Road Clear for the Rookie
The Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup had its second and final round at the MMRT in Chennai, and we were on hand to witness history being made
TWO ROUNDS, SIX races, one elusive spot, and a historic occasion for Indian motor sport. The second and final round of the first ever Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup took place in Chennai, with a tantalising prize up for grabs: a chance to compete in the qualifying round of the MotoGP Rookies Cup being held in Valencia, Spain, in November. An expert panel of judges would run the rule on all the contestants, and the Indian racer who showed the most potential would be picked for this coveted honour. The winner wouldn’t just have a chance to test his mettle against the best, but also to receive training and hone his skills in Spain.
Seven youngsters between 13 and 17 years of age hit the track and as the dust settled, Sachin Chaudhary from Ahmedabad emerged victorious. Quite a feat for the 16-year-old who has only been racing competitively since June 2016. He had to work hard to persuade his family to let him race. He now has to juggle his racing career with his board exams, seeing as he is currently in the 10th grade. All those worries faded away at the end of the race as a clearly jubilant Sachin gushed, “It has still not sunk in that I have actually won the Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup and will be going to Spain. I do not have words to fully express how happy I am. I learned from the mistakes I made in the last round and gave it my best this time. I have put in a lot of effort to make it here and this win is truly rewarding.”
We will keep a close eye on Sachin’s progress when he travels to Europe and takes a shot at the fairytale launch-pad to his racing career.