[Hard Torque]: Race on Sunday, dream on every day. - xBhp.com : The Global Indian Biking Community

Synn · 10-12-2008, 08:15 PM

A Good friend of mine came over here from India the other day. During the course of the usual alcohol consuming session, an interesting tidbit popped up. Apparently, land on the outskirts of his city (back in India) costs a hundred thousand Rupees to the Acre. Yes, no typo. A Friggin’ Acre! Apparently, the land is so barren that any form of agriculture is clearly out of question. A shame, isn’t it?

But waitaminute....

You know what it IS good for? Building race tracks. That’s what. It’s one of those things that makes you wonder, “Why didn’t anyone think of this before”? But then again, the commitment factor is missing from us lot, isn’t it? No sir, we’d rather be known for driving business away from our soils for the sake of settling petty political egos that are past their expiration dates by a good decade or two.

Look, we’re not asking for much. A good racetrack is a welcome change from the kabillions of poorly designed and even more poorly used malls that our country is developing a fetish for. The way I see it, the poser crowd has enough hangouts to park their “R1 bodykitted ***insert name of the make here***” and act cool. Let the ones that put the riding first get their due for once. And before you say anything; no, two tracks at one end of the country are NOT good enough. Not much of an analogy, but how’d you like to be fed only once a week and that too, after making a tiring trip for it?

Nah, didn’t think so.

Ok, now that we’ve covered the rant part, let’s look at the situation a bit more logically. What does India have to gain from a properly designed, world class racetrack (even a two wheels only one)? Well, apart from the obvious factor, there are a few more:

- Testing. It could be India’s version of a two wheel-Nurburgring. Manufacturers can put their prototypes through gruelling testing conditions without taking them abroad. With bigger, more powerful motorcycles waiting in the wings, this makes perfect sense. Who knows, India could be used as a low cost, South Asian testing hub by the heavyweights of the industry!

- Once the basic infrastructure has been set up for the track, the service and entertainment industries can step in and take it further. There’s money to be made and nobody likes to turn down money. Plain and simple.

- Motogp: From what I understand, hosting a Motogp round doesn’t cost as much as its Formula One counterpart and provide far more excitement for your buck. Unlike our future Formula One circuit which would exist only once a year, this track wouldn’t be going anywhere. Trust me, the prospect of riding on a Motogp circuit would be impossible to pass on for a vast majority of performance riders. And they’d only be happy to pay a nominal fee to do so. It works in Malaysia. I see no reason why it shouldn’t in India.

OK, so how do we go about this? In a perfect world, a bunch of motorcycle manufacturers would get together, form a non-profit organization and would take care of purchasing the land, setting up the track and so forth. The pros for something on these lines far outweigh the cons. A much more effective form of advertisement than pouring the green stuff down bollywood-lane, if you ask me.

I would also love to see an array of superbikes ready-to-race at the track. Hiring should be limited to members only, (who should be charged a reasonable amount for it) so that every other knobblehead out there wouldn’t turn up and drop them exotica at the first bend. Of course, riding classes conducted by veterans goes without saying. Hell, if i am to go one step further, I’d like to see the global giants who sell superbikes in India (or would start to do so shortly) conduct mandatory training for their customers down here.

A boy can only dream, right?

Read this on Hard Torque>

wonderboy_tm · 10-12-2008, 08:41 PM

a signature synner thread.....
Well.. the lack of a race track in the other side of the country is pretty evident. Considering the talent and the urge to ride people have in the other side.
I hope you havent taken the chennai and the kari speedway into consideration, have you??

augusta · 10-12-2008, 08:57 PM

the lack of a track around the northern part is really felt, maybe theres one coming up on the outskirts of delhi. lets hope for the best and wish a motogp near in the future(2050)......am i asking much?

need4torque · 10-12-2008, 09:34 PM

sandeep, the idea is good and you have offered many options to make it viable. but the big Q is who will do it? Motorcycle biggies coming together to do it.... Wishful thinking, i feel!
Since the land as you said is not suitable for farming, and aint remotely fertile, hopefully there wouldnt be any political opposition.
But even bigger Q, are there enough enthusiasts who would do track days, to justify such an effort?

themadrussian · 10-12-2008, 09:58 PM

every biker wants a proper race rack in india

BUT

except for bikers.. no one else wants them.. nobody wants to give off their land for a race track .. no one will sponsor it.. and people with their grandma attitude of considering "things" like racing a crime .. if we dont have a drag strip ofcourse we will block an empty road and use it to satisfy ourselves !!

what i see is tons of talent going waste ..sadly...

fortunately for people living down south their is some hope

cyclone2k · 10-12-2008, 10:18 PM

That's sound like our dream project idea... But, even if everyone here donates some pennies off their pocket, the dream just won't accomplish.

