Actor-racer Ajith Kumar has competed in various international professional motorsport championships, including the Formula BMW Asia Series and the Formula 2 Championship. His presence in the Asian Le Mans Series alongside F1 veteran Narain Karthikeyan has signaled a serious and ambitious new chapter in his sporting career. However, the actor has only started pursuing racing actively in the last few years, taking a step back from his film commitments.
Speaking with Asian Le Mans Series, Ajith recently opened up on whether his acting career stopped him from racing in the past. He explained the reason behind the pressure to choose an acting career in that era. ''Things were different from the '50's until the '70's or early '80's. Drivers were getting killed (in accidents) every week. The cars and tracks were unsafe, and the standards of marshalling were not as they should be. However, they have changed now. The cars are made with adequate safety mechanisms for the drivers, and tracks and circuits have been redesigned. Motorsports has come a long way since then, especially regarding insurance. I'm sure there weren't many players in the insurance business willing to take risks," he elaborated.
The actor further expressed gratitude towards his fans, saying, "Whenever someone steps out of their comfort zone, there is naturally a lot of criticism and debate over whether I should or shouldn't be doing it. I faced that, and I still face it today. Thanks to fans and well-wishers, I feel supported. Having people come out to stand by me reassures that I am on the right path.''
Ajith Kumar's racing calendar remains packed with international matches. He is scheduled to compete in the inaugural edition of the Yas Speed Festival at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The actor previously participated in the 24H Series European 2025, GT4 European Series, Porsche 992 GT3 Cup and Porsche 718 GT4 categories.
On the film front, he worked with director Adhik Ravichadran in Good Bad Ugly (2025). He will be reuniting with him for the upcoming project AK64. Recently, two of his hit films Attagasam (2004) and Mankatha (2011) were re-released on the big screen.
