[deepfreak15]

neil.jericho: REGTCUP2021 Pretty short notice really (18th/19th Oct). Deepak saar, signing up?

me:no saar... I am way too old for competitive racing

neil.jericho:I think Ill register. No harm in trying and seeing what happens

me:Then Im doing it too!

And so the seed was sown. RE's process was pretty simple, open up a registration portal with the only criteria being applicants should be 18+ years of age with either certified track day/school experience or a valid race licence. There was no information as to how they would select the 100 but later we found out they went with the first 100 out of the 400 who applied. True to REs nature the registration portal was released with a few glitches and took me around 3 hours to finally complete the process. All we knew was we had to wait till the 1st of October and if shortlisted we would have to make a payment of Rs2500/- +GST to confirm our participation. The blurb said selection would be based on fitness and lap times but that was it. No more information on the format or if there were any classifications because in my mind I was hoping they were not considering measuring professional riders against riders like me.RE clearly stated all expenses need to be borne by the participants and that they would provide the bikes, racing leathers and food.
Was thrilled to find out both Neil's and my application had been accepted but when the rider list was announced it brought us back to reality. I saw a lot of familiar names, the usual suspects who feature on the top spots of national level competitions so we decided that, if we had a good time we would consider it a win and a bonus would be if we could learn more about the 650 twins by talking to a few officials

The bikes

What a beauty! Very tasteful modifications but I don't think they are factory mods because all queries about them were directed towards Aspi Bathena and his engineers. This was more of his baby than RE's

pc:RE website

That exhaust note was to die for. Sadly it can never be used on public roads without incurring the wrath of the law.




pc:RE website


My hopes for an OEM rear set were dashed. The riding position is truly brilliant with this modification unfortunately it requires an angle grinder and a welding machine.

pc:RE website

The fairing was functional down the straights but sadly cant be used on the road bike

pc:RE website

pc:RE website

The clipons also seem to be locally sourced though I was still struggling to get used to them before my time was up (more on this later)

pc:RE website

NOT REALLY!


I am not sure what the intention was , if JK couldnt get the tyres ready in time or what but for the selection rounds the bikes came with the OE Pirelli's while they had imported a bunch of Metzler Racetech RRs for the races. JK techs literally were burning rubber by removing the serial numbers and branding

The selection process
Pretty straight forward, 5 riders at a time on track spaced out by some seconds and you get 5 laps (including the sighting lap). Best lap time would be taken into account and if you crash you are automatically disqualified. As per the schedule this was supposed to happen over two days but since the weather was fickle they rushed through the process on day1 itself. Credit to RE, they leaned on JK Tyres and another track school (CRA) to organise this and it went smoothly. Some bikes went down heavily and riders returned with scuffed leathers, the ambulance came into play a couple of times but thankfully no serious injuries and no coming together for any riders.
It wasn't easy for anyone, even the professionals complained 5 laps was not enough to get to terms with the bike and set any times, in spite of them having years of experience on the same track. Also the 650 motor is unlike any they are used too. Everyone kept hitting the rev limiter galore.
During the briefing someone asked what a reference time was and we were told this was the first time the bike is going around Kari and no one knows but they had the RC 390 as a reference at some sub 1:25(or was it 21- I forgot) seconds. Credit to the rider and RE because the fastest recorded time was 1:22:6, this time will only go down once the riders get used to the bike post practice sessions and with sticky rubber.

My "Five" laps
To an outsider it might have looked like sitting around all day for just ~7 minutes on track. But what a rush, once on the bike senses heightened and everything was a blur. I forgot most of what happened on the track but this is what stood out in my mind
- I was keenly aware I didnt stitch a single perfect lap
- I got most corners right but always goofed up somewhere
- The bike felt brilliant to throw around compared the stock road version
- I could not get to grips with the clip ons in 5 laps
- The rear suspension was set at the softest setting and kept moving around

I was having fun until one of the professional riders blew past me like I was standing still and thats when I realised how woefully off the pace I was (not that I didn't know that going in). So none of the above points mattered until I had the skill to stitch a perfect lap and then be able to do it consistently.
Neil will have a good laugh and tell you how I was taking myself way too seriously.

