The final race of the TVS Young Media Racer programme is over and that, technically, also brings an end to Shivank’s rather short-lived racing career. He still looks quite happy though and here’s why…
Although 2017 is not over as yet, I’ve to say that it’s been one heck of a year for me. From the very beginning of this year, I got to drive some really fast cars and motorcycles while I also travelled to some kickass places in the last ten months or so. But, if I’ve to single out one occasion that really stood out for me in 2017, it has to be me taking part in the TVS Young Media Racer programme as a full time racer – yes, I participated in four full-fledged races over a span of five months.
The season is already over now, meaning there’s no more racing motorcycles or track days for me for the next few months, to say the least. Now while I am a bit sad about it coming to an end, I’ve to say that I had ridiculous amount of fun during the entire season. Not to mention, I also learnt a lot about racing, motorcycles, and motorcycle racing in the past few months. So, here’s my final report on how it felt to be a full-time racer.
What did I do?
Like I said earlier, I took part in four races, riding a TVS One-Make Apache RTR 200 race-spec bike. Now if you’ve been following my previous reports then you may accuse me of being a blatant liar because, technically, we only had three races in total, right? Yes, that’s true. The first round at Kari was cancelled due to the rain. However, since I got enough track time and even managed to race with some of the fellow journos during qualifying and practice, I’d say that it was as much fun as the other three races.
Anyway, coming back to the topic. After Kari, the rest three rounds were all held at MMRT, Chennai. And while I didn’t shatter any lap records or emerged as a top contender in these races, I performed decently, finishing 4th in the first race and 5th in both second and third race.
What did I learn?
…that I am not cut out for racing. That realization is perhaps the biggest takeaway from the TVS Young Media Racer programme for me. Sure, I’ve improved a lot as a rider - I have acquired a few new tricks, plus, my laps times have tumbled by a significant margin. But, still, my lap times are a good 8-10 seconds off what professional racers clock on the same motorcycle. For reference, my best lap time was 2:22.618 – almost five seconds quicker than my first outing on the race-spec RTR 200 last year – but, the actual racers do a lap time of 2:12s around the very same track. From what I can tell, it’ll at least take a decade, and then some, before I could post similar times.
Long story short, to be a competitive racer you need to have that “attitude”. Which is also why one has to take up racing in the impressionable years. Starting early also means that you develop the right mindset – going for the kill, not caring about your bones and be absolutely fearless once you’re sat on your racing machine. I am not saying that old people (I am only 27, by the way) like me can’t do it but, honestly, it’s not about learning stuff as much as it’s about unlearning things at my age. And unlearning takes a heck of a lot time as I am learning it now…
How can you go racing?
To participate in Novice category of TVS One-Make Championship you’d have to be 23 years old or below. And if you’re older and still want to have a go at it, well, you can take part in Open category. But, you know what the absolute best part is? You don’t have to spend a fortune to be a racer anymore. The entry-fees for the TVS One-Make championship is just `3,000 for a season! You don’t even have to care about motorcycle repairs or riding gear. Just bring your helmet and you’ll be provided with a racing suit, riding boots and gloves for the race-weekend without any additional cost! To be honest, I find this whole deal of racing motorcycles very tempting. So, if you’ve been wanting to be a motorcycle racer – which I believe is something that all bikers fancy – it can’t get any better really. This is probably the best time and the right platform to let your inner racer lose.
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