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Peeling the Orange
The KTM Orange Days have been a masterstroke from the erstwhile indigenous company, Bajaj. Erstwhile - because it’s now a global power. Bajaj – because it is their vision what has spawned the relatively unknown KTM brand into what it is today in India. In super short time.
What happens in the KTM Orange Day (KODs)?
How to Participate?
You need a KTM Duke 200 to be eligible for entry with relevant documents like a valid Driving License and Registration Certificate. Riding gears are essential (helmet, knee guards and gloves). A lot of people were disappointed as this criteria was not publicized. KTM had a few pairs of knee guards, but that’s about it. Even if bikers own a brand like KTM (that has a great history in pro-racing), it will take a while for safety to be ingrained in them.
participants standing in the queue at the entrance
The Race Format
It’s a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am format. Instant gratification!
The track layout
The Delhi race registrations started at 7.30 AM and everything was over by noon. The day starts with you signing a form that indemnifies the organizers against any mishap that may occur, even if you are a spectator.
Next, bikers who fulfill the mentioned criteria are allowed to register by filling in the ‘Race Form’. Surprisingly DL license numbers are to be filled, but the DLs itself are not verified.
A participant filling the race form
An orange KTM jersey is to be worn, so no matter how fancy your riding suit (or the lack thereof), it will be covered with a bright orange vest. I was sorry for my Taichi leathers!
A number is assigned to each rider – on a first come first serve basis. I was the most eager one it seems, as I got the number 1. Two stickers are allotted to you, one pasted on the headlight and one of the back of your jersey.
Having the number 1 stuck on me gave a misplaced sense of being the winner of the race for a micro-while!
The total number of participants were less than the magical 46. It meant that the number 46 was out of the question.
This was followed by a briefing by a ‘KTM race expert’ who explained in a little ‘too much’ detail about the hazards of racing, the lines to follow, what the flags meant, etc.
the pre-race instruction class by the KTM expert
This was followed by 3 ‘sighting’ laps with around 20 bikes out on track at once.
The racers at the start/finish line before the sighting lap
The Delhi track was perhaps the worst in all of the KTM orange days. It was super narrow at places and very dusty at the wrong places! After all this is all one could do with a parking lot. NCR lived up to its reputation of being the most difficult and least friendly location for any kind of event. Yay, for democracy. My foot wearing the leather boot! Kudos to KTM and Bajaj for pulling off the permissions in this inhospitable place of a Capital.
Post the sighting laps riders were privy to some good riding skills of the KTM expert. Alone on track, of course
The 'expert' racer leading the pack at the start/finish line
The 42 riders were divided into groups of 7. The grid positions of the seven bikers were decided by wild cards picked by the bikers. I was number 3 on the grid and with the pack containing likes of Vivek Sharma and Rehaan, the expert off roaders. I was doomed!
Only the first two positions in each pack of seven would qualify at the end of the 5 allotted laps. I was sure that I wouldn’t be in those.
The race started. The pit girl waved the chequered flag and off the seven orange heroes went into the narrowest turn I have ever gone through at any track! I was in second position. Before the end of the first lap the organizers realized that the pit girl had waved us off before the customary 3-2-1 with the enthusiastic but laboured Emcee. So we were back in our respective grid positions and were now sent off with a proper ceremony. I was third this time and lost fourth to Vivek Sharma. A couple of laps and some slides in the corners later I saw Rehaan, the favorite, go down in C1. A classic lowside, courtesy the tarmac turning to dust and back to tarmac.
the green light comes in the form of chequered flag
The final moments before the race
and off they go - racers exiting the turn 2, led by Nitin Gupta aka L.P. at the KTM Orange Day Delhi
Some action-packed moments from the race
Vivek Sharma
and that's Sunny.
marshals waiting with the flag before the start of the race
I barely managed to avoid him and the over enthusiastic track marshal who jumped in between with a yellow flag! Thank god I am used to riding in India, else the good-intentioned marshal would have caused a pileup.
So I continued behind Vivek Sharma who was in third. This grid positions continued till end of the 5th lap. Vivek and I were out. I was no surprise, but Vivek and Rehaan were.
This was my first competitive race and it felt very nice. The adrenaline rush of competing against fellow bikers is something beyond words. A little akin to racing in NFS Online with real players around the world!
