2024 Yamaha Track Day Experience at MMRT on a YZF R15M

Should the opportunity arise, do not miss taking it to the track. Every single penny you spent on your motorcycle will be realized in those 20 mins over 4-5 laps. Trust me!

BHPian R15M_Rider recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

It finally happened! The place which most of us would’ve experienced in Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport, was at last experienced for real. The environment where riding as a necessity to most becomes an art or even poetry. 23rd March 2024 will indeed remain special in my books as the first day, I got to experience the track and it definitely won’t be the last!

Before going into the this, I do want to mention that, I didn’t take much photographs, in fact hardly any. Thanks to my introvert nature and in anyway on the race track, it’s only about you and the machine and nothing else. I will try my best to express in words to the best of my ability.

Booking amount for 23rd Mar 24, Saturday(beginner) is Rs 2000/- and for 24th Mar 24, Sunday(Expert). Both me and my brother's slot was booked around 10.30 in the morning on Saturday. MMRT is around 40 km from my place and thanks to metro rail works and traffic it took around one and a half hours to reach. The usual and expected entry procedure was there with requirements of you Driving License, RC for verification. They gave us a checklist which we need to follow through the day and a food coupon to be used at the stall near the circuit.

Quite a few R15s already ready!

The Checklist Given

Checking In for complimentary oil change

Both of our bikes were given a complimentary engine oil change with the RS4GP racing oil (exclusive for R and MT series). This retails about Rs 1500/.- so that itself makes up most of the cost of registration. Will further update on the performance of this oil later on. As expected, as per regulations, our bike's headlights, indicators, DRLs, tail-lights and the front visor were covered with tape to prevent glass to shatter and cause hinderance and safety hazard to other riders I think if we crash. Next up was of course the theory/briefing session. Since there was already a batch occupying an ongoing session, we were put into the next batch. We spent some time in the customer lounge, where they had setup tables and chairs for visitors and riders. There was a display area with the MT15, R15 V4, R15M, Aerox, R3 and MT03, with the R3 and MT03 gaining the most attention. Actually, there were quite a few R3 riders too, I spotted at least 2-3, with the newly launched R3, so I guess, even with Yamaha's absurd pricing, the fan following is still really strong. R3 is also gradually becoming my dream bike too and myself as a Yamaha fan, happy to see there are people who enjoy these machines.

If the upgrade ever happens, it would be this

A trio of Aerox

Around 5-10 mins later, next batch was let in along with me and my brother. The briefing was in general about the the ethics about track days, how it is not a race and everyone needs to be responsible. Basically, red flag being the important one which signals end of session and all riders must slow down. Basically we need to follow the marshal who will lead the batch at all times, with no overtaking and maintain consistent pace in the process. With the briefing session done, it was time for us to gear up! Riding gear which comes under FMSCI certification are only allowed on track. We were given Yamaha race suits, gloves, boots and helmets. Since it was our first time wearing this, it was a bit weird but eventually we got into gear and headed to the track. There was a session which hadn't concluded yet so we had to wait beside our bikes which were prepped up and ready with all the taping and fresh racing oil added. The sun was beating down with a vengeance, typical summer day with high humidity in Chennai prompting us to constantly drink a lot of water. Even in the briefing session, it was highly recommended that we need to be as hydrated as possible considering the weather conditions before we go for a spin.

Briefing Session

Gearing Up!

