2025 TVS YMRP Round 2: Finding My Footing

Published September 14, 2025
Views : 7507
3 min read

After the fire and fear in Round 1, Round 2 was all about steady laps, safe finishes, and finding joy back in the saddle

2025 TVS YMRP Round 2: Finding My Footing highlights

Fear is a strange companion. It lingers long after the moment has passed, showing up when you least expect it. For me, fear arrived in Round 1 of the TVS Young Media Race Program – the blinding flames of a burning bike, the violent hug of the airbag vest inflating and the huge deflation of my spirit. But thirteen weeks and another semi-eventful outing later, the evils of round 1 seemed to have been washed away.

2025 TVS YMRP Round 2: Finding My Footing details

Gonna Fly Now

Fear has a way of fuelling determination. To shake it off, I started small with daily rides on empty stretches, pushing just enough to remind myself of the basics. And just a week before Round 2, the KTM 160 Duke we had at the office ended up being my secret weapon. Light, agile, precise and forgiving – the bike was one of the main reasons that helped stitch my confidence back together. By the time I left for Chennai for the second round, the fear hadn’t disappeared but rather I was ready to face it head-on.

2025 TVS YMRP Round 2: Finding My Footing overview

Practice Makes A Man Perfect?

The Madras International Circuit welcomed us with its usual cocktail of humidity and anticipation. My practice session started steady, but by the second lap something felt wrong. I clicked up for 5th gear: nothing. I tried again, still nothing. Worse, the bike bogged in 4th, leaving me stranded as riders sailed past, mocking my helpless throttle.

2025 TVS YMRP Round 2: Finding My Footing gallery

Frustrating? Absolutely. But this is where the TVS pit crew came in like quiet heroes. After the session, I rolled into the pits, explained what happened, and within minutes they were at work: tweaking, tightening, checking everything from the gearbox to tyre pressures. The funny thing is, the bike is set up for riders weighing 65-70 kg, and at 66 kilos, I fit right in. No special changes needed, except the crucial fix for the gearbox gremlin.

2025 TVS YMRP Round 2: Finding My Footing showcase

Du du du du…..Max Verstappen

We had our qualifying session post launch, and the difference was night and day. The race-spec TVS Apache RTR 200 4V ran flawlessly, every shift clicking home with the precision I’d been missing. I felt lighter, faster, smoother. Proof? My lap times, from a time of 2:27.359 in practice, I shaved nearly three seconds off in qualifying for a best time of 2:24.912. Sure, I was still braking early, still hesitating into a few corners, but the improvement was real. Confidence, once broken, was slowly being rebuilt one lap at a time.

2025 TVS YMRP Round 2: Finding My Footing glimpse

Nice Guys Finish Last

Race day dawned with the humid air thick with nervous energy. On the formation lap, everything felt normal. My grid slot was P12, and I knew I had work to do. Six laps stretched ahead of me. But as the lights went out, we launched, and déjà vu. The same gearbox issue that haunted my practice returned.

2025 TVS YMRP Round 2: Finding My Footing snapshot

Power dipped, gears slipped, and all I could do was make the best of the situation at hand. Riders passed me in the corners, my lines felt messy, but I refused to give up. I kept it safe, steady, and above all, upright. By the chequered flag, I was still in 12th - the same place I started. Last? Definitely, but I was able to participate in the race this time.

2025 TVS YMRP Round 2: Finding My Footing visual

A Different Kind of Victory

Walking away from Round 2, I didn’t carry the fear I had after Round 1. I wasn’t haunted by flames or failure, instead I carried satisfaction. I had raced, I had finished, and I had felt joy again. For me round 2 wasn’t about trophies or lap records, it was about proving to myself that fear wouldn’t win twice.

Now, as I look ahead to Round 3, I’m not dreading it, I’m excited. For the first time since that crash, the track doesn’t feel like a place of danger. It feels like a challenge I can’t wait to take on.