Pratiksha Das On Her B.E.S.T Foot Forward

Pratiksha Das On Her B.E.S.T Foot Forward

The 25-year-old engineer began her bike riding journey with a desire to ride at the age of 14, which she expressed to her uncle who advised her to put the pedal to the metal, quite literally. Thus began the 14-year-old’s first bike venture. She debuted on a Hero Passion and later got her first Activa at the age of 18. Since then, there was no looking back for Das. Her love for motorcycles further transcended into her academics, making Das take up Mechanical Engineering at a degree level.

In 2016, Das enrolled herself into the Ambey Valley Drag Race-India Speed Week after being motivated by her friends and family while being completely oblivious to the car racing scenario in India. However, the following year, she participated in both car and bike categories and came home with the title of ‘Fastest Female on Bike’. Although the biker began her racing career with cars, she prefers racing on bikes as she believes that track car races are way more expensive to be a part of.

During the drag race event, she was noticed by several senior riders who then helped her participate in the selection round for India’s first female bike racing team powered by TVS Racing. Among the 60 participants who were pitted against each other to make it to the first-ever team, 15 racers were selected, which also included Das. She praises TVS for taking up the initiative to promote racing for women and believes that it has certainly increased the number of women entering the industry.

“The initiative taken up by TVS has helped motivate women to get more involved in motorsports. I remember, in 2016, when I took part in drag races, there were around 400-450 boys and just four or five girls in the entire competition. After the TVS racing team was set up, the number of girls participating doubled. As years passed by, the number went on increasing. I believe the more racers the people see, the more awareness it will create,” she said.

Similarly, Das also got into racing after being inspired by Alisha Abdullah, India’s first female national racing champion. She recollects being trained by Abdullah in the TVS team as one of her luckiest days.

Further down the road, Das felt the need to move forward. She clearly believes in the phrase, the bigger the better. So she waited till she turned 21 to officially start her bus driving training. However, she was up for a bumpy ride. Most training centres mocked and questioned her ability to handle a heavy vehicle, being a woman. This further fuelled her drive to get trained. Expecting the worst, she reluctantly applied for the BEST training course as her last resort. However, the team was more than happy to train her and she received her licence soon after. On completing the training period, the 24-year-old was informed of the feat she had achieved – the triumph of becoming the first female to complete the training under BEST.

Another major laurel that came her way was the Great Asian Odyssey, a 15,000 km road trip with fellow bikers, covering the vast Southeast-Asian region of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Sri Lanka, where she proudly represented India at key places.

On being asked about difficulties a woman might face on roads, Das said, “None.”  She says most people are more than happy to help a female rider. She recalls how women in rural areas come to strike up a conversation and get genuinely fascinated to see a female bike rider. In terms of personal needs too, she believes that most roads are fairly equipped.

Talking about family support, Das affirms that her mother’s complete support is what has helped her move forward. Despite receiving flak from other members of the family or even outsiders, her mother has stood by her like a rock. She says that even though many people have brought up the ‘girl factor’ to stop her from going on long trips, her mother always nodded ‘yes’ to her crazy adventures. However, Das also makes sure to be responsible while on trips by regularly informing her mother of her whereabouts.

Das has recently ventured into YouTube video creation space with her first introduction video already up for viewing. She aims to make content in her native language Telugu as a way to connect to the people back home, as most people mistake her to be a Mumbaikar. Apart from this, she also plans to feature her riding and travel videos and also use it as a platform to motivate more people into motorsports. She credits YouTuber Tagore Cherry, aka Cherry Vlogs, for persuading her into starting her own YouTube channel.

Commenting on her future goals, she says her next target is to ride to the Mount Everest base camp, which will be a challenge she would like to embark on. Additionally, she would also like to try her hand again at car racing. She also mentions the BMW S 1000 RR to be her dream bike. (MT)

Suzuki Motorcycle India Sells 91,264 2Ws In June 2026

Suzuki Motorcycle India

Suzuki Motorcycle India, a leading manufacturer of scooters and motorcycles in the country, has announced its wholesales for June 2026.

The company recorded total sales of 115,030 units last month, a 21 percent YoY increase compared to the 95,244 units sold a year ago. Domestic sales reached 91,264 units, up 23 percent YoY, while exports grew 12 percent to 23,766 units.