Post-race dissection made me realize that the track and format were such that it would take a skilled and lucky madman to overtake. You had to start no. 1 to finish as top dog. The chances of sliding and crashing into the guy in front were just too great to take risks for a one-day format race like this.
But then there were plenty of such bikers out there. I don’t know their names, but there was one guy who supposedly started at No.7 on the grid (last) and surged past everyone to No 1!
If you watch the video collection of the number of people who slid on the brink of falling, one who fell and the ones who collided with each other, you will realize how big a deal it was.
L.P., takes the chequered flag in style to qualify for the final race
There were some seriously skilled people out there though. There were three winners each out of two groups, making a total of 6 podium finishes. I was especially impressed by a 44 year old very fit gentleman who actually held an important position in a car company in India. Kudos to his spirit. If I remember correctly he came second competing against people who were at least a decade younger.
the winners of group 1 at the podium
the winners of group 1 and 2 together
and the celebrations begin
some spectators
ain't no shady business
waiting eagerly
some anxious faces
and thats me, Thanks Rishabh Sood for capturing this
Overall the Delhi Orange Day was an oasis for bikers who want to participate in something constructive and on tarmac. The prohibitively expensive BIC is for the elite and apparently parking lots like the one at the Great Indian Place in Noida are for the rest (very talented ones). Thumbs down to the authorities in Delhi and NCR, thumbs up to KTM and Bajaj.
The event was not free of niggles, but those were primarily caused by the fact that 99% energy of the organizers might have gone into feeding the bloated super egos of the babus of Delhi and NCR authorities.
Sometimes I feel that this article is about dealing with babudom rather than actual biking. Having arranged a few events myself I can feel the pain!
Compared to the events in Hyderabad and Chennai, it seems we Delhites got a real substandard place and a track.
But it’s not every day you see almost 100 motorcycles of the same species in one place to actually perform and not about who drinks the max beer
.
Bring it on KTM. This will only get bigger and better with the 390 and the others coming out their womb pretty soon.
Boy, I can imagine an Orange Day with SuperDukes pitted against each other at the BIC…
Some random visuals from the day
waiting for the race to begin
That's "New Fox" - Ready to Race
A KTM Duke 200 parked in the solitude
Some visuals from the stunt show put up Monty and his team mate
You talking to me, bro?
Happy dreams…
signing off!!
The KTM Orange Days have been a masterstroke from the erstwhile indigenous company, Bajaj. Erstwhile - because it’s now a global power. Bajaj – because it is their vision what has spawned the relatively unknown KTM brand into what it is today in India. In super short time.
What happens in the KTM Orange Day (KODs)?
How to Participate?
You need a KTM Duke 200 to be eligible for entry with relevant documents like a valid Driving License and Registration Certificate. Riding gears are essential (helmet, knee guards and gloves). A lot of people were disappointed as this criteria was not publicized. KTM had a few pairs of knee guards, but that’s about it. Even if bikers own a brand like KTM (that has a great history in pro-racing), it will take a while for safety to be ingrained in them.
participants standing in the queue at the entrance
The Race Format
It’s a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am format. Instant gratification!
The track layout
The Delhi race registrations started at 7.30 AM and everything was over by noon. The day starts with you signing a form that indemnifies the organizers against any mishap that may occur, even if you are a spectator.
Next, bikers who fulfill the mentioned criteria are allowed to register by filling in the ‘Race Form’. Surprisingly DL license numbers are to be filled, but the DLs itself are not verified.
A participant filling the race form
An orange KTM jersey is to be worn, so no matter how fancy your riding suit (or the lack thereof), it will be covered with a bright orange vest. I was sorry for my Taichi leathers!
A number is assigned to each rider – on a first come first serve basis. I was the most eager one it seems, as I got the number 1. Two stickers are allotted to you, one pasted on the headlight and one of the back of your jersey.
Having the number 1 stuck on me gave a misplaced sense of being the winner of the race for a micro-while!
The total number of participants were less than the magical 46. It meant that the number 46 was out of the question.
This was followed by a briefing by a ‘KTM race expert’ who explained in a little ‘too much’ detail about the hazards of racing, the lines to follow, what the flags meant, etc.
the pre-race instruction class by the KTM expert
This was followed by 3 ‘sighting’ laps with around 20 bikes out on track at once.
