Chennai:  Young Tijil Rao will make a heroic debut in the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship to be held here from June 22 to 24, having overcome a rare handicap that had made even the simple act of walking extremely excruciating, if not impossible, for him.

Born with clubfoot, a condition in which one’s feet were rotated inwards, Tijil had to undergo two surgeries in each of his legs, first when he was just three-months-old and then again as a four-year-old to assume a normal life.

That, however, did not deter him from pursuing his passion for racing. Tijil now has the distinction of being one of the youngest racers on the Formula LGB 1300 Grid, which was part of the MRF Indian National Racing Championship 2018.

At 14, the Bengaluru boy, studying in Class X at the Mirambika School for New Age, will be racing for Momentum Motorsports. “We are delighted to have Tijil Rao in our Formula LGB 1300 driver line up”, Rasheed Khan, Momentum Motorsport’s team Principal, said.

“He has shown promising speed in his pre-season testing with us, and we believe that he can consistently score points through the season,” he added.

Tijil had a solid 2017, competing in the National Rotax Karting Championship and honing his driving. He underwent pre-season testing with Momentum School of Advance Racing in April and May and impressed enough to bag a seat.

“I’m happy to be part of the championship-winning Momentum Motorsport team. They managed to get the best out of me during testing and I am now confident of displaying my skills,” Tijil Rao said.