During the latest round of Honda One Make Championship at MMSC Chennai, we managed to squeeze two humble podium finishes in as many races the day before yesterday, i.e. Sunday February 21, 2016! This was a special support race category, which saw auto journos from different media houses battling it out for 2 races of 4 laps each, in which I, Sunil Gupta ended up claiming 2nd Runner and 1st Runner up positions respectively. Before the race, we also were subjected to a day-long training session by the folks at Honda Ten10 Racing Academy, and one of the guys training us was none other than Sarath Kumar himself. If you don’t know yet, Sarath Kumar is the only Indian motorcycle racer yet who has raced at the Moto3 level.

So, apart from the trophies, what we got back from this race weekend was a deep insight into how much hard work, both physical and mental, goes into making of a motorcycle racer! Working on a very frugal setup and coming mostly from economically weaker sections of the society, what these racers manage to achieve is nothing short of magical. You talk to any one of them and you’ll have inspiring and moving stories of their success. This weekend has given us a lot of understanding about the sport and our respect for the racers has grown many folds!

So we dedicate these podiums to all the Indian motosport fanatics and xBhpians who have been or are planning to go to a race track and sweat it out there instead of racing dangerously on public roads. Guys, this win is for all of you! If we can, you can win it too! Leaving you with just a few visuals from the event (keep an eye on the bike no. 29!) We will bring you a detailed story soon.

Side note: For the very first time in the history, Honda Racing organized a girls only race at the MMRT, which saw participation by 9-10 girls from different cities including Chennai, Pune and Bangalore. Besides the free of cost training by Honda Ten10 Racing Academy, these girls were provided with necessary riding gear and above all guidance by the likes of Sarath Kumar to participate in the race. Rehana Reya from Chennai emerged as the winner of the race. We have nothing but words of praise for the folks at Honda Racing who came up with such a brilliant idea to bring forth the girl power and take the sport to a wider audience. Thanks a ton guys, we hope to see this as a regular feature in all the future Honda One Make Racing Championships.