Deepak Mutreja, Vice-President – Sales & Marketing, Suzuki Motorcycle India, said, “Our sales performance in June reflects the sustained momentum, supported by strong demand and the trust our customers continue to place in the Suzuki brand. As customer expectations continue to evolve, we remain focused on delivering products that offer reliability, performance and value. At the same time, we are strengthening our engagement with customers through meaningful initiatives and experiences that help us build lasting relationships beyond the purchase.”

Revenue from spare parts sales totalled INR 929 million in June 2026, marking 15 percent growth over the previous year.

During the month, Suzuki Motorcycle India conducted the Burgman Hangout Parade in Pune and Hyderabad. Additionally, the company held GIXXER Pit Stop events in Kumbakonam, Ranchi, Bengaluru and Dehradun, which involved 285 participants.

Yulu Enables Mobility For Over 12,000 Women Home Service Professionals

Yulu - Home Service Professional

Yulu, an Indian shared electric mobility platform, has announced that over 12,000 women home service professionals across 12 cities have utilised its platform to facilitate their work.

By providing accessible, low-cost electric vehicles (EVs), Yulu is actively dismantling mobility barriers that often prevent women from entering or thriving in the gig economy.

The platform supports women working as home cleaners, meal preppers and laundry professionals in the fast-growing online home services sector. Yulu’s lightweight, speed-capped EVs – which do not require a driver’s license – have allowed these professionals to complete 25–30 percent more assignments daily.

The all-inclusive rental model, which covers battery swapping and maintenance, significantly lowers the barrier to entry for women who previously lacked reliable personal transport.

Beyond the 12,000 women in home services, Yulu says it has empowered over 550,000 gig workers and delivery partners nationwide, many of whom have seen their incomes rise by 30–40 percent compared to using traditional petrol bikes.

The integration of Yulu’s mobility solutions comes at a pivotal time for India's service economy. According to Redseer Strategy Consultants, India's online home services market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 18–22 percent, reaching nearly USD 1 billion by FY2030.

At present over 35,000 women professionals are providing on-demand home services across platforms such as Urban Company, Snabbit and Pronto to name a few.

Amit Gupta, Co-Founder & CEO, Yulu, said, "Access to a vehicle often spells the difference between being dependent on her family and having an additional income stream that unlocks independence and dignity."

Bajaj Auto Sells 209,837 Units In June 2026

Bajaj Auto

Pune-headquartered two-wheeler and three-wheeler major Bajaj Auto has announced its wholesales for June 2026.

The company recorded total sales of 463,202 units last month, which was 28 percent higher compared to 360,806 units in June 2025. This includes 389,395 two-wheelers, up 30 percent YoY, as compared to 298,484 units a year ago.

Interestingly, while the company’s domestic sales grew by 12 percent to 166,956 units, its exports saw 49 percent YoY growth to 222,439 units.

Three-wheeler sales for last month came at 42,881 units (+10 percent YoY) in the domestic market and 30,926 units in the export market (+33 percent YoY).

For Q1 FY2027, the domestic two-wheeler sales came at 586,547 units, up 11 percent YoY, as against 529,344 units a year ago. Exports on the other hand saw a robust 52 percent YoY growth to 636,005 units, as against 419,447 units last year.

Three-wheeler sales in the domestic market grew by 13 percent YoY to 119,531 units, while exports grew 69 percent YoY to 96,168 units.

TVS Motor Company Sells 590,003 Units In June 2026

TVS Motor Co

Chennai-headquartered two-wheeler and three-wheeler major TVS Motor Company has announced its wholesales for June grew by 47 percent to 590,003 units, as compared to 402,001 units sold last year.

Sales for two-wheelers came at 565,417 units, which includes 411,014 units in the domestic market, while exports came at 154,403 units. In the domestic market, scooter sales came at 247,950 units, while motorcycles accounted for 267,096 units.

Electric two-wheelers saw a substantial jump from 14,400 units sold in June 2025, to 48,537 units sold last month.

On the other hand three-wheeler sales came at 24,586 units, up 51 percent YoY.

For Q1 FY2027, the company recorded sales of 1.63 million units. Two-wheeler sales reached 1.56 million units, while three-wheeler sales totalled 67,000 units. The company's international business accounted for 468,000 units and electric two-wheelers sales reached 130,000 units for the quarter.