Bike India

Best Bikes in India | No.1 Two Wheeler Magazine

  • Home
  • News
    • Upcoming Launches
    • Latest News
    • New Bike Launches
  • Reviews
    • First Ride
    • Road Test
    • Comparison
  • Features
  • Our Bikes
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
  • NG Auto
    • AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA
    • CAR INDIA
    • COMMERCIAL VEHICLE
  • Brands

KTM RC Cup Media Race – Ready To Race

April 10, 2023 by Azaman Chothia Leave a Comment

We headed to the MMRT in Chennai to take part in a media race alongside the final races of the recently concluded KTM RC Cup.

Story: Azaman Chothia
Photography: Apurva Ambep

Spending a weekend at the racetrack is always an exciting affair. This time I got to swing my leg over the new KTM RC 390 (GP Edition) at the MMRT in Chennai. A media race allowed us journalists to get a first-hand experience of the KTM RC Cup championship. There were a group of 16 (journalists and influencers combined) this time. On Saturday, we had two practice sessions of 20 minutes each. It has been a while since I have ridden at the MMRT, so I took it easy as I headed out, but the bike was really easy to get up to speed with.

The bikes running in the championship are stock units with only a few minor changes for added safety on the track. With the quick-shifter, it is now easy to shift through the gearbox. Compared to the previous-gen model, the ergonomics are more relaxed and facilitate more movement which is helpful while tackling corners.

As I got to grips with the bike, it was time to figure out where I could make up time and find some pace. I did feel like I had improved a little bit by the end of the second session but was a little disappointed when I saw myself in P12 on the list. It was time to get to work and make use of all the track time the next day.

On Sunday, the pre-race jitters obviously kicked in but it was good to know we had one more practice session before qualifying and, finally, the race itself. I made full use of the practice session and improved a little compared to the previous day. Even though all of us were battling on track to get the best times, we also helped one another figure out where the mistakes were being made and how they could be corrected. The qualifying session is when you go all in to secure that grid position and, after a few flying laps, I managed to qualify in P8. Not a great result but better than the previous day for sure.

As the lights went out for the start of the five-lap race, I did not get the best start but managed to retain P8 before the first corner. With a fellow journalist making a mistake ahead at the C3, two of us got through and this promoted me to P7. Soon thereafter, I was able to make an overtake coming down the main straight and going into C1. After this, I was able to put some distance in between the two of us and occupied P6 for the next few laps.

At the end of the fourth lap, however, I made a costly mistake that allowed two riders to catch up and swoop through C10, although only one got through and this put me back into P7 where I finally crossed the finish-line with my personal best lap-time of the race: 2.11.774. Not the most impressive timing but I did get to learn a lot, so that is always a plus.

Over this race weekend, we got some much-needed track-time and, astride the KTM RC 390, it was a real hoot; so, thanks to KTM India for having us over to participate in this race. To top it all, it was an honour to have the former MotoGP rider, Jeremy McWilliams, who is the race director for this championship, handing each of us our certificates. KTM India will assess the 2023 championship and soon announce whether this will be made an annual event.

a.chothia@nextgenpublishing.net'

Azaman Chothia – who has written 239 posts on Bike India.


Email

Related posts:

Geoffrey Emmanuel in FIM World Championship JuniorGP
Stripe Livery in Iceberg White for Ducati Supersport 950 S
Tripper Navigation for Royal Enfield 650 Twins

Filed Under: Features, KTM Tagged With: bike, bikes, chennai, KTM, KTM RC 390, KTM RC Cup, media, Media Race, MMRT, motorcycle, Race weekend, RC 390, rc cup

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

AlphaOmega Captcha Classica  –  Enter Security Code
 ⟲    ➴
 


LATEST ISSUE

Bike India - India's no. 1 two-wheeler magazine

17TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

Bike India - India's no. 1 two-wheeler magazine

Triumph Street Triple 765 R and RS Review | The Best Street Triple Yet

Ducati Diavel V4 Review | Devil of the Mountain

Royal Enfield Hunter 350 first ride | Aspi Bhathena

SPECIAL Featured Story

Bookings Opened For New 2023 Yamaha Models

Bookings Opened For New 2023 Yamaha Models

Bookings for the new 2023 Yamaha models, the YZF-R3, MT-03, YZF-R7 and MT-07 have started across India. Yamaha dealers are accepting reservations for a refundable booking amount of Rs 3,000. In the coming months, these bikes are anticipated to make a formal appearance.

More about this.

Recent Posts

  • Lumax Lubricants and Coolants Launched
  • Simple One Launched in India
  • Geoffrey Emmanuel in FIM World Championship JuniorGP
  • Harley-Davidson X440 July Launch

Car India

Car India Magazine - Get your Digital Subscription

Latest News

Lumax Lubricants and Coolants Launched

Simple One Launched in India

Geoffrey Emmanuel in FIM World Championship JuniorGP

Harley-Davidson X440 July Launch

Subscribe to Car India

Subscribe to our Car India Magazine

Bike India: India’s no. 1 two-wheeler magazine

BIKE India covers the two-wheeler industry in its entirety, both from the local and the international perspective. Also delivers the most definitive verdict on machinery and performance by explaining the hows, whys, and whats on every new bike in a lucid and user-friendly manner. BIKE India is the India’s most authoritative two-wheeler publication, a magazine for people with a passion for bikes and everything to do with their history and heritage.
SiteMap

Copyright © 2023 · BIKE INDIA INDIA’S NO. 1 TWO WHEELER MAGAZINE, BY FAR! ·