Ucal Rolon National Road Racing Championships-2009
By chennaivision at 11 June, 2009, 11:18 am
The first round of the Ucal Rolon Championships was held at the Kari Speed way in Coimbatore. The track is situated in a beautiful location sixteen kilometers from Coimbatore and the weather these days was much cooler than expected.
Every racing event has some drama, and this one particularly had high drama, to put it mildly. Andrew Morris and Mathew Lim from Red Rooster racing had come down from Singapore. Joe Raja Singh and his honcho Muju were there in tech team. Amit Sandill had his hands full throughout the weekend with logistics that are needed to run a racing team with four riders. K. Rajini, Preetham Dev Moses, and Sameer Venugopal rode Yamaha R6, while was on his Honda 600 Rajini, Preetham and Rohit had reputations to protect. They have raced internationally and so, all eyes were on them.
The programme was rather over packed with events. Small bikes with many classes, 600 Super sports, one-liter super bikes, plus a series of go-cart races, all were accommodated during the weekend. Such a tight schedule requires a high degree of organization and time management. That all the events were pulled of, though with minor irritants was an achievement of the organizers.
First practice for the Super 600s was in bright sunlight. From the other side there was Dilip Rogers, wanting to protect his championship plus reputation of racing in world class events. In the first session the riders tore the track apart to the delight of the spectators and their pit crews. This was a trailer to what was to come. In the RRR pits there was more tension than needed. Rajini’s bike was having niggling problems. Not major ones but tiny ones that keep the rider off the track and the crew tense. This went on till the very end.
The qualifying time came near and to add to the drama, the heavens opened up and it began to pour! Wet qualifying was declared and there Rohit Giri showed how to ride in the rain. All the riders who have ridden in international events, Rogers, Rajini, Moses and Rohit did well and were on the grid for the first race. Rajini’s bike just about made it in the qualifying. Everyone around him prayed the bike wouldn’t give trouble on the race day.
Race one was damp, not dry. Overcast and windy weather prevailed. The ten-lap race, which I personally feel is too short for big bikes, was intense. Rohit fell but got on his bike and finished the race. If he hadn’t Red Rooster would have been one, two and four, as Preetham was first, Rajini 2nd and Rohit 4th. Third place being taken by Dilip Rogers.
Last minute work had to be done on Rohit’s bike, as well as cajole Rajini’s R6. Andrew, Mathew, Joe and Muju worked relentlessly. Final race came up and it began to rain! Organisers came and asked the participants whether they’d want to race or not. All riders said yes. Great spirit, I admired very much.
The crowd waited with anticipation. They knew, Dilip Rogers was not going to turn over and play dead. The competition was between the four, Rogers, Rajini, Preetham and Rohit. The rain stopped but the race started on a completely wet track. There was high-end demonstration of riding in the rain by these four. No one gave a quarter. Places were traded. On the final lap Rogers was leading but the pressure from Rajini was so intense he fell. Rajini was on the outer line, Roger’s front wheel touched the rear of Rajini, and as it happens in racing, in a split second everything was over for Rogers. The race was one of the most exciting ones I have witnessed on our soil. The crowds were ecstatic. It was Rajini, Preetrham and Rohit, one-two-three for Red Rooster Racing. No one could have asked for more.
As if the drama of the race wasn’t enough, Roger’s camp filed a protest that Rajini touched him intentionally. Thank heavens there were photographers on the track who had captured the action and the protest proved wrong. I can vouch for Rajini as I have seen, photographed and video him race. He never gives up, fights to the last but by no imagination is a cheat or would stoop to such low life tactics to win a race. It was an unfortunate end to such a memorable race weekend that a champion of the caliber of Dilip Rogers couldn’t accept defeat gracefully. After all, racing is about winning and losing.
No comments yet.