Honda One Make Media Race: Hitting The Apex

As a teenager, I used to be glued to the TV set every weekend to watch MotoGP races. I have always been in awe of the racers in their bright hued race suits and helmets, pushing their bikes beyond limits to stay ahead of the pack. Watching them was a big high though I got introduced to motorsport properly only after joining Zigwheels where I am surrounded by a whole bunch of motorsport enthusiasts. I’ve started following MotoGP even more religiously ever since, and most Mondays are now spent analysing the previous evening’s race. Deep down inside there was also a desire to race myself, though I knew that was a far-fetched dream. My first tryst with a race track was during the jury round for the annual Zigwheels awards, which was held at the MMRT near Chennai and I was besotted. 

And then the opportunity came calling itself – noticing my zeal for motorcycle racing, the Editor decided to give me an opportunity to live my dream. Honda had invited us for a media race as part of the final round of its 2015 One Make Championship and I was designated to go. Fast forward to a few weeks later and I found myself looking at Honda’s purpose-built CBR250RR race bike, clad in a one-piece leather race suit. I was getting a bit twitchy, as this was my first attempt at riding competitively, something I barely knew a thing about. As if reading my mind, Honda gave us journalists a quick crash course on the same, which was a breather for newbies like me to say the least!

Learning the basics:

The most important thing about racing is to learn the track by understanding and memorising each corner. Which is why racers ‘walk’ a circuit before they actually go out and ride on it. And that was our first step in the training session. To become a racer one has to have a mindset like one and we were asked to focus on a ‘3D’ philosophy which stands for “dedication, determination and domination” as quoted by Ramji Govindarajan, Director, Ten10 Racing. After learning the track we were taught about the correct riding posture for racing – it may sound like a miniscule exercise but as I found out over the weekend, it does make a big difference. Later on, we were also shown braking points and the correct racing lines around the circuit by seasonsed racers like Sarath Kumar, Mathana Kumar and Vinoth Kannan.

Get latest updates on
the automobile community

Login Now

Race Time:

Qualifying didn’t go as per plan since the perfect hot lap that I was looking for eluded me. Not all was lost though, as I managed to qualify third which is not bad at all for a rookie. I have always seen racers nervous and trying to focus prior to the start of any race and my nervousness was palpable before our first race. Until recently I would have never imagined myself sitting on a race motorcycle on the starting grid of a race track, clad in a leather suit and waiting for the lights to go off. Add to that Chennai’s sweltering heat, which made the race suit my personal sauna. And then it was showtime. Engines on and revving. A drop of sweat dropped from my eyebrow, causing a stinging sensation as I was waiting for the lights to come on. I blinked rapidly to get rid of it and focus. 

And then the lights went off. I managed to launch the bike properly and have a good start, and my mind was quick to register the fact that I was in the lead as we entered the first corner! I held onto my lead, trying to keep my cool and ensure I make no mistakes. This was the moment I had been waiting for. Trying to relax was difficult with each passing corner, lest someone should overtake me. I managed to edge out a small lead in the first couple of laps but then missed the braking point at one corner, wasting precious milliseconds and could hear the exhaust note of another bike very closely. And then it happened. As I leaned into the next corner the rider behind tried to pass me closely without having to get off his line. Distracted, I tried to move off my racing line to avoid going into him but my front tyre still grazed against his rear tyre and I lost my front end. It took a few seconds for my mind to register that I had crashed out of my debut race, right when I was leading! 

Dejected and understandably furious I headed to the pits. That was racecraft learnt the hard way – never be considerate towards another rider in a race. There was no time to sulk though, as race 2 was due soon.  I started the race in third position but was more cautious this time. I managed to get a good start again to move ahead, but then ran wide at the first corner and dropped back to third. The race leader was barely a few metres ahead and I was determined to climb the top step of the podium this time. I was within striking distance when suddenly I felt my bike lose power due to a mechanical glitch. My hopes of winning were dashed as I saw the rider pull ahead. Part of me wanted to quit the race, but then I decided to try and complete the race. Despite rejoining last I was able to finish sixth. Not quite the result I was hoping for at least I had completed my first ever race!

Track Queens

Racing has traditionally been a men’s sport and I was surprised to see members of the fairer sex wearing race suits similar to mine over the weekend. Turns out, Honda had organised a special round for female riders and it was a different sight to see them go around the track. It was Rehana Reya who won the race. I would like to make a special mention of Pooja Dabhi from Pune who finished second and had travelled alone from Pune to compete, while Soundri A took the final step on the rostrum. Hats off to their determination and grit, and I am now wondering if Honda plans to have a separate championship for women alone!

The Scorchers:

While it was a fun weekend for us motoring scribes, it was a serious job for a whole bunch of young lads too. A closely contested Race 1 in the 250cc open class cup saw Sumit Lucas Toppo emerge victorious ahead of Mathana Kumar. Hari Krishnan missed second place by less than 0.2 seconds and had to settle third, while Mathana also clocked the fastest lap of the race. Race 2 was filled with drama as Toppo and Kumar, the top 2 finishers of Race 1 crashed out.

Making the most of this situation was Dinesh Kumar who won the race followed by Rajiv Sethu in second place. Hari Krishnan clinched another podium with his third place finish. Sarath Kumar of Ten10 Racing was crowned champion in the 250 Open Class and the Chennai boy maintains his repute of being one of the finest racers in the country.