TVS Racing Young Media Racer Programme 8.0 Round 1 report

I love motorsports! for me, A weekend spent at the track is a weekend well spent. The roar of engines, the incredible skill of the riders and the intensity of competition are experiences you just can’t get enough of. What makes my job so great is that I get to be right in the thick of it – closer to the action than most can imagine. This proximity gives me an incredible rush but also sparks a desire to experience it first-hand. That, however, felt like an unattainable dream… until last month! That’s when TVS sent us the invite for its Young Media Racer Programme (YMRP) – an all-expense-paid chance to let yourself loose on the track. Exactly what I had been waiting for!

Young Media Racer!

In the most literal sense, the YMRP is a competition to find the fastest new kid on the block. Each year several new journalists join the ranks of automotive publications all over the country and the YMRP allows them to showcase their skills, and gets them closer to racing. It makes them better riders, allowing them to push their limits safely and understand the nuances of riding at and sometimes over the limit. That in turn, makes them better road testers. The YMRP is held as a support race to the national 2W racing championship, and that exposes the journos to top-level racers, teams and stalwarts of the sport. The exposure is unbelievable.

This year the season has a total of three rounds – all at the Madras International Circuit in Chennai. But to take part in the actual championship, one needs to clear the selection round first. This is where several (39 this year) journalists from around the country compete to filter out the fastest 16.

Getting selected

As with all racing, my experience was a series of ups and downs. Stepping into this world as a novice rider was both exhilarating and humbling. When you start on track, the learning curve is steep. The dynamics of cornering, braking, and accelerating change dramatically. Having anticipated this, TVS Racing started the first day of the selection round with multiple training sessions. They took up a huge part of the day and covered all the basics like body positioning, racing line, cornering, setting braking points, and even race start. Another good thing about TVS Racing is that it has a long list of experienced instructors you can learn from. Case-in-point: K Y Ahamed, last year’s Moto3 competitor at the Bharat GP taught me how to brake better. And all this happens with the utmost care for safety. This time, TVS Racing has actually gone a step further and introduced Alpinestars Tech-Air airbags for all its participants, even for amateurs like us. These are in addition to the race suits, gloves, boots, and FIM-rated helmets that it already provides.

During the day we were divided into three batches, each of which had three classroom sessions followed by three track sessions. Out on the track, an instructor would control the pace ahead and let us try out what we learnt. After this, a qualifying session would decide who the fastest were. But how did it all feel?

Breathtaking! The environment, the excitement, it was almost too much to handle. I was in full race gear, and although it was comfortable, it was very different from the gear that I would use on the road. It felt almost incomparable. Then there were the bikes. The loud exhaust, the heat and smell of the engine, the grippy race tyres, I needed a moment to take it all in. And when I was done, I swung a leg over the bike and realised my nerves were at their peak. Heart rates were high, the tension was building and I had forgotten everything else. Insane! I qualified 13th in the selection round with a time of 2:34.685. I wasn’t satisfied but I was confident I would improve.

Race weekend A couple of weeks later we had the first round and my goal was simple — to improve as much as I could. I pushed myself and it was evident that there was time I could make up. During practice, I achieved a time of 2:28.433 — more than six seconds faster than before. In qualifying I improved further, setting a time of 2:27.054 and qualifying 10th. This came as good news and I was looking forward to the race. The race, however, didn’t go as planned. I started well, making an overtake right at the start. Taking the first few corners well, I was confident and was chasing down the riders ahead, eventually catching up to a group in front of me, which had three racers side-by-side. I was hot on their tail for a few corners, but I realised that I would have to take more risks if I wanted to get ahead. And that was where it all went downhill. I took a chance and tried to overtake but I got on the brakes too late and entered the corner too fast, which sent me wide and off track. I managed to not fall and continue the race, but by then, I had tumbled down the order. I finished 15th, but there’s satisfaction in knowing I did a personal best time of 2:26.275.

This was not how I had intended my first race to go, but it’s all part of the game with racing. This outcome was far better than to have never tried. As for the future, there are still two rounds left for me to improve, hopefully, take smarter risks and climb up the order. I’m more familiar with the track, the motorcycles, and with my own limits. Can’t wait to saddle up again!