Honestly, I had absolutely no qualms about my wedding last month. While friends, including my wife, asked if I got butterflies in my stomach, I said I had none. It was on the 4th of February, however, when I started thinking about my upcoming California Superbike School (CSS) stint, that I started getting those butterflies
Story: Salman Bargir
Photography: Aditya Bedre
So many questions filled my mind. There was so much I wanted to learn and understand. Overwhelmed, nervous, excited, and grateful—everything at once. With every passing day, colleagues at the office offered important advice. Jim told me to hydrate. Saeed reminded me to understand and keep an eye on the different flags. Sudipto suggested I try another pair of boots. Sandeep asked me to tread with caution, as did everyone else. Ramnath sent me an illustration of pre-workouts. Sanjay jovially told me to go all out like Rossi. Aspi told me to focus on learning to ride properly. And that is exactly what I tried to do, while having a little fun too. What’s the point if you are not enjoying learning something?
‘Makes sense?’
Well, that is how Martin Plunkett, the chief instructor at CSS, concluded most of his explanations. I just loved the way he said it. In fact, I enjoyed my classroom sessions largely because of him. The way he explained and re-explained everything patiently and cautioned us like an elderly, almost caringly. With humour and clarity, he instilled belief and positivity; the guy’s got the vibe. When I was informed about an opportunity of a one-on-one with him and Dylan Code, I grabbed them with both hands. Well… there were two, after all.
The venue was the Madras International Circuit, the Mecca of Indian motor sport. Excited, I reached early and quickly kitted up, ready to go. Soon, the public address system called out the students to register, and those ready were instructed to go for the steering drill. While some had brought their own rides, TVS had provided their INMRC race-tuned motorcycles, which performed consistently well throughout. After completing my registration for that day, I was allotted the Apache RTR 200 4V for the drill, as the TVS Apache RTR 310, my ride for the subsequent three days, was undergoing some pre-checks.
All students were divided into three colour-coded groups—White, Yellow, and Green—the last one containing yours truly. Within the group, a sub-group of three students was assigned a coach for the whole course. My coach was Mariusz Lowicki. He keenly observed us during our drills around the lap and, immediately after the drill, offered us valuable feedback. High speed was never the aim, nor was a knee down, which most were obsessed with. Both could be by-products of trying to achieve the best lap. My intention was to work on the specific drill and achieve the goal at an optimum pace. It could be slow or fast; the idea was to learn, not compete.
Every day on the first lap of every drill, I rode at a slower pace than I could. With every subsequent day and drill, I tried to incorporate the lessons that were taught in all the previous drills. It was overwhelming in the beginning. If I focused on some aspects, I would miss some others. Analysing what I was doing wrong, I focused on the feedback from Mariusz.
After every briefing, we planned for what needed to be worked on during the next drill. All drills were interrelated and interdependent on the first basic drill of the day. With every subsequent lap, I started noticing the improvement. How the drills worked and how the techniques were implemented correctly brought about a significant difference in my riding abilities and, in turn, boosted my confidence.
Day one ended on a positive note. I was glad I could achieve most of my goals. Also, it wasn’t as tiring as I had anticipated. Day two was another story, though. It opened up a Pandora’s box. I was struggling to see, yes, to see. I wanted to get it right and tried to understand what I needed to do. I was simultaneously incorporating the lessons I had learnt from day one. Post lunch, a few suggestions from Mariusz, and things started looking better, in the literal sense. The fact that I had got a good hang of the drills from day one helped, and by the end of the day, there was improvement—not highly satisfactory, but somewhat so.
Day three, the final day. The weather had taken a turn for the worse. It was hot, and I was sweating. A lot. I did what we were constantly reminded to do: hydrate; it was absolutely essential. I wanted to apply everything I had learnt during the previous two days, plus the new drills I was going to learn, in sync and harmony. That was the attempt. Did I succeed? Yes, substantially. I was elated. It was not perfect, but there was a noteworthy improvement, and that is what I could ask for within that limited time.
The telltale sign was the warm hug from Mariusz when I asked him for a picture before we parted. He told me that he was happy with my progress. Sriram was assisting him in observing us, and it was when he mentioned it that it struck me: I was overthinking. On the final day, the moment I had stopped giving it excessive thought, I started enjoying the process more and more, and was getting there gradually. I was elated by the time I finished the final lap of my last drill of the day. It felt surreal. A sweet sadness, knowing it was over, combined with the satisfaction of having learnt so much.
It was not only my first time at CSS, but also my first on a racetrack. What an experience. Everyone who can, should go. The programme was systematically executed; it was a fluid experience. There is still a lot to learn and improve, there always is. Needless to say, I look forward to more such experiences.
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