Introduction
“How do you know where the limit lies?”
The quip made me stop in my tracks and pay closer attention to the conversation. Accomplished racers of their time, Pradeep HK and RA Abdullah now play instrumental roles in two of India’s biggest racing teams. Pradeep was of the opinion that it is only fair that riders would want to keep shaving milliseconds off their timings during the Practice session. RA Abdullah, on the other hand, argued that Practice session is where riders must focus on getting the setup right and preserving the bike, rather than pushing themselves and returning with a mangled bike. I couldn’t linger any more, as it was time for me to get suited up for my own Practice session. But the quip remained in my mind.
The fourth and final race of the TVS Young Media Rider program was conducted at the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) in Irungattukottai, Chennai, last weekend. Despite the forecast of heavy rains, it was a sunny day, and the race was being conducted over the full 3.7 kilometre circuit. My best result in the season so far was a dismal seventh. Despite my inability to improve my ranking over the previous races, there had been a noticeable improvement in my lap times, and I was determined to end the season on a high note.
Practice session
For the Practice session, we had the track to ourselves for 30 minutes. Wary of not repeating my previous mistakes, I started off the session riding slowly. It had been over two months since I rode over the full length of the MMRT, and the first few laps were spent in recollecting the braking and turn-in markers. After the first few laps, I started pushing myself. Despite the lack of a speedometer on the bike, I could feel that I was carrying more speed through the corners and my lines were getting tighter.
Back in the pits, the timings were out and I had clocked the fifth fastest lap time in my class. The best part though, was that the 2:26.433 minute lap was 5.3 seconds quicker than my previous fastest lap time on the full circuit. I even managed to find vegetarian food, which meant that I didn’t have to go into the Qualifiers on an empty stomach, like in my previous race. Things were finally looking up!
Qualifiers
The first thing I noticed as we went out for the Qualifying session was that I no longer was a nervous wreck. The performance in the Practice session had given my confidence a boost, and I could feel myself pushing the limits of braking and turn-ins little by little, every lap. I was finally starting to feel at ease on the Apache RTR 200 race bike and could focus on improving my lap times. And it showed on the time sheet too. I had further improved my lap time by 2.5 seconds, qualifying sixth in the process. I had missed out on the fifth spot on the grid by a measly 0.07 seconds!
The Race
As I stood at the starting grid, waiting for the lights to turn red, I couldn’t help but wonder what would get me first, the track or the heat. Chennai’s afternoon heat and the leather racing suit is a lethal combination, and had me sweating like a pig. At such a time, the five minutes you spend at the starting grid, waiting for the lights to go red, can seem like an eternity.
During the previous race, my eagerness to make up for qualifying in the last spot saw me launch the bike at an idiotically high rpm. And I had received a rap on the knuckles in the form of a wheelie, which pushed me way behind my fellow competitors. I wasn’t going to repeat the same mistake. I chose to launch at 5,000rpm and be progressive rather than aggressive. And boy, did it pay off! The good launch and my light weight saw me climb to the third position before we even got close to the C1. I even managed to land up on the perfect line which allowed me to go flat out though the C1.
However, competitor #1 had made use of the slipstream and cut me from the inside as soon as we got to C2. I stuck to his tail through C3 and the straight. However at C4, I got fixated on the kerb and overshot my braking marker. Halfway through the corner I realised that I was carrying too much speed and wasn’t going to make it. The safe thing to do was get the bike up and ride off the track. Fortunately, I had a good lead over the rest of the pack and I retained the fourth spot as I got back on the track.
However, the damage was done. My steering started to feel wobbly, probably a result of hitting the hardened mud trails off the track. I continued riding as fast as the bike would allow me to, but the competition had started to catch up. The C8 was where I had another nervous moment, as the steering twitched violently under braking, making me veer off the track once again. I watched in despair as four competitors shot past me. I rejoined the track in the eighth position. I had dropped from third to eighth in the matter of a minute. And the worst was yet to come.
I kept pursuing the pack in front of me through the next lap. There were a few moments when just inches separated me and #11. However #11 determinedly held his position. Back in C8, I momentarily forgot the state of my steering and went hard on brakes. And I went off the track, again, dropping to the last position. My one error in judgment during the first lap had turned out to be my biggest mistake of the season.
I rejoined the track, although the rest of the competitors had built up a comfortable distance and I could barely see them as just small specs on the horizon. I kept my calm and focused on putting up clean laps, with the wobble in the steering hanging like the Sword of Damocles. After all, I didn’t have much to lose at this point. Surprisingly, I could see the specs grow larger in size and by the penultimate lap, I had closed down the gap between myself and the last two riders. I grabbed the ninth spot in the last corner of the fourth lap and maintained the position as I crossed the chequered flag.
The outcome of the race was far from what I would have liked, and even my fastest lap time in the race was two seconds off my Qualifying time. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. Nevertheless, I returned with valuable lessons and an insatiable urge to return to the race track. It seems like my happy ending will have to wait.
About TVS One Make Championship
Back in 1994, TVS became the first two-wheeler manufacturer to conduct ‘One Make’ races in India as a platform for budding racers to showcase their skills on the race track. Today, anyone can compete in the TVS One Make Championship, provided they meet the requirements. For just about Rs 3,500 a weekend, TVS Racing provides competitors with race-spec Apache RTR 200s, a leather motorcycle racing suit, gloves, and boots for a complete track experience. TVS will soon start accepting registrations for the 2018 season of the championship through their official website.
Photography by Murali Krishnan
Gallery
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TVS Apache RTR 200 4V Action
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