Why Points did not Matter At The Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup

If you have been following our coverage of the Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup, you would know that Sachin Chaudhary of Ahmedabad has been chosen to represent India at the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup in Spain in October this year. He will be competing in the qualifiers of the championship first and, if successful, would be racing in the Rookies Cup. Those of you who have been following the news closely would also know that the decision has not been made on the basis of points earned by racers. However, you must be wondering as to what the parameters on which the winner was chosen in the Road to Rookies Cup are. It emphasised more on who could learn how to handle new machines, new tracks, changing conditions, etc. and then adapt accordingly. Here's why this is important.

The Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup is a place where rookies from across the world are pitted against each other. The way the Rookies Cup does business is the same as the MotoGP does. Points are awarded to racers and the one with the most points wins the race. Everyone is challenged by the tracks, the conditions, etc. What levels the playing field -- and here's where it gets tricky too -- is the bike. The bike used in the MotoGP Rookies Cup is KTM RC 250 R, which is drastically different from the Gixxer that Sachin rode in the Road to Rookies Cup. It is not just because it is made by KTM and has more power than the Gixxer.

The KTM RC 250 R used in the MotoGP Rookies Cup comes with a 249.5cc single cylinder, liquid-cooled engine with bore and stroke measuring 81x48.5 mm, respectively. This bike puts down 50PS of peak power at 13,000 rpm, and redlines at 13,500 rpm. It has a tubular steel frame with adjustment for headstock and swingarm pivot. The suspension up front is from WP Suspension and is a 45mm upside down fork. At the rear, the monoshock is also from WP Suspension, but can be adjusted for length and preload. A 290mm disc with two-piston Brembo radial-mounted callipers is tasked with the braking up front. The braking at the rear is handled by a 190mm disc with single-piston calliper.

The RC 250 R has forged aluminium wheels from OZ and tyres from Dunlop, measuring 95/70-17 front and 115/70-17 rear. It sports Akrapovic full titanium GP EVO6 twin megaphone exhaust system. The bike tips the scales at a scant 80.5 kg and has a 11-litre fuel tank. Compare this with the Gixxer that Sachin was racing in the Road to Rookies Cup. Here are the specs of the Gixxer racing bike -- 155cc single cylinder air-cooled engine putting out 15PS power, disc brake up front and drum at the back, telescopic front suspension and monoshock at the back, 100/80-17 tyre up front and 140/60-17 at the back. What are the changes -- Megaphone Racing Type Exhaust, clip-on handlebars, rear-set footpegs, race compound tyres, performance air filter and a cowl instead of a rear seat.

If you compare both bikes, you would understand why the ability to learn and adapt was the most important aspect the Road to Rookies Cup emphasised on. Since kids can't ride in India, and there is a dearth of racetracks, the Gixxer was the best compromise they could use. However, if they cannot unlearn old habits and learn new ones, they would not be able to tackle competitors from around the world, some of whom benefit from dedicated motorsport facilities in their countries. Since every rookie in MotoGP Rookies Cup pilots the same bike, the ability to quickly learn how the bike behaves on track is necessary. Also, since Sachin was riding a 155cc bike in the Road to Rookies Cup but will now ride a 250cc bike, he will also have to adapt to the bike's throttle, steering and braking responses really quickly. His competitors would already be familiar with the bike and he would have to find a way to negate this disadvantage.

Sachin will also have to familiarise himself with setting the new bike to his liking. This is another area where he is disadvantaged since the Gixxer he rode here had no adjustable components. This skill can be the difference between him showing his bike's tail to his competitors and always staying at the back of the grid. But the guy is no slouch. There is a reason why he was chosen -- he can not just learn fast but can adapt to changing conditions quickly as well. For a person who has never competed before in a motorcycle race, he was going up against people elder to him and was beating them on the track. How? He was beating them on the straight of the Madras Motor race track by staying in their slipstream and overtaking them. He maintained his lead in the turns too.

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Also, if you consider his timings, in all his races in the second round, he was just a couple of seconds or so behind the rookies' race leader. To give you some perspective, the rookies' race leader has raced in the Asia Road Racing Championship. The ones behind Sachin trailed behind by 10 seconds or even more. This helped him finish on the podium in all races of the second round, which is an achievement for someone who was struggling in the first round of the Road to Rookies Cup. He would have done better if he had more racing experience under his belt. This is also where Road to Rookies Cup comes to the fore. It is a golden opportunity for Indian racers to head to the MotoGP Rookies Cup and, eventually, MotoGP itself. They do not have to spend big money or travel outside for training since everything is taken care of by Suzuki and Red Bull. Can you remember the last time Indian riders got any kind of opportunity to head to MotoGP? Well, now you can say you do. Not even car racers can claim to have such a direct path to reaching levels like Formula 1 and GT Racing as motorcycle racers have now (being on a motorcycle just became more rewarding).

We wish Sachin all the best and hope he brings his knowledge back to India so that other riders can gain from his experience too. All the best, Sachin!