Royal Enfield Continental GT-R650 & The GT Cup: Royal Enfield Retro Racing Is Back In Vogue

In India too, hundreds of enthusiasts raced Royal Enfield motorcycles in various individual events as privateers. This includes drag racing and rallying. However, there weren't anything but attempts to take Royal Enfield motorcycles onto a racetrack. Motorcycles manufactured by the brand weren't really seen as ideal options for circuit racing, until now.

Royal Enfield set out to change this perception with the introduction of the GT Cup in 2021. With the GT Cup, Royal Enfield has marked its return to motorsport and claims to have brought in a new format of racing to the Indian motorsport scene - Retro Racing.

We were invited to witness the final race of the 2021 GT Cup at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore. We also got to experience the Royal Enfield Continental GT-R650, which is a race motorcycle based on the Continental GT650. Read on to know more about the Royal Enfield GT Cup and Continental GT-R650.

The Royal Enfield GT Cup

Simply put, the GT Cup is Royal Enfield's most-awaited circuit racing debut in India. It is a one-make series with multiple rounds of racing being held in each season. The GT Cup is a grassroots-level motorsport event promoting motorcycle racing in the country.

According to Royal Enfield, the GT Cup series is inspired by the purist racing culture of the 1960s. It involves racing a motorcycle that feels very retro and gives one the experience of racing a classic motorcycle.

Up-and-coming motorcycle racers were a part of the first season. The only criteria one needed to be a part of the Royal Enfield GT Cup was that the rider should have records of earlier participation in any circuit race event. Or, the rider must have a certificate of training from any motorcycle racing school in India.

Riders who meet this requirement can register on the Royal Enfield website to show their interest in the series. All eligible participants will receive invites to the selection round at the Kari Motor Speedway. Only the top 18 fastest riders are selected to race in the several rounds of the GT Cup in the particular season.

Royal Enfield also conducts a one-day training program for the selected riders which will teach them the characteristics of the motorcycle and on-track mannerisms. The 2021 Royal Enfield GT Cup consisted of four rounds, and each round comprised two races.

In total then, there were eight races and each participant was awarded points based on the position they finish in. At the end of all four rounds, the one with the highest points was crowned champion.

Well-known motorcycle racer Anish Damodaran Shetty was crowned the champion of the 2021 Royal Enfield GT Cup. The 17 other riders in the championship were extremely talented too. However, special mention has to be made of Lani Zena Fernandes as she was the only woman in India fast enough to qualify for the Royal Enfield GT Cup.

Witnessing a race in the GT Cup is quite a sight, and sound. This brings us to the motorcycles being raced in the series.

The Royal Enfield GT-R650

To conduct the GT Cup as a one-make series, Royal Enfield needed to develop a race motorcycle and the most obvious choice for this task at hand was the Royal Enfield Continental GT650.

Why exactly was the GT650 the most obvious choice? Well let's dig into the pages of history for a bit. The most successful racing motorcycle produced by Royal Enfield was the Continental GT. Over the decades, the brand has produced the Continental GT with various engine capacities and performance figures.

The basic formula and form factor though remained the same. The Continental GT has always been a cafe racer. It was derived from motorcycles that riders modified to go faster on roads in the 50s and 60s. Being a cafe racer, it always features rear-set footpegs, low-set clip-on handlebars, and a decently powerful engine.

In 2018, Royal Enfield introduced the game-changing Interceptor 650 and Continental GT650. These motorcycles were brand-new in every aspect and featured a brilliant engine. It was quite obvious that Royal Enfield was onto something great here.

The Continental GT featured the aforementioned cafe racer traits and was a delight to ride on twisties. When we rode the motorcycle back in 2018, it impressed us quite a bit, especially with how it cornered despite its dry weight of 198 kilograms. This makes it an obvious choice for Royal Enfield when it came to the requirement for the GT Cup.

However, there is more to it than meets the eye. Royal Enfield has made quite a few significant changes to the motorcycle in order to prepare it for the riders in the GT Cup. The goal was to have a motorcycle devoid of any electronics and hence deliver a pure retro racing experience. The Royal Enfield GT-R650 more than just delivers on that front.

Royal Enfield GT-R650 Design & Style

At first glance, it is easy to see the retro race motorcycle styling that the GT-R650 carries. It does look like a motorcycle that has been developed from scratch to look the way it does. However, closer inspection reveals that there are only a few design elements that have been added to the motorcycle.

Of course the first of these elements is the race fairing up front. This is the one feature that makes it look identical to several European race motorcycles from the 50s and 60s. It is simple, yet attractive. If there is one single element that induces retro vibes, it is this fairing and the bubble visor placed right above it.

Yet another major design difference comes in the form of the belly pan under the engine. In terms of race usage, the belly pan is most useful as it can collect most of the engine oil in case of an engine failure, thereby preventing oil spillage on the track. In terms of design, it further adds to the retro design and styling Royal Enfield was trying to achieve with this motorcycle.

