TVS flew us down to the Madras International Circuit to attend the selection round for their Young Media Racer Programme. Read on to know how we got selected for it
Story: Charan Karthik
Photography: TVS Motor Company
It was five o’clock in the morning and the alarm was ringing. I just could not get up because I had not got proper sleep the night before. Race day jitters? Not so much. I was just too excited to sleep and kept imagining scenarios. Anyway, an hour later, I went down for breakfast and, by 8.00 am, we were on the racetrack, drooling at TVS’ race-spec Apache RTR 200 4Vs.
Let me rewind a little and tell you what the TVS Young Media Racer Programme (YMRP) is. The initiative was started by the TVS Motor Company in 2017 and this year marks the eighth edition. The YMRP, as the very name suggests, is a programme wherein the country’s youngest media personnel gear up and race against one another. This was the selection round and, as per TVS’ briefing, this was the highest turnout they had witnessed so far. As many as 39 of us were going to be pitted against one another under the hot Chennai sun.
The day started with all of us assembling inside a classroom for a briefing by Pradeep H K, Brand Manager, Brand Experience, TVS Racing, who took us through TVS’ history, how the TVS Racing Team was formed, and what the YMRP is. Later, he was joined by Harry Sylvester, our trainer, who told us about basic track riding etiquette along with the meaning of various flags. He also spoke about racing lines, acceleration, and the importance of gearing. Soon we were joined by Jagan Kumar, K Y Ahamed, and a few other TVS Racing Team riders who assisted us on the track.
After about an hour in the classroom we were all divided into three batches. Luckily, I was put into the first one and was assigned bike number four (Andrea Dovizioso?). Thirteen of us scrambled and made our way to collect our riding gear. TVS were kind enough to lend us every bit of their gear. I collected my one-piece racing suit, a pair of boots, and gauntlet gloves. If one might recall, TVS have a partnership with Alpinestars and, for this event, they lent us the Alpinestars Tech Air 5 airbag vest and the Alpinestars Supertech R10 helmet. Safety taken to a whole new level, literally. I have not seen any other manufacturer in our country providing riders with such high-level safety gear. A big thumbs-up to TVS. However, I was carrying my own ECE 22.06-certified and FIM-homologated helmet and used the same.
Starting off with the first session, we were led by one of our trainers and we were shown the lines around the track, along with marshal posts. After the 15-minute session, we pulled into the pits and assembled in the classroom for the second session where Harry showed us the body position and braking before corners. A while later, we went out and implemented them on the track. Soon thereafter, our third and final instructed session got under way and we all assembled on the starting line. One of the trainers lined up at the start line, ahead of us, while Harry explained to us how the timing boards would be shown before the start of the race.
Five minutes to go, one minute to go, 30 seconds to go, and soon the five red lights came on and went out. The rider ripped open the throttle and went ahead. We went and replicated the same. On the home stretch, after doing the start, we did the braking drill where we were instructed to use the front to its full potential and engine brake to come to a complete stop.
By this time, the sun was scorching us all and making a deep-fried dish of us. Hydration was the key. We were given lunch soon after the session and were told to get ready for our practice/qualifying session. We were given 15 minutes in all to get both our practice laps and qualifying laps done. I geared up and mentally prepared myself for pushing the bike and getting the best time possible. All the 13 of us in our batch were sent out in two separate intervals, while a trainer led us out one by one on the track, supervising us all and ensuring there was enough gap in between all of us.
Since the entire session was 15 minutes, I went all-out from the beginning. After managing more than five laps, the chequered flag was shown and I pulled into the pits. The remaining two batches were sent out after us and they all completed their sessions. The results came and I qualified for the championship in fourth place with a lap time of 2:24.609. The top step was just three seconds above.
With three race weekends spread over the next five months, I have all the time to prepare myself and fight it out with some of the best media personnel in the country.
I have gained a lot from the TVS YMRP and even got my first ever knee-down moment in the third corner. TVS have given me a lot of memories to take home and cherish for ever.
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