The world’s most popular, most thrilling, most adventurous, adrenaline pumping motor cross racing Supercross…fluid turns, angles and turns combined with cutting edges. A sport that today has a fanatical following, and is known for its greatness, its precision, its glamour!
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Created in 1974, Monster Energy AMA Supercross, and FIM World Championship, has become the premier off-road motorcycle racing.
However we need to understand where it all stemmed from. A little history would not hurt.
Motocross evolved in the UK and was famous both in the UK and Spain. A non-speed event on specialized motorcycles. The sport involved strict balancing, and scoring also was very stringent and disciplined. The sport which was also called the ‘hare scrambles’ became eventually the sport of the fastest rider to finish. As it began to receive international fame the sport came to be called ‘Motocross Racing’.
The first known scramble race took place at Camberly, Surrey in 1924. There was intense competition in the UK and worldwide. Riding over rugged terrain led to technical improvements in motorcycles.
Rigid frames gave way to suspensions and swinging fork rear, when eventually you had BSA becoming the largest manufacturer for motor cycles! Later of course you had the Japanese taking over the motor cycle industry. The typical two-stroke air-cooled, twin-shock rear suspension machines gave way to machines that were water-cooled and fitted with single-shock absorber rear suspension.
The sport gradually reached to various parts of Europe and in 1957 it was upgraded to a Championship Status.
Motocross evolved and turned into a stadium event, and was known as SUPERCROSS and ARENACROSS. Free style motocross was included where riders were judged on their jumping and aerial acrobatic skills. SUPERMOTO is a race where motocross machines race both on tarmac and off road.
Very soon we are to have a Supercross EVENT in Pune on the 10th of FEBRUARY.
I was in an interesting conversation with EESHAN LONKHANDE the man behind the scenes.
Eeshan is a Supercross Racer and wishes to have the race here in Pune at the same level as it is held in America.
It was in 1982 that Supercross was brought to Pune. It was a sport that was much enjoyed throughout the 80’s with international riders participating. It then maintained the Supercross standard. A National Championship, Eeshan and his team are working towards making it more known to the masses in Pune and pan India.
The sport carried on in Pune from 2000 to 2012. Some of the best riders came at that time. The effort now is to nurture the young ones in India to becoming some of the best in the world.
“When I came back from my racing in the UK because there wasn’t much happening here. It is then that we decided that something needs to be done as it is an exciting, glamorous, youth oriented sport. It is a sport for everybody, a sport to entertain people, it is a sport for the riders to participate in. “
Eeshan Lokhande has a great vision for Supercross in Pune. He wants to raise the bar. In his words…
“The whole idea is to blend in the international races and put them in one pool to ride, otherwise we are fish in a well where we are fighting each other and no one is rising. But when you step out and race you say to yourself yes I raced 18th, or I finished 34th; this happens because you have never raced with people of that level. You have to keep raising the level, the bar of your sport to progress. We need to innovate at every level so as not to stagnate.”
But the challenges are many. Supercross in America and Australia are treated differently. Ready stadiums with the infrastructure in place is allotted for the race. “They can use the ground for a cricket match, for a baseball match then an NFL. Here in India the mentality is different. The venue has to be built from ground up!”
That is bring in 700 trucks load of mud, dump the mud over a period of few days and of-course it is done at nights; create the track, the barricades, the temporary seating, special VIP lounges, toilets, parking etc. And maybe in the end it could affect the quality that the game is expected to have. With a ready stadium a lot of the infra is in place. It saves on time and enhances quality.
I wanted to know if sponsors were open to the sport.
“Yes. Every sponsor eventually wants to know what is in it for me? What is the quality and what is the aim? Like oil brands they would want the riders to use their products. Tyre products. A Tyre Brand is producing a new tyre for motor cross which is designed by Eeshan. You know there is a market. A niche market. That can grow.”
So working on making Supercross a sport of high quality is what Eeshan and his team are at!
Anthony Raynard South African Champion, Dennis Stapleton Test rider for Motocross Action Magazine, Kerim Fitzgerald another South African Champion, and Alexander Ivanyutin the Russian Champion are some of the International riders who have participated in the previous Supercross events.
Last year they introduced the pre event area called Pits basically the riders paddocks.
“We created the pit into live music sessions, food stalls, different product displays etc. This year we have about 30 brands who have taken stalls and display areas. Different auto, lifestyle, food brands.”
The idea is to showcase the different accessories from shoes, to wrist bands, goggles, T-shirts etc. that go with biking to increase the revenue and visibility for the brands and the event.
“Sports needs revenue…spectator revenue plays a huge role in creating the event in making things happen as an organizer for the riders. I want to increase prize money. I can’t keep going back to the sponsors asking for more money. We need to generate money from different sources. It has to come from all angles.”
The highlight of the conversation was when he mentioned that he has 7 year olds and 13 and 15 year olds participating in the Supercross EVENT 2019, on the 10th of FEBRUARY.
“To day we have 16 kids under the age of 15 from all over India. And max from Maharashtra. Which is very poor compared to America. The U.S. would have at least a 1000 families coming to the amateurs every year. Here we have 8 kids who would be on the start line; there you would have 40 on the start line.”
To us the spectator’s bike racing for that matter Supercross racing is a glamorous sport. But are we aware of the hours of training the biker goes through to participate in the sport that we enjoy watching?
“Motor cross/ Super cross is the toughest sport and it is the combination of an athlete a cyclist and a street fighter or a boxer. You need endurance, you need strength, you need flexibility, and you need the mind for that.”
I was amazed listening to Eeshan telling me of the rigorous training that goes along with this sport!
A top motocross racer trains 8 hours a day. Rides 5 days a week. His or her day starts at 4.30 a.m. and ends at 8 pm. It is a 9 to 5 job. Her because today we have women who are participating.
The racers as Eeshan says “are bred for races like race horses are.”
“Injuries, break times, the depression, the anxiety, the sadness, the fear of getting back on the bike after an injury makes you not just a motocross racer but also a rock solid person!”
Commitment, sacrifice, dedication, perseverance, courage, and hard work is what gets you there!
However, in Pune or should I say in India there is no single facility such as a proper race track for the young ones to practice on. It is essential that they learn the correct skills at an early age. Once precious time is lost is never comes back.
Time and Tide they say waits for no man!
Surprisingly parents want for their children to be trained. A lot of parents go out of their way to bring their young ones to places to practice. Transporting the race bikes from one place to another is a tedious task as it has to be picked up and towed by a pickup truck. They cannot be ridden on tarmac.
Imagine if the children get a proper facility to practice on, a pick up and drop facility, or even a parking in the vicinity of the tracks what could be the turnout of children practicing! Eesahan Lokhande has dreams of making this a reality. He and his team have great ideas to further the sport.
With a little bit of help from benevolent sponsors and the government I am sure he will make Supercross a SUPERHIT!
The countdown has begun and tickets are being sold. The Early Bird gets the best deal.
Get your tickets now
https://in.bookmyshow.com/sports/pune-invitational-supercross-2019/ET00094000
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