I quench my speed's thirst every week-end in the out-skirts of my town, and am satisfied through the week, so I no more do road-rages and Uncles are happy too..

Proper tracks would satisfy speed hungry people's dirtiest desires and would reduce road-rages due to frustration of not getting desires fulfilled.

We require some big daddy's support to achieve this plan.. for now, maybe we can do a little poll on how much people here can donate for this purpose, for a lifetime membership of the track-club??

L.P. · 10-12-2008, 10:30 PM

Sandeep that was realy inetresting to read..
Howeverr i would say that this would be a dream project and working on it would realy be great,
Also as you rightly said..Gloabl giants who sell superbikes might also opt for choosing this race track to help people learn..
and in Monetry terms also they might be a helping hand..
People from Petroleum Products could be one..

Well,If we realy could help out with something,we would surely do it..

Quote:

Originally Posted by augusta

Lets hope for the best and wish a motogp near in the future(2050)......am i asking much?

^^ .. i am with you..

mithun.08 · 10-12-2008, 11:01 PM

Great write up, wish some one does these at least in coming decade it would be great, there is lot of talent across our nation which is wasted.. And as you said a boy can only dream, let the dream come true some day

dcs · 10-13-2008, 10:23 AM

Wonderful write up and an equally wonderful Idea!
yes, there are BIG wigs spending good amount in advertising their products, asking Bollywood celebs to endorse, spending lots to hire a brand ambassador, doing Photo shoots and what not...but still sending their concept/ newly designed rides to other countries for tests!

tht would be really great if we have more of Race tracks then one or two.... so that one can race his machine without being an offender on Road!would be good to have such things thn to have mushrooming malls that has more of security and less of visitors!

Wish THIS boy dream materialises before this BOY becomes a MAN!
(I mean great-grand-father!)

Samarth 619 · 10-13-2008, 03:49 PM

but dude, isn't it illegal to race without FMSCI Licence? like the one necessary for Honda CBF & CBR 150 Competition in Chennai?

So, with so few licence holders, how can this idea be a success?

10-12-2008, 08:15 PM	#1 (permalink)
Synn Moderator-at-large. Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Singapore Posts: 419	Race on Sunday, dream on every day. A Good friend of mine came over here from India the other day. During the course of the usual alcohol consuming session, an interesting tidbit popped up. Apparently, land on the outskirts of his city (back in India) costs a hundred thousand Rupees to the Acre. Yes, no typo. A Friggin’ Acre! Apparently, the land is so barren that any form of agriculture is clearly out of question. A shame, isn’t it? But waitaminute.... You know what it IS good for? Building race tracks. That’s what. It’s one of those things that makes you wonder, “Why didn’t anyone think of this before”? But then again, the commitment factor is missing from us lot, isn’t it? No sir, we’d rather be known for driving business away from our soils for the sake of settling petty political egos that are past their expiration dates by a good decade or two. Look, we’re not asking for much. A good racetrack is a welcome change from the kabillions of poorly designed and even more poorly used malls that our country is developing a fetish for. The way I see it, the poser crowd has enough hangouts to park their “R1 bodykitted *insert name of the make here*” and act cool. Let the ones that put the riding first get their due for once. And before you say anything; no, two tracks at one end of the country are NOT good enough. Not much of an analogy, but how’d you like to be fed only once a week and that too, after making a tiring trip for it? Nah, didn’t think so. Ok, now that we’ve covered the rant part, let’s look at the situation a bit more logically. What does India have to gain from a properly designed, world class racetrack (even a two wheels only one)? Well, apart from the obvious factor, there are a few more: - Testing. It could be India’s version of a two wheel-Nurburgring. Manufacturers can put their prototypes through gruelling testing conditions without taking them abroad. With bigger, more powerful motorcycles waiting in the wings, this makes perfect sense. Who knows, India could be used as a low cost, South Asian testing hub by the heavyweights of the industry! - Once the basic infrastructure has been set up for the track, the service and entertainment industries can step in and take it further. There’s money to be made and nobody likes to turn down money. Plain and simple. - Motogp: From what I understand, hosting a Motogp round doesn’t cost as much as its Formula One counterpart and provide far more excitement for your buck. Unlike our future Formula One circuit which would exist only once a year, this track wouldn’t be going anywhere. Trust me, the prospect of riding on a Motogp circuit would be impossible to pass on for a vast majority of performance riders. And they’d only be happy to pay a nominal fee to do so. It works in Malaysia. I see no reason why it shouldn’t in India. OK, so how do we go about this? In a perfect world, a bunch of motorcycle manufacturers would get together, form a non-profit organization and would take care of purchasing the land, setting up the track and so forth. The pros for something on these lines far outweigh the cons. A much more effective form of advertisement than pouring the green stuff down bollywood-lane, if you ask me. I would also love to see an array of superbikes ready-to-race at the track. Hiring should be limited to members only, (who should be charged a reasonable amount for it) so that every other knobblehead out there wouldn’t turn up and drop them exotica at the first bend. Of course, riding classes conducted by veterans goes without saying. Hell, if i am to go one step further, I’d like to see the global giants who sell superbikes in India (or would start to do so shortly) conduct mandatory training for their customers down here. A boy can only dream, right? Read this on Hard Torque>

