ART OF CORNERING

An account of our time spent learning how to go faster and safer with California Superbike School and Vredestein Tyres

- DR MANAN CHATURVEDI

Riding a motorcycle is not just a mode of transportation; it's a dynamic art form, a passionate love affair with speed that requires continuous skill refinement. This refinement comes from expereince and guidance. Experience is something you gain as you spend more and more time riding. Guidance, well, it is the cheat code where you get to learn from the masters in the art of speed on two wheels. We have had the experience, tons of it but to our fortune, we got our hands on perhaps the best cheat code around!

Recently, we got an exhilarating opportunity to attend the California Superbike School (CSS) held at MMRT Chennai. As we mentioned earlier, guidance is something that can take you a long way. It can refine years of muscle memory that helps us control a motorcycle and also, erase years of habits that are, to put it mildly, not the right ones.

Moreover, on the racetrack, we could learn the art of cornering, going faster and safer, lap after lap. Our experience was not just about riding; it was about mastering the art of cornering under the guidance of renowned international coaches. And it was made possible by Vredestein Tyres, a brand dedicated to promoting biking culture and making India a safer place to ride. So with our Kawasaki Z900 and Ducati Monster 821 shod with Vredestein Centuro NS tyres, off we went!

Over the weekend spent at MMRT, we learned a whole lot about riding a motorcycle; braking into the corners, negotiating the corner with the maximum possible speed, hitting the apex, and charging out of the corners. It was like being introduced to a whole new world; an eye-opening experience that shed light on some of the common habits that we have developed over the years but are detrimental to riding.