Humankind hasn’t seen anything like the Covid-19 quarantine since World War II. This time will be remembered as ‘post-COVID’ and ‘preCOVID’ when we retell the stories to our grandchildren. Work has stopped, trackdays have been postponed, weekend rides have been cancelled, staff has been furloughed and some industries are left with no option but lay offs. We don’t know when the auto industry will come out of this grave situation and the road ahead is uncertain for everybody. It’ll take us all a while to get back to normal life. For bikers, the normal is weekend rides and trackdays. But are you prepared for your first trackday or Ladakh ride with your buddies that you’ve been dreaming about?
Let’s not run away from the fact that a lot of us are going to feel very different mentally and physically. Even those like me who are used to exercising daily will feel the fatigue. I haven’t taken my Scrambler out in ages although I have contemplated a lot of rides already. But with all the lockdown extensions, my Ducati stays parked in the garage. And having two or three months away from any hobby isn’t really ideal – all of us will be rusty. But this is what I am going to implement before my first trackday.
FAST STEAD
This Skoda Octavia RS 230 is fast enough to blow your mind but not its engine
Ford Fusion
Practical, great engine and dynamics, but weird styling ensured buyers stayed well away
Mahindra Bolero Neo
Armed with an iconic badge, a fresh face and a mechanically locking differential, the Bolero Neo could just be the compact SUV you’ve been looking for
RISING FROM THE ASHES
The third generation Suzuki Hayabusa is one of the fastest production motorcycles in the world, and a bike that truly deserves to be ridden flat out at the High Speed Track at NATRAX
BIJOY KUMAR Y
Bijoy is quite looking forward to what the recent space launches could mean
DOA: HSV HRT 427
This racing-inspired 7-litre Holden Monaro garnered more than enough interest for its limited production run to sell out. But sadly the sums didn’t add up
Mini Cooper S Convertible
Mini gives the Convertible a more modern front end, more technology on the inside and a very bright paint scheme
VW Taigun GT
Good news! With two GT variants, Volkswagen are set to make the 1.5 TSI motor even more accessible to us enthusiasts
THE DOCTOR CHECKS OUT
As Rossi decides to hang up his boots after 26 seasons, we take a look back at his journey through MotoGP
“IF THE RATING IS DONE, NATRAX COULD BE ONE OF THE TOP THREE PROVING GROUNDS IN THE WORLD”
Speaking to Dr N Karuppaiah, additional director and centre head, NATRAX