My takeaway

In spite of being a good 12 secs off the pace, the event for me personally was a roaring success for a whole lot of reasons, Ill try to list them out and not in any order

Always a pleasure to meet fellow Bhpians and Neil is very good company. He seemed to be having a better time than me and was more relaxed. Also got to meet krishsreedharan





I got to meet a legend (Aspi Bathena) and what a very nice person to chat with. Very friendly and down to earth. It was nice to pick his brains about the bike and listen to his exploits.

What a privilege to spend time with the voice of Indian Motorcycling! I have been following his reviews since his Business Standard Motoring days and resonate with his point of view with motorcycling in general and to meet him in person was surreal..it got even better

Being interviewed by the man himself


But the best part was once I had completed my laps he walked up to me and said "You looked very good on the bike, lot of riders were struggling with C1 but you flowed through it". I vaguely remember blabbering something while giggling like a 5 year old school girl. Coming from him that was the highlight of my entire motorcycling journey so far.


Now waiting for Neil to pull the trigger and buy one of these!


I know a lot of memes already exist but if you are looking for one with "When you lie on your resume and get the job..." feel free to use this picture. This was no place for a 40 year old with just a couple of track school training sessions.

No clue I would get this opportunity when this picture was taken a few years ago


That's a mighty lot of merchandise to give away but more than that extremely grateful to RE for conducting this and opening it up for general public. Would have been brilliant if they had kept two separate categories, one for the amateurs and another for the professionals. Though one thing is for sure, I will get all the practice I can and try to get as close as possible to the lap times of the fast riders.

The stay

Kari motor speed way is in a remote place and no good places to stay near the track so your options are only ~12 to 14KMs away. This was the first time I was pleased with the stay. Had selected Zone by the Park . Not too expensive and the rooms were good. But do note their parking is a bit cramped so if you plan on driving down in a pick up truck you might have to look elsewhere.

Good luck to the shortlisted riders and looking forward to the track school which RE said will launch eventually.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing Deepak!

[surjaonwheelz]

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

Good luck to the shortlisted riders and looking forward to the track school which RE said will launch eventually.

Sooper!

We knew you would get there and burn some rubber. Happy for you and thanks for sharing your experience.

Keep it pinned,
surjaonwheelz

[sukiwa]

wow, this is really stupendous. Thanks for sharing the journey.

Hoping that Neil will pen down his thoughts/analysis as well here.

[AtheK]

Nice one deepak, good that you got selected and also got that track time you were yearning for from sometime.

Nice photos with Shumi, and overall seems like a lot of fun. Kudos to RE as well to come up with this and hopefully this is a regular affair going forward!!

@neil, where is your writeup?

[shaikhmimran]

In my opinion, you & Neil's efforts are incredibly laudable. From getting fitter for the event to making time away and then humbly learning even though both have a lot experience, speaks a lot about your commitment to motorcycling as a passion.
Thanks for penning down your take on the event.
Looking forward to catch on Behind the scenes stories in the next overnighter.

[krishnaprasadgg]

Ah! Yet another Track related thread from deepfreak15!
And this time in a competition setting!

The thread gave me heavy hints that you are going to go all out on track days in the coming years and will be now chasing seconds on your lap times!

And about the bikes! Man..what gorgeous machines. Those front fairing support bars remind me of the older gen race and superbikes that had a similar top fairing stay setup! Something about it just looks insanely cool.! I can't imagine how awesome these machines would have sounded during warm-up and at full chat.

