Petronas TVS Racing Media Cup 2022: DriveSpark Clinches Podium Finish At Kari Motor Speedway

Young Media Racer Program: What Is It?

The Young Media Racer Program is a racing program for automotive journalists devised by TVS Racing. Its existence came about as a result of similar questions being directed at TVS Racing riders by the media fraternity.

What is it like to race in India? How does winning a race feel? How does the motorcycle feel in the race environment? These were some of the questions that led to the good folks at TVS Racing taking the decision to put us journalists in the rider's seat of a proper race motorcycle.

The motorcycle in question is the TVS Apache RTR 200 4V that has been prepped for the racetrack. It features slimmer and grippier tyres, a race exhaust system, a performance air intake, revised engine timing, etc. As a result, it is a lot more powerful, putting out nearly 25bhp.

In the sixth edition of the Young Media Racer Program, 16 journalists from different automotive media channels were invited to a training and qualifying session in May 2022. Only the top 12 were selected to race in the championship.

More affectionately known in the racing fraternity as the 'Media Cup,' these races will take place along with other races in the Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship.

Round 1: Kari Motor Speedway Brilliance

Kari Motor Speedway is a place of historic significance when it comes to Motorsport. It started off as a runway for ultralight aircraft manufactured by a company owned by S. Karivardhan. Karivardhan or more fondly known as Kari was a legendary racecar developer and driver who was also one of the founding fathers of motorsport in India.

Kari Motor Speedway therefore gets its name from the legend himself. It is known as one of the most technical racetracks in India. Although I had ridden here earlier, I couldn't wait to ride at the new, upgraded track with a slightly different layout. As it turns out, my prayers were answered, with the first round of the Media Cup being organised at KMS.

On a race weekend, it is usually Practice on Friday, Qualifying on Saturday, and Race on Sunday. This time though, it was different. The practice session as well as the qualifying session was held on Saturday, and that simply meant more track time and more time spent grinning inside the helmet.

Some of the riders hadn't ridden at Kari Motor Speedway before and were therefore feeling a bit uneasy about it. However, the practice session helped get rid of the uneasiness and everyone ended up posting decent lap times.

With a best lap time of 1:36:786, DriveSpark posted the second-fastest time in the practice session. Then came some tips from TVS Racing trainer Harry Sylvester which certainly did help everyone get their lines right for the qualifying session that took place later in the day.

During the qualifying, every single rider improved their lap times massively and DriveSpark dropped to fourth place with a best lap time of 1:36.043. So, the stage was set for the race and we would start the race from P4.

Come Sunday, the adrenaline rush was already felt, even before the race began. The atmosphere at Kari Motor Speedway was electric with all the other races taking place. This included the various one-make championships and the premier Pro-Stock 165 and Pro-Stock 301-400cc segments. Watching these riders zip past the pit wall on the main straight is a sight and sound to behold.

The Media Cup race was scheduled for 2pm and before the start time, we headed out of the pits and onto the track. Some of us were weaving to get some grip into the tyres and some others were more focused on the race itself.

We lined up at our positions and within no time, the lights turned on. With the clutch loaded, the front brake lever pulled in, and the throttle at around 75 percent, the lights went out and we were off. I managed to get an almost perfect launch and within a few seconds, I took the lead but managed to lose focus on the braking point.

This sent me off the racing line and by the time we exited from the second corner, the first position was out of hand. With Ishan Lee in the first position, I managed to hold onto the second position until the end of the first lap with Karan Singh hot on my heels. A mistake on the penultimate corner made me take a wide line and Karan Singh was through.

It was quite an eventful first lap, post. From lap 2, until lap 7, Karan Singh and Ishan Lee battled for the first position While Mandar Sawant I and Battled for the third position. Towards the end of lap 7, Mandar found the speed to get past me into P3 while in the first corner of the 8th lap, Karan Singh made it past Ishan Lee.

On the penultimate corner of the last lap, Karan Singh, unfortunately, ended up crashing out of the race while Ishan Lee took first place once again, this time across the chequered flag. Mandar Sawant took the second position while I took the third spot. Every moment in the race was absolutely dramatic and there were constant swapping of positions across the grid.

The best lap times proved just how entertaining these laps were. All of a sudden, all riders had become much faster. One rider crossed into the 1:32s while five riders were all in the 1:33s. Six riders within just two seconds of each other is intense! Our best lap time was now 1:33.615!

Safe to say, this was one of the most entertaining and thrilling experiences on two wheels for many of us and we were all smiles when we got back to the pits. The adrenaline was so great that we were ready to get back out on the track almost immediately.

Thoughts On Petronas TVS Racing Young Media Racer Program 6.0 - Round 1 At Kari Motor Speedway

For motorcycle enthusiasts, there's nothing more thrilling than a motorcycle race. It is a great sight to watch, but being a part of such a race is a whole new experience in itself. Kudos to TVS Racing for putting this 'Media Cup' together so we journalists can get hands-on experience of what racing actually feels like. Now, onto the next - Round 2 at the Madras Motor Race Track in July.