TVS Racing has returned with the eighth edition of its Young Media Racer Program (YMRP) at the Madras International Circuit (MIC), more commonly known as the MMRT. The program gives a chance to auto journalists in India to undergo Level 1 training by TVS racing, following which the fastest 15–16 riders are shortlisted to participate in the TVS One Make Championship (Media Category) which runs alongside the Indian National Motorcycle Championship. The media race championship comprises a total of three races and the winners are decided at the end, basis the points accumulated in the three races.
This year, there were a total of 39 participants out of which the fastest 16 were selected to race throughout the season. For the record, I had the privilege to participate in the program in 2019, where I had qualified in the top seven. I wish someday TVS runs an Old Media Racing Program where auto journalists over the age of 40 years can duel it out against each other on the racetrack. We might need to carry our arthritis medication though, but we’ll cross that bridge once we get there. Right now, let me quickly tell you about the current program, which will place you in a better position to prepare yourself for the next year’s edition, if you’re lucky to be invited by TVS.
ELIGIBILITY
You should preferably be under 30 years of age, although I am sure TVS will make an exception if you’re a year or two older, and you send in your nomination immediately upon receiving the invite. You should obviously hold a valid driver’s license that shows you’re legally allowed to ride a motorcycle. It should ideally be a given if you’re an auto journalist. You would also be required to apply and obtain your FMSCI license after completing the Level 1 training. Of course, if you don’t qualify in the aforementioned top 15–16, then you won’t need to apply because then you’d not be racing, but sitting at home, introspecting, and then working on bettering yourself as a rider. Everything else though would be provided by TVS as you’ll learn below.
TVS RACING LEVEL 1 TRAINING & QUALIFYING
All participants of the program are flown in to Chennai a day prior to the race weekend. So, you would arrive on a Friday, train on Saturday, and hope to qualify on Sunday.
The training program comprises both theory and practical lessons, where you’re first told about the track rules, do’s and don’ts, etc., and then your actual race training starts. Here, you’d learn things like the correct body position on the motorcycle, launch technique, vision, throttle control, race lines, and more. Please make the maximum use of it as this is the only training you’ll get in this program. If you’re expecting level 2, 3, and 4 training programs to be imparted before the subsequent races, well, that’s not happening. Not yet, at least.
So once you’ve completed the Level 1 training on Saturday, you’ll come back at the track on Sunday, put in a few practice laps, and then go out again to set your best qualifying lap. If I remember correctly, you’d get four to five laps on the track, and your quickest lap among those would be considered. I recommend giving it your hundred per cent from the second lap onwards…
MEDIA RACE
CHAMPIONSHIP
Although I have already covered this topic above, there’s no harm in reiterating. The shortlisted participants will go against each other in three races, which will be held alternately at MMRT, Chennai, and Kari Motor Speedway, Coimbatore.
TOP-NOTCH SAFETY
Since the beginning of the program in 2017, TVS has been providing race leathers, gloves, boots, and even helmets to all participants. This time, they have upped the ante—all participants now get an additional layer of safety via the Alpinestars Tech Air 5 airbag vest (worn inside the race suit).
THE RACE BIKE
There’s no change here, and all participants in the media category would be riding the race-spec TVS Apache RTR 200 4V throughout the race season. All the best to them and TVS Racing.