The racers at the start/finish line before the sighting lap
The Delhi track was perhaps the worst in all of the KTM orange days. It was super narrow at places and very dusty at the wrong places! After all this is all one could do with a parking lot. NCR lived up to its reputation of being the most difficult and least friendly location for any kind of event. Yay, for democracy. My foot wearing the leather boot! Kudos to KTM and Bajaj for pulling off the permissions in this inhospitable place of a Capital.
Post the sighting laps riders were privy to some good riding skills of the KTM expert. Alone on track, of course
The 'expert' racer leading the pack at the start/finish line
The 42 riders were divided into groups of 7. The grid positions of the seven bikers were decided by wild cards picked by the bikers. I was number 3 on the grid and with the pack containing likes of Vivek Sharma and Rehaan, the expert off roaders. I was doomed!
Only the first two positions in each pack of seven would qualify at the end of the 5 allotted laps. I was sure that I wouldn’t be in those.
The race started. The pit girl waved the chequered flag and off the seven orange heroes went into the narrowest turn I have ever gone through at any track! I was in second position. Before the end of the first lap the organizers realized that the pit girl had waved us off before the customary 3-2-1 with the enthusiastic but laboured Emcee. So we were back in our respective grid positions and were now sent off with a proper ceremony. I was third this time and lost fourth to Vivek Sharma. A couple of laps and some slides in the corners later I saw Rehaan, the favorite, go down in C1. A classic lowside, courtesy the tarmac turning to dust and back to tarmac.
the green light comes in the form of chequered flag
The final moments before the race
and off they go - racers exiting the turn 2, led by Nitin Gupta aka L.P. at the KTM Orange Day Delhi
Some action-packed moments from the race
Vivek Sharma
and that's Sunny.
marshals waiting with the flag before the start of the race
I barely managed to avoid him and the over enthusiastic track marshal who jumped in between with a yellow flag! Thank god I am used to riding in India, else the good-intentioned marshal would have caused a pileup.
So I continued behind Vivek Sharma who was in third. This grid positions continued till end of the 5th lap. Vivek and I were out. I was no surprise, but Vivek and Rehaan were.
This was my first competitive race and it felt very nice. The adrenaline rush of competing against fellow bikers is something beyond words. A little akin to racing in NFS Online with real players around the world!
Post-race dissection made me realize that the track and format were such that it would take a skilled and lucky madman to overtake. You had to start no. 1 to finish as top dog. The chances of sliding and crashing into the guy in front were just too great to take risks for a one-day format race like this.
But then there were plenty of such bikers out there. I don’t know their names, but there was one guy who supposedly started at No.7 on the grid (last) and surged past everyone to No 1!
If you watch the video collection of the number of people who slid on the brink of falling, one who fell and the ones who collided with each other, you will realize how big a deal it was.
L.P., takes the chequered flag in style to qualify for the final race
There were some seriously skilled people out there though. There were three winners each out of two groups, making a total of 6 podium finishes. I was especially impressed by a 44 year old very fit gentleman who actually held an important position in a car company in India. Kudos to his spirit. If I remember correctly he came second competing against people who were at least a decade younger.
the winners of group 1 at the podium
the winners of group 1 and 2 together
and the celebrations begin
some spectators
ain't no shady business
waiting eagerly
some anxious faces
and thats me, Thanks Rishabh Sood for capturing this
Overall the Delhi Orange Day was an oasis for bikers who want to participate in something constructive and on tarmac. The prohibitively expensive BIC is for the elite and apparently parking lots like the one at the Great Indian Place in Noida are for the rest (very talented ones). Thumbs down to the authorities in Delhi and NCR, thumbs up to KTM and Bajaj.
The event was not free of niggles, but those were primarily caused by the fact that 99% energy of the organizers might have gone into feeding the bloated super egos of the babus of Delhi and NCR authorities.
Sometimes I feel that this article is about dealing with babudom rather than actual biking. Having arranged a few events myself I can feel the pain!
Compared to the events in Hyderabad and Chennai, it seems we Delhites got a real substandard place and a track.
But it’s not every day you see almost 100 motorcycles of the same species in one place to actually perform and not about who drinks the max beer
.Bring it on KTM. This will only get bigger and better with the 390 and the others coming out their womb pretty soon.
Boy, I can imagine an Orange Day with SuperDukes pitted against each other at the BIC…
Some random visuals from the day
waiting for the race to begin
That's "New Fox" - Ready to Race
A KTM Duke 200 parked in the solitude
Some visuals from the stunt show put up Monty and his team mate
You talking to me, bro?
Happy dreams…
signing off!!
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