The seat and cowling used on the GT-R650 is not brand-new. It can in-fact be purchased as an accessory through the Royal Enfield Make It Yours program. It is the Touring Seat that is available on the RE website for Rs 3,300.

In addition to all of this, Royal Enfield has removed the headlamp, tail lamp, indicators and mirrors. The parallel-twin engine that powers the GT-R650 contributes significantly to the styling as well. The large cylinders with air-cooling fins, combined with the lovely engine casing further adds to the retro design.

Then comes the exhaust. The engineers have replaced the stock exhaust of the Continental GT650 with a stainless steel full exhaust system. The twin exhaust looks brilliant and sounds even better.

Royal Enfield Continental GT-R650 Engine Performance & Riding Impressions

Retro, analogue, physical, connected, minimal, and engaging are some of the words that come to mind with regards to the riding experience on the Royal Enfield Continental GT-R650. It is the bare minimum, just like with other modern race motorcycles. However, the design, riding position, braking, and comparatively low-revving engine make for a not-so-modern experience.

Thumb the starter and the engine roars to life. Most automotive reviews use the term 'roar to life' way too often and this might impact the effectiveness of the same statement here. However, in this case, there's no other way to put it. It literally roars to life.

That stylish stainless steel exhaust makes the 648cc parallel-twin engine sound brilliant. Race starts with 18 Royal Enfield GT-R650s roaring off the line at full throttle almost sounds like a couple of Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft from World War II taking off. Yes, it does sound that great.

Swing a leg over the saddle and immediately you realise just how dedicated the riding position is. Apart from being rear-set, the footpegs are also moved a little upwards to allow for greater lean angles. The clip-on handlebars are placed lower down to allow for a more aerodynamic riding position. It was obvious that tucking in was going to be easier with this riding position.

Slot it into first gear and release the clutch lever, and you realise it feels just like the stock Continental GT650. It is at this point that we must mention, the engine is stock. No modifications have been made to the engine internals.

In stock form, the 648cc parallel-twin engine produces 47bhp 7,150rpm and 52Nm 5,250rpm. By installing the race exhaust, Royal Enfield claims an increase in power of around 5 percent. This corresponds to just over 2bhp. Transmission duties are still handled by the same slick-shifting 6-speed gearbox.

Even in stock form, this engine is a potent unit and this is quite obvious when you start gunning the GT-R650. Acceleration is brisk and the speed builds up pretty quickly. Being a race bike, the speedometer was disconnected and therefore we couldn't really see the speeds we were doing.

However, Royal Enfield claims the bikes are doing just over 170km/h on the main straight of the Kari Motor Speedway. That is fabulous performance indeed. Yet another modification made to the motorcycle comes in the form of lower gear ratios.

The stock front sprocket of the Royal Enfield 650 twins is a 15-teeth gear. It has been replaced by a 14-teeth sprocket on the GT-R650. This allows for quicker acceleration and all six gears can be used on a tight and technical circuit like Kari.

In terms of handling, the GT-R650 is a notch above the stock continental GT650 despite using the same suspension components. This is because the fluid used in the telescopic fork is of a thicker grade and the rear suspension has also been set up differently. As a result, the ride is stiffer and more rigid which is always a blessing while on a racetrack.

Braking duties are taken care of by the same 320mm disc up front and 240mm disc at the rear, as already found on the stock GT650. However, the brake fluid has been replaced by race-ready brake fluid which is more resistant to overheating and thereby gets rid of brake fade.

On the whole, Royal Enfield seems to have achieved a lot with the GT-R650 by making only a few modifications to the stock Continental GT650. Riding the GT-R650 was a fun experience, especially thanks to the brilliant exhaust note.

You start having way too much fun, too soon and as a result, you start hitting the rev-limiter pretty quickly as you would be expecting the engine to rev higher. Then you learn to shift earlier, just before it hits the limiter. It really is a great learning experience.

Putting in multiple fast laps on the Royal Enfield GT-R650 takes a lot of learning and one has to be physically fit to ride it the way it is meant to be ridden, much like the riders in the GT Cup. At the end of the day, we did end up wishing for more time on the saddle of the Royal Enfield Continental GT-R650.

Thoughts On Royal Enfield GT Cup and Continental GT-R650

The GT-R650 is a properly retro race motorcycle and is a pleasure to ride. There is barely anything to complain about as it is near perfect. A slightly higher-revving engine would definitely do wonders and Royal Enfield might just be working on such a motorcycle. A more powerful GT-R650 is in the works and might debut later this year or in 2023.

As for the GT Cup, it is a brilliant initiative by Royal Enfield to promote motorsport in the country. The brand has big plans to scale up and we might see more one-make races from Royal Enfield in the coming days.