I know most of you envy watching Rossi and Stoner race at speeds of over 250 kmph. Race is full of thrill and excitement and is a pure adrenalin rush for both the racer and the fan that is attending the race at the track side as a spectator.
These races are take place at purpose built tracks which allows racers to achieve speeds as high as 320 kmph on tracks like Monza.
But have you ever thought about a bike race at the speed of 10 kmph. No its not a race in which the person who comes last wins. It is bike racing on loose sand and loose gravel. I and my friends do it on alternate weekends. The place where this race takes place is about 65 km from our town. We are a group of 8 people and we drive our bikes to the place. None of the bikes have been modified so that no one gets any kind of advantage. We race 2 laps of 200 m each on the track and the winner takes home 200$ as the prize money. This money is purely contributed by us.
We do this for excitement and believe me it is in no way less than excitement gained by racing at higher speeds. The excitement levels are highest at the start and finish line. We have to accelerate very carefully so that we get linear motion out of our tires and not only rotational motion. Most of us dig big holes before moving an inch. In the middle part of race, it gets really hard to control the bike as it begins to move at its own will, rarely in the direction the rider wants it to go. It is great fun to drive a bike like this. It requires some skill and bit of luck to win a race on loose soil. I have won 2 races till now and I hope this weekend I can add another victory to this tally.