Would you ever believe if someone told you that kids, as young as six and nine years, can ride a sportbike like Yamaha R15? “Well, if you don’t, be our guest!” exclaim racing brothers G.K. Rohit Richerd (9) and G.K. Vinith Antony (6).
These boys, under the tutelage of M. Sudhakar, a prominent name in motorsport circuit, are getting training to ride various types of bikes like pocket bikes, scooters and racing bikes. With the intention of taking part in international tournaments in the future, Rohit and Vinith would be flying to Indonesia next month to undergo further training.
In a chat with DC, the promising young talents, their dad and Sudhakar speak to us about the kids’ training regime and exciting plans for the future.
“I was in the motorsports for almost 16 years. But to be frank, I have never seen youngsters who are as talented as these two. We are doing everything to make them leading racers, and also help them enter MotoGP in the future!” says Sudhakar.
The coach feels that the lack of emphasis on the grass root development is a hindrance for India to make a mark at the international level — “In our country, the minimum age to take part in racing tournaments is 13. But, I think it is too late and it would be terrific if the federation can bring it down to six years. This is one of the major reasons why we are struggling to cope with racers from other countries. Through our initiative Kingdom Racing India, which was started in 2013, we’re hoping to train as many kids as possible. For the past three years, the awareness about racing has increased in India and we have already enrolled 13 kids. And, since go-kart events don’t have any age limit, we are planning to host a major children tournament around February next year.”
As we start speaking to the siblings, they seem unperturbed by the attention they are getting, but are just enjoying their training. “I want to be a Moto GP champion!” says the younger one, while his elder brother Rohit, says, “We both are equally good on the track. And, we always compete and try to outsmart each other!”
Though Vinith might seem naughty, he amazes us with the knowledge he has about the bike he rides. “I know to check tyre condition and I even suggest master to change certain things in my bike,” he boasts.
Speaking about the training regime, Rohit says, “After school, we go to the circuit and start practicing. Right from body positioning to scooter racing, we do everything the master asks us.” Both are also very excited about going to Indonesia for training next month — “Yes, we are going there. It will be a great experience to visit another country and learn more about racing!”
Their father, K. Gopi Krishnan, feels that it is time that parents start encouraging their children to take various sports rather than concentrating only on cricket. “Racing is my passion and I want my children to achieve what I wanted to. I know that this is a dangerous sport — but with protective gears and proper training, you can definitely feel safe. There has been a lot of awareness and a lot of facilities nowadays. In fact, Chennai Public School, where my children are studying supports us a lot. So, other parents should not hold back and boldly let their children pursue their passion!” Gopi concludes.
