My experience at the
RE GTCUP Selection round was an eye opener. It revealed how off the pace I was. While I harbor no false hopes of competitive riding I decided to get serious about training to ride faster. The event was outsourced to JKTyres who in turn had roped in
CRA Motorsports to marshal the event.
Over the next few days I noticed most of the national riders on the grid were alumni of CRA or still associated with them so I decided to reach out. Their website didn't have any details with regards to their training schedule however they were pretty active on Instagram. I was directed to a whatsapp message where I had a good conversation with Prateek. Since I had already completed my certification elsewhere I was told the next batch was on the 5th and 6th of November and I could sign up for their open sessions at
Meco Kartopia Bangalore. This place is literally located in my backyard.
For the sum of Rs15,000/- I got 5+5 sessions with each session ~15 minutes, a bike and riding gear if I needed it. I only had to bring my Helmet.
The School -CRA Motorsports
Founded and run by Tharunkumar S, they are pretty active in the motorsports scene in various capacities including track, offroad and go karts. Speaking with Tharun revealed how passionate they are in bringing up and nurturing talent. For eg, they have taken a house on rent in Bangalore to provide accommodation for riders coming from far of places and need a cheap place to stay. Also they are focusing on smaller cities to give everyone an opportunity at some track experience. They even have a tie up with a track in Malaysia and conduct events there (turns out cheaper than BIC)
The Venue - Meco Kartopia Bangalore
Ill be honest, I did have some reservations about riding on a go-kart track but one look at the place laid them to rest. 1.2kms long with enough corners to get some serious practice.
Reassuring sight but didnt realize I would be using this facility
Some interesting vehicles lying around
The Bikes
Completely stripped down Yamaha R15 V2s with road tyres and an open exhaust.
There was also a simulator to help with getting a feel of the right body position
My Experience
To keep costs down they did not block the entire facility and we had to share it with karting teams getting ready for the Rotax championship and general public. Since its open to public from 11am the plan was to start at 6:30 am so we could complete before the crowds started gathering. Unfortunately we were hit by the worst weather possible and these were the conditions (treacherous)
A damp and slippery track
The sun fighting a losing battle with the clouds
My first time riding a bike with an open exhaust and was an eye opener for me, engine braking was really aggressive and the throttle was like a switch on/off
Day-1
So all in all the perfect learning conditions. Within the first few laps I could feel the rear moving around under braking and downshifting and when accelerating out I could feel the rear sliding. I was here to learn so I was paying keen attention to what was going on but for some reason I could not get the throttle response right. No matter how gentle I was when coming out of a corner if the bike was not bolt upright a light twist was making the bike lurch forward. The fact I was struggling was very evident because on two occasions I had to save a highside and the trainers kept asking me how I managed not to go over the bars.
Courtesy of the bad weather we had to start late and by now it was a full blown mela with karting teams and general public vying for track space. In my third session of the day having gotten used to the track I decided to up the pace when I had a horrible highside for the third time and this time I felt/heard a loud pop in my left arm and a flash of lightning went off in my head. My entire left arm went numb and I knew something was wrong, I still dont know how I managed not to crash, rolled the bike to a stop and walked to the ambulance. There was swelling at the elbow and I almost passed out in pain. Got an ice pack and I knew the day was over for me, called the Mrs and asked her to take me home as I couldnt drive back.
That evening
Day-2
After spending all night icing my elbow the swelling seemed to subside and I did not see any signs of internal bruising so I decided to go ahead with day 2. I made a conscious decision not to take any pain killers so at least I would know the limits of my arm. It was stiff and only hurt when bending and for some reason I wasnt able to pull my helmet strap down.
The advantage was I had no other choice than to start using my lower body more and I started to feel like I was getting smoother and faster. On my first sighting lap I used the same bike that I was using the previous day and the throttle response was still horrible so I tried another bike. Wish I had done that earlier as now I felt in complete control, so much so, that I completed 7 sessions on day 2 and was raring for more.
Benefits of better body position and a smoother throttle
In Summary What I liked:
- Tharun and his team, got more of a family vibe than a track shool
- They are very flexible and accommodating based on your needs (within reason)
- I had signed up for open sessions but Tharun did not begrudge me any training session and even asked me to join in for some drills where he felt I would benefit
- They were already planning how to cover my remaining sessions on another day since I had almost lost a day but I was not having any of that
- The track, is a good place to hone ones skills
- Lots of parents had brought their kids to learn and in fact we had a Father/Son duo learning together.
I would highly recommend checking them out
What I didnt like
- Vying for track time with karting teams and general public
- It got too crowded and was finding it a bit difficult to concentrate (I get easily distracted)
- The weather
What about that elbow?
Day 3 I saw signs of internal bruising and knew it was time to go to the hospital. I had torn my tricep clean off the elbow, had to undergo surgery and now I have my arm in a cast. Recovery is going to be slow (up to 6 months) but hey, when life gives you a break- take it. Cant wait to get back on the saddle and chase those laptimes.