THE BIKES
You don’t expect us to race mopeds around the racetrack, do you? And we weren’t too interested in timing the sleep evoking commuters around the circuit either. So we picked the four fastest bikes available in the market today - The Pulsar 220 DTS-FI, the Apache RTR EFI, the Yamaha YZF-R15 and the Hero Honda Karizma.

Yamaha YZF R15 Think Mini R1, and this is what you’ll have. Incorporating the latest in motorcycle technology, the R15 has taken the game to the next level in the Indian performance bike arena. It was mighty impressive on the racetrack last month, but sometimes figures speak a different language than perceptions. All the BI staffers were betting their money on the R15 before the test started though!
TVS RTR 160 EFI We had exclusively tested the RTR EFI back in January and we knew how good it was. It not only outshines the other 150cc bikes by a massive margin but also has the equipment to give the bigger 220s a good run for their money. The bike handles brilliantly and puts down power to the tar in a really smooth manner. It’d be foolish to underestimate this high-revving scorcher
Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-FI Before the advent of the Yamaha YZF R15, the 220 was (almost) undisputedly the king of the Indian performance bikes. It’s got the punch in the right spot with a really meaty mid and top range grunt. That’s what matters on the racetrck. With its 19bhp of power, the 220 is one of the strongest contender to take the crown of the track king. Expect it to put in some of the quickest lap times!
Hero Honda Karizma The Karizma has been around for some time now, and it still remains one of the sweetest handling, smoothest revving and most powerful bikes in the country. It’s got plenty of torque at the bottom of the rev range and is pleasingly punchy higher up. With its focus more towards touring it’s not a bespoke track machine,  but the oldest bike here is still one hell of a force to reckon with!

THE CIRCUIT The Irungattukottai racetrack in Chennai is about 3.717km long, 11 meters wide (12 meters at the starting point) and has 10 major curves apart from a number of minor ones. It has three straights, with the longest one being 250 meters. The first race on the track was held in 1990 and it was fully resurfaced in 2007. It can accommodate cars upto F3 and bikes from any class.

THE RACER Aspi Bhathena Bike India Editor and an Isle on Man returnee. Aspi is one of the best bike racers the country has ever seen THE RACER M.R. Rajkumar Raju has won the All India Motor Racing Championship three years in a row – 1992, 1993 and 1994. He has won more than 100 races on the Irungattukottai racetrack THE RIDER AMIT Chhangani Amit has ridden almost every bike on sale in India and then some. He’s not very experienced on the racetrack but is an expert long distance rider THE RIDER BUNNY Punia Bunny is an avid tourer and has traveled almost the entire country. Like Amit, he’s also an able endurance rider and a capable bike evaluater