Cheers
Krishna

[neil.jericho]

Royal Enfield's Continental GT Cup racing series came up out of nowhere and the moment the first advertisement came up on Youtube, I decided that I would apply for it. I have always believed that a one make GT650 race series from Royal Enfield was on the cards, but Royal Enfield has launched it at least a year or two before I thought they would. Having taken my own Continental GT 535 to the track for three different track weekend sessions with Indimotard, I was eligible to participate in the event and I wouldnt have missed it for the world. We have a thread (Royal Enfield announces Continental GT Cup racing series) on the forum with some of the details, in case anyone is interested.

The timelines were as follows.

Sunday : October 17
deepfreak15 drove down from Bangalore and I drove from Cochin. We had booked our stay at the Zone by the Park. Knowing that so many seasoned pros were also in the final 100, we hoped that Royal Enfield would have separate classes for those with race licenses and others like us, who only had track riding experience through different riding schools and open sessions. The lines that the experts take, and the limits to which they will push their bikes, is very different from what track day enthusiasts will do. If mixed in the wrong combination, it could prove to be dangerous. This was the first time that Royal Enfield was organizing an event like this and logistically, we didnt know what to expect. Hence, we didnt have very high expectation levels from the event.

From a competitiveness perspective, I knew I didnt stand a chance. I had last been to this track in 2017 and since then, its layout has changed. There was no way that I was going to be able to do anything that was remotely serious, on a bike that I was new to, while riding on a track that I had to relearn. I was at the Continental GT Cup to have fun and enjoy the experience. deepfreak15 was ahem, a little, more serious about the whole affair!

The one burning issue was the inclement weather and the strong possibility that the entire week's activities would get washed out. Kerala was reeling under heavy rains and it was expected to continue without any signs of abatement. These rains would likely carry into Coimbatore and threatened to cancel the entire event. We kept our fingers crossed that the rains wouldnt impact the two days of selection.

Monday : October 18
While driving to the track, the sky looked ominously overcast and we were worried that our worst fears would come true. The riders were supposed to report at 08:00 AM and we reached at least 15 minutes early. Nothing was set up yet and there were a few other young riders who were waiting.

Walking down the main straight

deepfreak15 and I did a small walk down the track for me to learn the new first corner (C1), which is now a left hander as compared to the old one that was a hard right hander. If we had more time, I would have liked to walk through the entire track to gauge the new corners and plan for what lines I would attempt. deepfreak15 had only been to the track after the layout was updated, so he didnt share my worries.

At the end of the new C1

[neil.jericho]

While returning from our walkthrough of the first few corners, we spotted the bikes hidden away in a corner. They were just stunning! Its safe to say that they look better in person, than they do in pictures. deepfreak15 and I were probably the first people outside of Royal Enfield and its partners, to see the bikes. Being enthusiastic (and obsessive?) Continental GT owners, it really felt special to be up close with these bikes, before the rest of the world did. We were a bit surprised to see that most of the bikes had the OEM tires and that only one or two had Racetec RR tires. This came up later in the day.

Here are some photographs from my mobile phone.

[neil.jericho]

Now for some pictures from my camera. Like many other motorcycle threads, this too can never have enough photos!

[neil.jericho]

By the time we got back from ogling and drooling all over the 25 bikes, we found that the organizers had already swung into action. There were 3 separate counters. The first one was to confirm the participant details and get a number assigned to us. The line was already quite long!

I was number 61 and deepfreak15 was number 62. At the first counter, they checked our temperature and oxygen saturation levels. The tag that we were given said that we would have only 5 laps, which was a bit of a bummer. On Sunday, we had speculated that all 100 riders would not turn up but we found that everyone was there and eager to ride! Most of the riders were in their late teens or early 20s and were professional riders. It was heartening to note that there were several women riders as well.

At the next counter, we had to sign two indemnity forms and pay Rs 300 for them. We were then given a complimentary Royal Enfield branded flask as well as coupons for breakfast and lunch. There wasnt any checking of our certificates or any other paperwork.

By now, we understood that Royal Enfield had partnered with JK Tyres and CRA to run the event for / with them. The riders were organized in groups of 20 based on the serial number. There were separate designated zones for each group of 20 riders. Each zone had sufficient chairs for everyone. Zone 1 was where we went after completing the formalities at the three counters. That is where we had our breakfast. Zone 2 was a separate area where we waited.

