I love motorcycles, and like many enthusiasts, I too have an ultimate motorcycling scenario that I often daydream about – owning a race-prepped motorcycle for endless track days. While turning this dream into a reality is distant, I did find myself staring at an opportunity to hit the track after almost five years, thanks to TVS Motor Company. The anticipation was enough to keep me awake at night. What if I have forgotten the racing lines? Will I be able to trail brake to the apex, or would an eager throttle on a corner exit cause a high side and send me flying to the moon? My mind was flooded with all kinds of questions.
However, I soon found myself staring into the reality that materialised a few days after my hurried ‘Yes’ to TVS’s proposal for participating in the track day. To my mix of excitement and apprehension, I learnt that I was set to race among my media peers in the 310cc category. For reference, to qualify to race the race-prepped Apache 310 in the one-make championship, you need not one, but two podiums at national level (FMSCI-certified) races. And yes, this is just for the qualifier round. Even after this, you need to make the cut amongst other national-level podium finishers to be further selected for the full championship. In short, your skillset needs to be on a different level to even step onto the heavily race-prepped motorcycle. And there I was, diving back into the fray after years away from the track. Talk about being thrown in the deep end!
The practice session was a bit lacklustre, to be honest. My body and mind seemed out of sync and couldn’t keep up with the unbelievable performance of the bike, resulting in a lap time of 2m:15s around the Madras International Circuit (MIC), formerly known as Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT). However, in the next session, I managed to bring it down to 2m:12s, securing P8 on the starting grid for the race among 13 properly fast and competitive riders. Eventually, it led to a P7 finish at the race, with the lap times hovering around 2m:09s, which was more than I could have asked for that day. I could talk about how the motorcycle was mechanically changed and what all influenced the results that day – like the sweltering heat, for instance – but there is another thing that’s worth mentioning.
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It’s interesting that TVS doesn’t limit the opportunity to ride these race motorcycles to just professional riders and journalists; they extend it to their customers as well. And frankly, that is insane! No other brand offers such an authentic race bike experience to its customers. Given TVS’ success in racing over decades and their meticulous organisation of such events, they are truly outshining the competition by giving this opportunity. Called the ARE GP, short for Apache Racing Experience Grand Prix, its first iteration concluded with all of us gathering at MIC.
If you happen to own a TVS Apache, you are in luck because you can participate in the event too. In this edition, over 1,000 customers participated, with 48 riders from different cities making the cut to the finale. The competition featured four categories: 160cc, 180cc, 200cc, and 310cc. The 48 finalists got a chance to race the one-make championship spec Apache 200 and Apache RR 310 on the racetrack. The best part? They were given race training by TVS’s own top professional racers and champions, which was simply an invaluable opportunity. Additionally, the riders were given FIM-homologated helmets and other high-quality racing gear to ensure their safety on the racetrack.
The winners of the championship won an all-expenses paid trip to the Sepang Grand Prix, a wild card entry into the TVS one-make RR 310 Championship, free participation in select experiential rides, like the TVS MotoSoul and, of course, some free merchandise.
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At the end of the day, TVS Motor Company is making significant strides in advancing motorsports in India. And when in a bid to promote the sport, a brand offers everyday riders a chance to experience a race-pepped motorcycle, with proper training, in a controlled environment on the race track, it’s a win-win situation for all motorcyclists and motorsport fans alike.
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