10-12-2008, 08:57 PM	#3 (permalink)
augusta Biker....by default. Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: lajpat ngr, new delhi Posts: 365	the lack of a track around the northern part is really felt, maybe theres one coming up on the outskirts of delhi. lets hope for the best and wish a motogp near in the future(2050)......am i asking much? __________________ No Nonsense Biker.

10-12-2008, 09:34 PM	#4 (permalink)
need4torque Just a Commuter! Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: cochin,kerala Posts: 373	sandeep, the idea is good and you have offered many options to make it viable. but the big Q is who will do it? Motorcycle biggies coming together to do it.... Wishful thinking, i feel! Since the land as you said is not suitable for farming, and aint remotely fertile, hopefully there wouldnt be any political opposition. But even bigger Q, are there enough enthusiasts who would do track days, to justify such an effort? __________________ RIDE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT! 04' PULSAR 180 DTS-i 09 ZMA-R

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10-12-2008, 08:41 PM	#2 (permalink)
wonderboy_tm Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Chennai Posts: 408	a signature synner thread..... Well.. the lack of a race track in the other side of the country is pretty evident. Considering the talent and the urge to ride people have in the other side. I hope you havent taken the chennai and the kari speedway into consideration, have you??

10-12-2008, 09:58 PM	#5 (permalink)
themadrussian Du Hast Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: chandigarh Posts: 365	every biker wants a proper race rack in india BUT except for bikers.. no one else wants them.. nobody wants to give off their land for a race track .. no one will sponsor it.. and people with their grandma attitude of considering "things" like racing a crime .. if we dont have a drag strip ofcourse we will block an empty road and use it to satisfy ourselves !! what i see is tons of talent going waste ..sadly... fortunately for people living down south their is some hope

10-12-2008, 11:01 PM	#8 (permalink)
mithun.08 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 816	Great write up, wish some one does these at least in coming decade it would be great, there is lot of talent across our nation which is wasted.. And as you said a boy can only dream, let the dream come true some day

10-13-2008, 10:23 AM	#9 (permalink)
dcs Banned Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Free-da-Bad earlier, Currently in Saddi Dilli! Posts: 919	Wonderful write up and an equally wonderful Idea! yes, there are BIG wigs spending good amount in advertising their products, asking Bollywood celebs to endorse, spending lots to hire a brand ambassador, doing Photo shoots and what not...but still sending their concept/ newly designed rides to other countries for tests! tht would be really great if we have more of Race tracks then one or two.... so that one can race his machine without being an offender on Road!would be good to have such things thn to have mushrooming malls that has more of security and less of visitors! Wish THIS boy dream materialises before this BOY becomes a MAN! (I mean great-grand-father!)

10-13-2008, 03:49 PM	#10 (permalink)
Samarth 619 Pulsar Culture. Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Rajasthan Posts: 2,441	but dude, isn't it illegal to race without FMSCI Licence? like the one necessary for Honda CBF & CBR 150 Competition in Chennai? So, with so few licence holders, how can this idea be a success?

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