Chennai: Tamil actor Ajith Kumar, who has earned national recognition not just for his acting prowess but also for his achievements in international motorsport, recently spoke about how his love for racing took root during his childhood.

In an interview with Mashable, Ajith revealed that his first brush with motorsport came at a very young age. “My first exposure to motor sport happened when I was probably five or six years old in the mid to late seventies. My late father P S Mani, who was in the pharmaceutical industry, worked for a Mumbai-based company. One of his managing directors, there were three of them and one of them whom we used to call Vimal uncle used to race for Vijay Mallya's team. He was very closely associated with a person whom I knew as Chewy uncle, who was one of the leading Tuners. So, you know now where it started,” he said.

Ajith went on to recall how February used to be a special month as a child, filled with excitement and early memories of race cars and mechanics. “We would come back from school and have a quick meal and come down. The mechanics would make us a part of... you know like probably give us these engine blocks, to get the carbon tape and give us a petroleum brush. And that's how it started for us. We would sit in the car and pretend that we were race car drivers. We would try to shift gears when it was static. That is where racing started. Somewhere deep down I think I always wanted to pursue or become a race car driver. We were also into motorcycles. I started riding motorcycles very early in life. So it was either motorcycles or four wheelers but I always wanted to be in a race car on a race track and that is how it started,” he said.

When asked about his inspiration in the world of racing, Ajith said, “My favourite person, who, like you say, I idolise, is Ayrton Senna.”

Ajith, who currently races in Europe, is the owner of the racing team Ajith Kumar Racing, which has consistently delivered podium finishes in major endurance races this year. The team includes professional racers Mathieu Detry, Fabian Duffieux and Cameron McLeod. They are supported technically and logistically by Bas Koeten Racing.

The year began on a high note for the team, securing third place in the 991 category at the 24H Dubai 2025. They followed it up with another third-place finish at the 12H Mugello in Italy. Most recently, Ajith and his team clinched second place in the Porsche 992 GT3 Cup category at the Creventic Endurance Race held at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.

(With inputs from IANS)