KTM Ultimate Duke Rider 2021 Event Experience - Living The Dream

After an exciting trip so far, it was finally time to get my hands on the limited edition 1290 SuperDuke RR. The guys who had ridden the 1290 SuperDuke RR the previous day did say how unforgiving the bike is compared to the R version, and I definitely was nervous to get going, having decided to jump directly off the 890 Duke’s saddle to pilot the exclusive 1301cc beast.

Finally, the 1290 SuperDuke RR!

Having completed a quick crash course into the diverse riding aids the 1290 SuperDuke RR packed, and after selecting a conservative riding mode, we set off towards the Pannonia Ring in Hungary. The pace was quick, however riding the beast wasn’t as strenuous as I thought. The bike only weighed 180 kgs and was nimble enough to be thrown into corners, and what further helped were the grippy Michelin Power Cup2 tires that only accentuated my confidence with every passing mile.

Fueled by extreme excitement, we crossed the Hungarian border and soon enough pulled into the Pannonia Ring. Whatever little fatigue that creeped in from the day-long ride disappeared the moment we saw all the ongoing preparations at the track to allow us to unleash our machines the next day. Oh boy, it really was difficult to digest the fact that I’d get to play with a SuperDuke on a European track the entire day. 

Attempting To Ride 300km On Track

The next day, neither did the harsh Hungarian summer heat, nor the body pain seem like a deterrent to my sole objective for the day, to rake in 50 laps of the 4.8km track. Tirelessly I kept putting in the laps and settled for a lap time of around 2:26 mins. Meanwhile, Jeremy McWilliams – ex-MotoGP rider and current development rider for the Duke range – was setting lap times in the range of 2:07mins. By lunch time, I was able to clock in about 28 laps, and that’s when I was encouraged by Riaan, marketing manager for KTM, to aim for 60 laps. 

Getting back on track, I kept changing between the 890 Duke and 1290 SuperDuke, and also kept my focus on hitting that golden 60 lap number, or 290 km of track riding in a day. However, at 5pm, when I was on my 48th lap, a red flag due to a crash caused an early end to the session. Luck seemed to be on my side, though, as the track marshalls had a change of heart, and decided to reopen the track for 40 more minutes. I quickly got onto the bike, and began lapping the Pannonia Ring as fast as I could. By the end of the day, 58 laps were done with a fastest lap time of 2:16.639. Well, Jeremy in comparison had his fastest lap at 2:02.883, but after having ridden 280 km on track, I obviously couldn’t complain.

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In hindsight, the main reason this track day is still memorable was the exclusivity, as it was only eight riders on track, compared to an average track day that has around 80-100 riders. All the input I received from Jeremy McWilliams with regards to my body position, optimal race lines and braking contributed majorly towards honing my skills exponentially. Furthermore, the challenge of completing 60 laps further accentuated the fun I had on track. An average MotoGP race distance is between 100 to 130 km, whereas, I managed to rack up 280km of track mileage, being only 13.5 seconds a lap slower than an ex-MotoGP rider.

Off-Roading On The SuperDukes

The next day we had to get back to Austria to attend the MotoGP weekend at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. The temperatures dropped while we were riding back, and as the Red Bull Ring is surrounded by the picturesque Styrian hills, we decided to ditch attending the Friday practice sessions, and rather hit one of the trails on a nearby hill. Yes, you read that right, off-road trails on the Scalpel and SuperDuke.

As this was an impromptu decision, we did not have the tracking car accompanying us, and neither was the trail on any map. While it was immense fun climbing the 20km off-road section, we were all wary of the consequences a small goof-up could have had. The bikes, though, did not complain about the terrain they were being ridden on. It was impressive to see how these street motorcycles were able to cope with a beaten-up mountain trail, and all said and done, the view after ascending the trail was just spectacular. Once we completed the trail, we headed to our stay for the weekend, for a much-needed recuperation from the travel and aftermath of an intense track day. 

The MotoGP Weekend

KTM was kind enough to provide a VIP MotoGP experience, and while the COVID bio-bubble protocols dictated that we couldn’t access the pit lane, we were hosted at the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Hospitality grandstand. This was a really cool experience as we could see about 60 percent of the track and hence barely missed any of the action, while having some amazing food and a limitless supply of Red Bull. Not to mention, this was Valentino Rossi’s final MotoGP season, and I finally was able to see him in action, in person!

After a really memorable week, all of us were rooting for the KTM riders across all the GP classes. While the Moto3 and Moto2 race results were exciting, with Deniz Oncu narrowly missing out on the win in Moto3, and Raul Fernandez winning the Moto2 race, we all hoped for either Brad Binder or Miguel Oliveira to bring in at least a podium in the MotoGP race.

The weather around the Red Bull ring suddenly went gloomy just before the start of the MotoGP race, and we could see dark clouds approaching the track. The MotoGP race began as scheduled, however a very slight drizzle began halfway into the race, causing the white flag to come out. Riders were free to swap to wet-weather tires if they found it apt to do so. With four laps to go, and Brad Binder running in the top 6, he decided to stay out while everyone else in the front pitted to swap their bikes. Binder was suddenly in the lead with a 30-second gap, and we were all ecstatic. Binder managed to clinch the top spot to take the win for KTM Factory Racing, making it the perfect end to an incredible trip. 

We all returned back to our stay, and that night was all about celebrating the success of the first Ultimate Duke Rider event. We started off as a motley group of eight Duke riders at the beginning of the week, but by the end of it had all bonded to become friends – ones who share a passion for riding, and their beloved Dukes.