonged," Viswas said.

When he finally hit the track for timed runs, he stunned everyone. Despite having no prior racing experience, he matched the lap times of academy trainees who had been practising for years. "For me, I had always driven cautiously, like a bird trapped in a cage. That day, I felt like the cage door opened, and I could finally fly free," he recalled.

Viswas, who initially pursued a Mechanical Engineering course at a private college in Bangalore, faced significant personal setbacks early in his career. He had to drop out of college to focus on his passion for racing. "It was a tough time for me and my family. They had to convince my relatives, as we were close to everyone, and no one saw racing as a viable career," he said.

His first racing victory came in 2018 during the JK Tyre Novice Cup, where he secured one race win and a third-place finish overall. In his second season, he clinched two wins in the MRF LGB 1300 racing category. Over the years, he continued to improve, ultimately winning the title in the MRF LGB 1300 category in 2022.

The son of Thrissur natives P Vijayarajan and Swapna, Viswas mentioned that most of the DTS team members are Malayalis. He also shared how his focus on racing had improved his everyday driving. "Normal, casual driving became much easier and more controlled after I focused on racing," he said. "We drive raw cars without the safety features found in regular cars. There’s no ABS or traction control, which makes driving more raw and fun. But once we’re on the roads, the cars feel smooth, and we don’t feel the need to rush or speed," he added.