Finally, it was time. With all the heavy gear, especially the boots, initially the feel was really weird, 1 of the bikers almost lost balance while sitting idle on the bike! Thankfully nothing of that sort happened on the track. I was 4th or 5th from the front that is from the marshal. Eventually one by one we started joining the track from the pitlane. This is it. The start of a dream. The true home of the R15. First few corners, I was on a much defensive pace, even got overtaken by a couple of fellow riders. With the first lap nearly complete, I gained confidence and started to push it. Damn! That feel. Its very difficult to describe. I was starting the kneel down in extreme angles, even I was never in my wildest dreams thought I would be cornering so early like this! I even scraped my boot at one point, thankfully kept the balance! Kneeling down on corners, moving my body and clinging onto the bike and controlling the throttle. From one corner to another, left to right, I don't know if its me or the bike but I felt, I am actually feeling good about this! I didn't sense any discomfort. Maybe its the adrenaline, even the bike too, but I personally felt, this is something, I might be actually good at! The R15 though, this experience, just made me fall in love with the bike so much that, I can never ever see myself riding anything else. The spec sheet that everyone is so obsessed with, its absolutely obliterated on the track. It was like telepathy, if I picture how I want to tackle this corner in my mind, I can execute it exactly! Its magic, extremely hard to describe in words. The Deltabox frame shines here. The way I shift from left to right corner as I shift my body weight accordingly, the bike so beautifully responds. There is one quote from Shumi in Motorinc where he describes the feel of riding the R15 as a "warm hug of a sports bike". Those words turn into reality on the track. The quick shifter was simply a blessing on the track. My favorite part was the last corner before the main straight, clinging on with the kneel down, holding 6-7k RPM at the long and addicting 3rd gear and then as you exit, crouching behind the visor, gripping your thighs with the tank and start gunning it. 7K, 8K, 9K, 10,11,12K RPM, the engine screams followed by the blip of the quick shifter. as I enter the 4th and eventually 5th gear. I hit a max of around 110-115 kph on the straight in the 4-5 laps we did. One thing which I felt good about is, even though I did make mistakes, I never went off the track, considering its my first time. 2 guys in front of me made a mistake on a very technical and long corner after the main straight which caused them to go off onto the grass and made me gain 2-3 places and I eventually finished "1st" behind the marshal. It felt truly like an experience of a lifetime. We did 4-5 laps and finally the red flag was shown signaling the end of the session.

About the RS4GP engine oil, I personally felt it to be the best match the R15. It had Motul (Rs 2500) in my R15 at my last service with an FNG, but I felt this was just as good and even better too. I mean its obvious in some ways, since its Yamaha's own oil designed for their bikes. The engine response was amazing and the difference was clearly felt. I also bought one from the apparels stall near the track Yamaha had setup with a 10% discount along with a chain cleaner. I would definitely recommend to other R15/MT-15 owners for sure. Finally, we returned the gears, changed back. We had our free snacks as lunch, and took some rest. Eventually we checked out the R3 and MT-03 on display. Having sat out it definitely felt a lot less weight than I was expecting, coming from the R15. As I said earlier, after the track day, I am thoroughly spoilt and can't see anything beyond Yamaha whenever I upgrade! Its going to be extremely difficult though. As I said, too much attached to my R15M.

We were asked to fill a feedback form for the event and our given our welcome kit (Monster energy T shirt and a sticker. My only feedback was, to have this track day more than once a year at MMRT or anywhere else. Currently it happens I think only once a year at each location. Takeaway is this, Yamaha does get a lot of flak for their pricing and how they in general treat the Indian market, how they price their products.

To this, I agree for the following points:

1. Yamaha can definitely do so much more, they need to start treat the Indian market same as elsewhere. Their engineering is unmatched, but their sales strategy is far from it.
2. Reliability is amazing, but ASS isn't upto the mark or at least inconsistent in my experience.
3. FZX and their scooters apart from the Aerox, definitely don't scream Yamaha. Some of the lineup just feels out of place and definitely can do with updates.

But, apart from the above three points, when it comes to their true products as per me at least that is the YZF R and MT series, forget the spec sheet. They are absolute marvels of engineering. Don't mind the cc. Don't mind the power figures. To an extent, even forgive the pricing and just ride it. Should the opportunity arise, do not miss taking it to the track. Every single penny you spent on your motorcycle will be realized in those 20 mins over 4-5 laps. Trust me!

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