Ajith's friends, family tried to ‘talk sense' into him when he started racing again but father offered support: ‘The day you start earning…'

Indian Express

21-05-2025

After rising through the ranks and becoming one of the biggest stars Tamil cinema has ever seen, actor Ajith Kumar has returned to where his heart truly lies: the racing tracks. In fact, he has never shied away from admitting that he had little interest in cinema to begin with. However, when financial constraints began to mount, Ajith seized a timely opportunity to enter the film industry, also recognising it as a means to fund his passion for racing. Though he has occasionally returned to the tracks over the years, he recently took a significant step by launching his own official team, Ajith Kumar Racing. The team made its mark at the 24H Dubai 2025 endurance race this January and also secured a podium finish at the renowned Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium earlier this month.
However, back in the early 2000s, when Ajith decided to take a break from acting and return to racing, not everyone close to him was fully supportive. Nevertheless, his father, P Subramaniam, stood by his decision, especially since he had made a promise to his son years before. 'I remember one thing that my father told me very clearly: 'The day you start earning your bread and butter, you can do whatever you want to.' When I decided to start racing again in 2002, a lot of friends and extended family members tried to 'talk sense' into me. But my father stood up for me then, saying that he had assured me that, the day I started making my own money, I was free to do what I wanted. 'He's achieved a decent amount of success. So let him decide what he wants to do,' my father told them,' he recalled during a chat with Mashable India.
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A post shared by Ajith Kumar Racing Team (@ajithkumarracing)
A post shared by Ajith Kumar Racing Team (@ajithkumarracing)
During the conversation, he also addressed his decision to back out of racing in the Dubai 24H series after a major crash. Many had, at that time, dubbed his act as a 'selfless' gesture. 'We were doing pretty well during the practice for the Dubai race. We were four drivers: Mathew, Fabian, Cameron and I. We were doing pretty well until I had a crash in the practice session two days before the race. The car was written off, unfortunately. So, we, as a team, decided it was best if I stepped back because we knew we had a chance at the podium. I didn't want to ruin it for my team,' he stated.
Opening up about how he plans to juggle his acting and racing careers, Ajith revealed that he has devised a strategy to ensure that one doesn't overlap with the other. 'To make things easier and possible, I have decided not to do films during the racing season. It begins in March and goes on till either mid-September or mid-October. This gives me time to finish or put together a project between October and February-March of the next year before I start racing again.'