TVS invited us to take part in their Apache Racing Experience GP Cup Finale that was held at the Madras International Circuit. We swung a leg over their Apache RTR 200 race bike and twisted the throttle open. Read on
Story: Charan Karthik
Photography: TVS Motor Company
It was a while ago that we attended the Apache Racing Experience (ARE) GP Cup in Pune. The ARE GP Cup Finale, as the very name suggests, is the end game. There were two categories: the RR 310 Media and the RTR 200 Media. We participated in the latter.
First, let me talk about the ARE GP Championship. This initiative by TVS was done to give Apache bike owners a chance to experience racing, and of course, to scout talent for their one-make series. The ARE GP Championship had 20 qualifying rounds held in various cities across India, and riders were selected in four categories: RTR 160, RTR 180, RTR 200 4V and RR 310. The finals were held for the owners’ championship, alongside which we were given a chance to race in the media category.
We were taken to the Madras International Circuit at eight o’clock in the morning. After a quick debriefing session by the organisers and an elaborate debrief by the FMSCI officials, we were asked to step out and get ready for the track. Before that, however, we had to go and get our racing licence approved. Once we had finished all the paperwork and got our racing licence, we were asked to go and suit up. TVS provided us with everything. And, yes, I mean everything. A full racing suit, gauntlet gloves, racing boots, chest and back protectors, an ECE 22.06 certified double D-ring helmet, and, of course, the bike itself. I was assigned bike number eight.
The RR 310s were the first to roll out, while the rest of us watched and observed. At 10.30 am we were asked to suit up and get ready. We were out on the track 30 minutes later for our practice session and I did four laps within the time they allowed us. The first two laps just involved riding moderately and getting used to the track and having a few markers. After the time was up, we all pulled into the pits and cooled down.
The next session was the qualifying where we were all sent out for the same 10-minute session again. I got in two timed laps but the session ended before I could get in a third lap on the clock. This hampered my effort as I felt another lap could have yielded a better result. My best lap was 2:33:498 which put me in ninth position among 14 racers. I started to focus on the upcoming race and not think about what could have been. Also, by this time, the sun had reached its highest point and was blazing down on us all, making us rush back into the pits in search of shade.
After a cool-down session and a quick lunch, we slowly started to gear up again for the first race of the afternoon. In between all these, TVS Racing team personnel asked us for feedback after each outing on the track regarding the bike after we pulled into the pits. This proves how detail-oriented they were and how every single feedback of ours mattered to them. Mandatory checks for helmet fitment and presence of chest and back protectors were all carried out by the TVS personnel before we rode out on to the track every single time. All the 14 of us made our way to the track on the race-prepped TVS Apache RTR 200s, revving them up and damaging the spectators’ eardrums in the process.
After a quick out-lap we took our positions, all set for the formation lap, followed by four race laps. The lights went out for the formation lap and we all took off quickly, settling in on the bike and coming to terms with it. After completing the formation lap, we all lined up again in our respective positions. I realised I had to take a good start to get into contention. At the start-line, pumped with adrenaline, I recalled a short conversation I had with our editor after I found out I was going to be starting from P9. I asked him for advice on how to perform better at the race and he said, ‘Don’t pop a wheelie at the start’, which was all I needed to know. I looked ahead and the track marshals had the one-minute board out, which was quickly followed by the 30-second board and, soon enough, it was lights out and away we went. I had a good start wherein I immediately overtook two racers off the line. Coming into the second corner, the bunch were still pretty big. I braked late and overtook one more rider at the corner and settled in at P6. In the next two corners, the group got strung out and I was fighting for fifth position. At the parabola, I slipped through the inside and overtook one more rider, settling in at P5. By this time, the four up front were a few bike lengths ahead and were fighting one another. I was slowly closing the gap to them over the next two laps but a mistake in a corner saw me getting more distanced. Entering the fourth lap, a lone rider was ahead of me, while the top three had pulled away. I was actively closing the gap but the finish approached and I continued to be in fifth place in the end.
After a nice break for rest and recovery, we all got ready for race two, the final race of the day. It began with the finishing order of race one, which put me in a good position (P5). I took off with a good start, overtaking one rider immediately off the line, going into P4. The three in front had bunched up and were a few bike lengths ahead of me while I dug in and kept going trying to catch them. On the third lap, two of the front-runners had crashed and I was suddenly running P2, very closely chased by two riders behind me. I was overtaken by one on the same lap and was in front of the other, sandwiched. After a good battle back and forth, I lost P3 to the rider behind me and finished in fourth place. The race was red-flagged after the crash and the standings were taken from the finishing order of lap three.
I learned so much more than the last time I was out on the track and this experience has made me a much better rider than before. A big thumbs-up to TVS for organising a flawless event and for promptly solving all the issues the riders faced.
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