Track Experience Aboard A Honda CBR150R One Make Race Bike

It’s been ages that I’ve been longing to ride on a racetrack and experience what it feels like to ride with the professional racers. For years I have been listening to experienced riders swear by track experience and how it helped become better riders on track and road. Riding on track can be a surreal experience. Even more so when you are riding a race spec bike. Vastly differing from your road-going bike, they are lightweight, sound glorious and can be seriously fast in the hands of an experienced rider.

Before we were let lose on track, we were subject to a briefing on track etiquette and the bikes we would be riding. As luck would have it, these were the very same bikes, the contenders would be racing later in the Honda One Make Series. 

Honda has been conducting the One Make Race series since 2008 where it gives young talent a chance to move to the bigger stages of motorcycle racing via exposure and proper training and guidance.  This year Honda plans to conduct five races across the three racing circuits in India. 

So back to the racetrack. Honda was reluctant to let us overeager noobs alone out on track on these potent machines without proper supervision. We were privy to training session attended by all the riders trained by Honda and us media. We were briefed on track etiquette, the correct lines to take on track and overall safety rules and regulations. Honda also provides participants complete riding gear (except helmet) that includes a one-piece suit, riding boots and riding gloves. This is a good move as to purchase these items would put a big hole in your pocket and considering the fact that not all racers can afford to buy these.

During these briefings, I had a chance to have a tete-a tete with Ramji Govindrajan, Chief trainer and head of Ten10 Racing. Ten10 Racing helps Honda with the training of young racers and also independently participate in the national championships. Ramji talked about seeing a lot of potential in young riders and the need to train these riders to develop in the sport. As with any sport requiring good physical fitness, starting young as a rider would help them grasp things fast and be able to be globally competitive at an early age. This would also allow these young riders to race competitively for more years before age starts limiting their fitness. He stressed the need for training at a younger age so essential values like wearing a safety gear while riding, taking proper care of the motorcycle and getting to grips with the sport can be inculcated at an early age.

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The briefing session had a map of the racetrack, Kari Motor Speedway is a very technical track with lots of slow corners. The 2.1-kilometre track is named after Sundaram Karivardhan, an Indian formula racing driver, race car designer, business executive and one of the very first pioneers of Indian motorsports. 

The media team was briefed by Sarath Kumar, a veteran with over 6 years of racing experience. Sarath also holds the distinction of being the first Indian to race in Moto3. When he isn't racing, he is training newbies at his alma mater - Ten10 Racing Academy. Sarath advised me to place myself as far behind as I can while crouching on the bike over straight patches as it helps to tuck my head better and lowers drag. While cornering, push the inner shoulder into the turns, shift my body into the direction of the corner and keep your eyes focussed towards the farthest point of the corner exit as during the heat of a race you always end up going where you look. 

The National races in India are categorised into three segments. The Supersports allows full modifications. Bikes here are heavily modified with world-class performance parts used to make them lighter, more faster and more agile. Pro-stock bikes are slightly tamer in comparison owing to restrictions on the modification of these bikes with only limited locally sourced performance parts allowed. The stock motorcycles are the ones that are the least meddled with and share same components as the road-going bikes, except for lightweight panels and mild engine updates.

We were riding the stock race-pepped CBR150R One Make race bikes. Hari Kishnani, another rider from Honda Ten10 Racing, and Sarath joined us on the racetrack to help us take the correct racing lines and improve our track speed. It was enlightening to learn from these masters and try to follow their lines which they effortlessly took thanks to years of practice and honing their skills. For a rookie like me, this was Mecca. The best part of riding on the race track was the close environment where you can push yourself and the bike without having to worry about oncoming traffic or the odd pedestrian trying to cross the road. It is the best way to improve your confidence behind the handlebar. As the laps passed, I was no longer afraid of going fast into corners. 

We had a small chat with Shruthi Nagarajan, a 22-year-old engineering graduate from Chennai, who bagged second place in the Honda One Make Ladies race. Shruthi has been racing with Honda since the last one year and wants to pursue a career in racing. She usually practices once or twice a month when the federation organises pay-and-practice sessions on the Chennai track and during her racing academy's (Honda Ten10 Racing) practice rounds. 

Shruthi feels racing is an adventurous sport that keeps challenging your fitness, preparedness and skill every single time you step out on track. She loves the fact that racing isn't relegated to men anymore and is glad to see many women riders participating (10 women riders race this weekend in the Honda Ladies Cup). She wants more women riders to join in to experience the adrenaline rush. 

The next round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship will be conducted from July 7-9 at MMRT, Chennai. Watch this space for updates on Round 2 of the championship.

As for me, I wait with bated breath for the next opportunity to hit the race track. The 'track riding' bug has bitten and it wont abate anytime soon.