How many months of planning does it take to make CSS happen?

To do an event in January we begin our previous year. It takes a good four months to get everything together. This year we have been working on a lot of sponsors as well, because as much as we would like to fund it, it does become too expensive to do so. We’ve been lucky to have Motul this year, who, being associated with motor sport, have recognised the importance of a school like this. Then TVS Motor have supported us from day one by providing bikes for the students (including the one I rode). BMW Motorrad have been a fantastic help with their support with the coach’s bikes (yes, we noticed, one of them did zipped past a minute involvement from manufacturers and lubricant companies, people who can take this school to the next level.

charge, I don’t think you’re gonna get that school in the States, it would cost anywhere between USD 2,000 and 2500, which is a lot of coaching, they get a bike if they don’t own one, we give them food, petrol and almost everything they need; they just need to show up. It’s not that we want to make money out of this school, You know, we are not even going to recover half the cost of this school from what we charge. We are passionate about it, but we also have to be realistic about it. In fact, at the end of the third day the smile on the faces of the students that we have trained says it all.

You know, Yamaha and Honda in India are companies that can really help. Firstly, they are already present in the Indian motor sport have their own racing schools. CSS is widely recognised as the world’s best school and if one of them can recognise the importance of working with us, then they wouldn’t need to work with the second best.

The other way they can really help us is talent scout. The manufacturers have a lot of riders that they pick up year on year and we can work with them in identifying talented riders between the age of 12 and 15 years. Put them through the school and, maybe, pick the top two riders of the season and send them to California to get further training at the Code Race School. And then with their help in sponsorship send them to FIM Asia cup. With this international exposure it would be like baby steps towards MotoGP for the riders.