It takes Kavin Quintal five minutes to wear his riding gear. And a minute to finish a race. “This gear — including the leathers, boots and helmet — weighs around 11 kilograms,” smiles the motorbike racer, as he wipes beads of sweat from his face, the sultry Chennai weather not helping his cause. In such conditions, riders can easily lose around four kilograms, he explains, citing examples from his races here and in Europe. The 19-year-old racer from the city, who just got back from the World Superbike Championship in Most, Czech Republic, is the first Indian to have participated in the competition.
Kavin Quintal | Photo Credit: Thamodharan B
“The gear I wore for the World Superbike Championship weighed six kilograms. And what the top guys wore was around three kilograms. Your weight as a whole affects your speed — power to weight ratio,” he says. Kavin trains in Spain and was spotted last month by the management team of Gaman Racing. “They saw me ride and wanted to give me a shot. They asked me if I would like to ride a wildcard and that’s how I got into the championship. I was riding the Kawasaki Ninja 400,” says Kavin. The race took place between July 19 and 21.
A shot from the race at Most in Czech Republic | Photo Credit: Vaclav Duska Jr.
“Our race had 12 laps. It took me one minute 48 seconds to complete the 4.2 kilometre stretch. While the winner’s best lap was one minute 46 seconds,” Kavin says, adding that he did not get enough time to familiarise himself with the track. It was his first time there, and he had only 20 minutes to learn. An issue with the bike also set him back.
The advantage that European racers have is that they get into the sport much earlier; as young as four years old, says Kavin, who started at 13. Skill plays a huge role. Also, track familiarisation comes into play. “If you go two days before the race, it’s not enough. The bike setup changes with every track. You need to know the turns and elevations, based on which the braking markers etc change,” he says, adding that one of the biggest elevation and drops he has seen werein Portimao, Portugal.
Kavin with his trophies at home | Photo Credit: Thamodharan B
While there are superbike enthusiasts in India, they are not into racing in a professional capacity as it is an expensive sport. Riders need facilities and funding. “The only way to get to the top is to train and ride in Europe. In India, a full season can be done with a starting budget of ₹5 lakhs but in Europe its a minimum of two crores,” he says. His team mates in Europe are on the bike six days a week. “In India there are restrictions. You can’t take these bikes on the road. There is a lack of track approvals. Other than Buddh International Circuit (Greater Noida), no other track in India is suitable for more than 600cc,” he says.
Kavin’s obsession with bikes started when he was two. Perhaps, inspired by his grandfather and uncles, who were also racers. By the time he turned three, he wanted to race. So, Kavin would pedal around his house on a mini bike. At 12, Kavin learnt to ride a bike under the watchful eyes of his father. Interestingly, his father is particular that Kavin doesn’t ride his bike on the roads. He worries, laughs Kavin, adding, “But he doesn’t mind me riding a scooter.”
His first bike was the Kawasaki KLX 110. He then progressed to the Yamaha R15, followed by Honda NSF250R, CBR250RR, CBR600 and the Yamaha R6 and Kawasaki Ninja 400. At home he rides a Honda CBR 250. Photographs on a shelf in his living room document this journey. And as the toddler in the picture grew into a boy and then teenager, so did the number of trophies that now glisten in grand, large vitrines. .
| Photo Credit: Thamodharan B
The laurels often come with a price to pay. Sometimes, in the form of injuries and scars. There is a large burn scar on Kavin’s left forearm. He proudly wears this battle scar like a tattoo. This is a souvenir from a race in Thailand when he crashed and the impact on his arm caught under the bike was so intense that it ripped his leather gear. From another accident — when the bike engine blew up — he managed a broken clavicle which now has a plate and nine screws, and a plate and four screws in his left metacarpal.
But what took the longest to heal is a ligament tear, he laughs. “In Europe, while racing, no one is scared to hit each other or crash,” smiles Kavin, who is away racing most of the year. Sometimes he is home for a week. That’s why the Quintal household has an Excel sheet that helps Kavin’s parents keep up with his schedule. This year, other than the World Superbike Championship, he is competing in the ongoing Junior World Championship and the Asia Road Racing Championship, for which he will be back in Malaysia next month.