Each zone was filled with banners like this

Zone 3 was a cordoned off area where a representative from Royal Enfield and Aspi Bathena spoke to us and introduced us to the event. This was the first time that I got to meet Aspi and it was quite the honor to meet the legend. Most of the others had questions on timing and qualifying but I was keen to understand the logistics of the two days. We were told that due to the threat of major rain, the organizers wanted to finish all the qualifying on day 1 itself. That would ensure a level playing field. On the flip side, having 100 riders on one day meant that we would only get 5 laps each.

The gentleman from Royal Enfield



The legend himself!

On the tires, Aspi and his team had planned to have all the bikes shod with Metzler Racetec RR tires, but they were held up at customs and hence the bikes couldnt be fitted with them. As deepfreak15 mentioned, we saw the tires later in the afternoon.

Once it became time to ride, each group was split into smaller groups of 5 riders each. Each group of 5 had separate slots and each rider was sent out after a small gap. Hence at any point of time, there were only 5 riders on the track. The moment one group pulled into the pits, the next group rolled out like clockwork in a staggered manner.

Each bike was fitted with a transponder. At the end of the day, the results would be announced and 18 riders plus 5 backup riders would be selected based on their qualifying times. They would continue to ride for the rest of the week, leading up to the races while the rest of us (and the general public) were free to come and witness the races.

So while the first 20 riders were preparing to ride, the next 20 were in Zone 3, the next 20 were in Zone 2 and the next 20 were in Zone 1. The team from JK Tyres did a good job of managing the logistics, given the massive count of riders.

[neil.jericho]

While we were waiting in the different zones, we overheard the feedback from different riders and asked some of them their feedback as well. Almost all the other riders came with massive track riding experience with light weight sports bikes like the Gixxers and R15s. Hence their experience with the souped up Continental GT650 was mixed.

Some of the difficulties that they had to deal with included the
- weight
- braking
- feel into corners etc.

Its safe to say that these were not the typical 650 twin riders but some of these same riders, did end up qualifying in the top 18.

There were also a lot of falls. I really do mean a lot. There were more falls in one day, than I have seen in the prior 6 days of track riding that I had attended. Again, here people were riding bikes that they were unfamiliar with, in a competitive setting and were trying to qualify for the race series. Make no mistake about it, this was a serious endeavour for most of the riders. So they were hustling the bike around the Kari racetrack and there was probably a fall in every batch of five riders.

Our group of five was supposed to be the second one after the lunch break, but deepfreak15 and I chose to finish our ride and then have lunch. I was nervously excited at the prospect of getting to finally ride the bike on track while keeping things in control. There were no electronic nannies to save the bike or the rider if things got out of hand.

Riding Experience
Despite the cramped ergonomics of the bike (compared to other bikes), I found myself to be completely comfortable. Perhaps the aggressive ergonomics of the Continental GT535 helped me get used to this. The front suspension was a bit soft and the back suspension seemed firm. The brake and clutch levers were angled a little too high for my liking. The throttle seemed to be a touch too small for my comfort. The feel from the front brake lever was extremely spongy. There was nothing that could be done to change bikes though, as it would have disrupted the entire logistics of the next group. For five laps, I wasnt going to complain.

I was the first one out of the group of five and on lap one, I refamiliariased myself with the track and made a mental note of when the revlimiter would kick in. Like muscle memory, I found myself naturally finding the old lines thorough the old corners and I thought that I would get a decent lap by the final final lap. Barreling down the shortened straight at the end of lap 1 was fun and I started braking at the 150 marker to learn the braking capabilities before C1. The spongy front brakes gave me a massive fright as there was limited initial feel and then the bike started braking with full retardation. And that brought me back to reality.

