“The adrenaline and stress of an adventure are better than a thousand peaceful days” – Paulo Coelho
If that is something you believe in then you probably know that motorsports can bring you to the peak of an adrenaline rush. We are talking about fast bikes leaning across turns and the sound of blaring exhausts zoom past you while you watch them go from the spectator stands. We were at Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore to witness this ourselves for the
MRF MMSC FMSCI INDIAN NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE CHAMPOINSHIP 2018.
The season will have three races over the next two months .The first round of races started off on the 8th of June spanning over two days and ending on the 10th of June 2018. Under the banner falls the national championship, TVS One Make Championship, TVS One Make Championship for women, TVS Young Media Racer & Honda One Make Cup.
A weekend with heated track action, fast riders, race spec bikes, pit crews, adrenaline and cheering crowd is what you imagine when you hear ‘RACING’ and this weekend was exactly about all of this. But hold on….I am not a spectator! I am here at the Kari motor Speedway as a competitor. Yes, TVS Racing has given us media personal a chance to get a first hand track experience. Under the YOUNG MEDIA RACER PROGRAM, 12 journalists and motovloggers from different parts of the country were chosen. We received a training session last month on the Madras Motor Racing Track in Chennai under the guidance of our instructor Harry Sylvester, a six time national champion Jagan kumar and KY Ahamad.
Here we were shown videos and trained step by step about the basics of motorcycle racing, it’s rules and tricks. The team at TVS Racing was really patient and we were given all the attention we needed. Harry Sylvester was patient enough to answer all our queries and questions whereas Jagan Kumar and KY Ahamad led us in two different teams on the track.
Every time a new thing was thought to us. We would get back on to the track to apply what we learnt. Step by step, one at a time so that we do not get confused by the information overload. They also made sure each and every participant got a chance to ride right behind our instructors to closely observe what was being thought to us.
Being a first timer on the track I felt very comfortable and confident. TVS provided us with full racing gear except for we had to carry our own DOT CERTIFIED, DOUBLE D RING HELMETS.
We got our hands on the race spec modified TVS APACHE 200.4V with a slipper clutch. The bike handled superbly and went around the corners like a piece of cake. I was surprised to learn what all this bike is capable to do on track. Lots of track technicalities were inculcated into our minds. Including braking, riding posture, turning for apex, checking the entry points, how to enter a turn and how to exit a turn at maximum possible speed. We were explained exactly where we should place our feet while not changing gears and how much should be the % ratio of braking and how to divide the braking efficiently between the front and rear brakes. To make things easier, the track was even temporarily marked so as to get a better judgment and make learning easier. Our instructors made sure as to give as much as personal attention to each of my fellow riders.
Apart from basics, we were educated about the various rules one has to follow on the track, the flags and penalties. A start off so as to not pop a wheelie and if we do, we were also trained on how to control it without falling. We were shown training related videos, slides and some racing related motivational videos made by TVS.
We were also provided with contact numbers for our trainers and instructors so as to call them and get our future queries answered. The team at TVS is always happy to oblige and open to feedback and suggestions. By the end of our training session all of us participants had also become good friends and enjoyed learning together as a team.