Sarath prepares for leap into MotoGP

Publication: DNA India
Date: Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Abstract: Sarath Kumar, who is a professional motorcycle rider for WTR-Ten10, talks about his pre-MotoGP plans and nerves before the big event. The Bangalore-based Ten10 Racing Team in collaboration with Italian WTR will be India's first team in the MotoGP, which is the premier motorcycle racing championship in the world.

Article: This is one big jump for Chennai-based rider Sarath Kumar. Racing in the tracks at Coimbatore and Chennai in the Indian Championship to the hallowed venues of Europe is nothing short of a revelation for the 18-year-old. But it is not going to be easy, and the lad is sure of that. Racing modified bikes in the National championship is nowhere close to those 125cc machines Sarath will be riding for the Ten10-WTR Team in the MotoGP in 2011. Sarath, the champion in Group B, four stroke, 165cc class, knows how big riding in MotoGP is. But he is very much aware of the realities as matching the pace of some of the best Italians and Japanese riders is not going to be easy at all. It is going to be a very steep learning curve in his first season next year.

"Firstly, I am very happy and this is a good opportunity, thanks to Ten10. I know that the bike is very fast and difficult to ride," he said. "I am mentally preparing myself. I am doing a lot of physical endurance training. I am doing yoga and meditation to stay calm because competition is going to be intense."

Sarath will not have much time with the bike. It will be just a few sessions to get a feel of the bike and off he goes into the season. "I think my first feel of the bike is going to be at the end of January. The team is working on a specific programme for me but the European riders are already used to those bikes. WTR is going to give me some special testing to give me the feel of the bike before winter testing," he said.

But he is doing whatever possible before he actually gets to ride the bike. "I am studying all tracks now. I know that handling those MotoGP bikes is much better than Indian bikes. The power of those bikes is much more. I am doing a lot of physical training, including going to the gym, yoga and swimming. The requisite is to build muscle and cardio endurance. I have been told not to add or lose weight," he stated. However it will not be too bad since the rider has already raced with Super-Sport bikes. "I have raced in the UAM Asia Cup. Over there, I have seen the Japanese and they are very fast riders. I even got the second-fastest timing in one of the places on a Honda CBR150. I hope to do my best. I am preparing for the pressure.