With little to no confidence in the front braking setup, I felt all at sea for the rest of our session and gingerly tiptoed my way through the remaining four (or three) laps. I think our group got shortchanged by a lap. Since I was used to the weight of the Continental GT 650, I didnt have a problem with that or the turn in. But the inconsistent feel from the brakes meant that I goofed up some lines and with no chance to be competitive, I focussed on having fun and taking it easy. By the second lap I was overtaken by deepfreak15 and when we pulled in, I was the second last rider in the group. If we were out for another lap, I am certain that I would have been the last rider in our group of 5. What mattered though, was that I enjoyed the few minutes that we were on track, and in that respect, it was a 10 / 10 experience.

[neil.jericho]

Once we got done with our session, deepfreak15 and I got our cameras and clicked a few photographs on the bikes. After changing out of our leathers and into our regular clothes, we had our lunch and then the rest of the afternoon and evening was quite enjoyable. We talked to the gentleman from Royal Enfield and gave him some ideas, we spoke to Aspi when he was free regarding the bikes, met Shumi (who was my track coach from Indimotard), interacted with a bunch of other riders and so on.

We collected our certificates, headgear, cap and tshirt from the stall that was setup for it. This is where you could pick the Royal Enfield provided leathers for the ride as well.

We even went up to the central station and got a birds eye view of the subsequent qualifiers. It was fascinating to see the faster professionals pick through the group and work their way to the front.

Once the rides were done, we were told that the results would be announced in 30 minutes. But it took an hour for them to bring out the final list. There were no surprises, all the seasoned vets made it.

Top riders being announced.

The final timing sheets were put up on a board. Though we were told that we would have 5 laps, Im certain that our group got 4. And the timings were only given for 3 laps! Which two (or one lap, as in our case), was not counted? I have no idea.

[neil.jericho]

While we were waiting for the results, I took the opportunity for one final round of motorcycle photographs. At least half the bikes bore battle scars or had been dropped. That is an unfortunate eventuality of racing, especially when there is such little time for the riders.

[neil.jericho]

Let me summarize my thoughts separately.

- Kudos to Royal Enfield for launching this series and making participation in the selection, so affordable. For Rs 2,500 plus GST, this was well worth it. I got to meet a friend, met my coach, spent 7 minutes on the track track, got a bunch of freebies and met a lot of interesting new people as well, both on and off the track. All this for less than 1 tank full of petrol in my car. Money well spent, I say.

- On the bikes, for a first go, this was a very good effort from everyone involved. I am sure that with more time and flexibility from Royal Enfield, the GT Cup bikes can be improved a lot. Not that it would make much of a difference to my timing .... They look like million dollar bikes and sound even better. This definitely was one of the best sounding bikes that I have ever heard.

- While all of this an seem glamourous and exciting, there is another side to track riding. And that is waiting. And waiting. And waiting. And waiting. And waiting. And waiting. We spent almost 9 hours at the track and rode for less than 7 minutes. You need good company to pass the time and I was glad to have deepfreak15 along with me to share the experience.

- On the question of 100 participants and whether or not, it is a level playing field. Well, there is no competition between track enthusiasts and riders who do so professionally. Going forward, it would be great of Royal Enfield has separate classes for those with FMSCI licenses and those who are enthusiasts with track riding experience. Until then, the same riders whose names come in the papers on Monday mornings in the sports section, will continue to garner the top spots in the GT Cup as well.

- I had suggested to the Royal Enfield team that they consider setting up a stall to pick up some RE merchandise at the end of the event. This is a great marketing exercise for the brand.

- Which brings me to my final point. Yes, some things could have been better but for Royal Enfield, this event was a great success. They engaged with track riders and enthusiasts alike, and have set the ball rolling for a successful future in the track scene. From what we could gather, Royal Enfield will diversify into the track school next year, where we will be able to spend quality time with the bikes and get them setup to our satisfaction as well. They will / should even consider the option of allowing Continental GT owners to bring their own bikes and participate in these schools (ahem, vested interests ahem). The sky is the limit and with this selection process, Royal Enfield has taken another huge leap towards successfully building their brand.