Happy New Year 2019: Team OVERDRIVE's new year resolutions
Each year is the beginning of a new dawn. No matter why we invented the calendar, the new year has a special significance for each and every one of us, and it's been like that through human history. It's a chance to make a change, to make a plan, to choose a new direction and to expand your horizons. Here's what we are planning for ourselves.
Despite having access to machines like the TVS Ntorq 125 and Apache RR 310, I barely rode them, as was busy driving. Time to change that for 2019!
2018 wasn't much of a riding year for me, so obviously, the plan is to ride more in 2019! I plan to give my long term cars a lot more rest and ride to work on two-wheels as much as possible - scooter/motorcycle doesn't matter. Also, there's a desperate need to get fitter - driving cars has made me lazy - weight loss is important, yes, but I need to improve my stamina to keep reeling laps on a race track (on a motorcycle, of course!) for longer durations!
Tinker. Tailor. Solder. Fly.
The past year was one of negatives. That stops now. My love for tinkering will get a jump start as I attempt to restore my 2005 Royal Enfield Thunderbird to its glory. In 2019, I hope to take out more time and tailor myself to be better equipped with knowledge - just as much food for thought as, well, food! I also intend to expand my limited know-how of automotive electronics with some practical learning. Cue the buzzing of circuits! And while wings may be a distant dream, I intend to get the spirit more airborne this year with some wheels and the right heading.
The Starscream will finally travel to places it's meant to go and be in
Exploring beautiful locations, natural off-road trails and riding on the amazing winding roads of the North East in and around Bhutan on the Starscream (Triumph Tiger) is on top priority for 2019. Additionally, want to attend a track riding school to get a better and in-depth understanding of the different attributes of cornering, braking, and high-speed riding.
My mantra for being relevant in everyday life is to learn. To Learn at least one new thing every day whenever I can, whenever I can. My new year's first resolution will be the same. Talking about travel and photography, I want to outperform myself this year and make sure I do better in the field and behind the screen too. And yes, the bikes are back in shape, this year is going to be two-wheelers & riding centric for sure.
The first and foremost resolution is to develop my riding skills. I've learnt that usage of correct riding techniques will translate to faster and safer motorcycling experience. So the aim is to attend as many riding schools and track days as possible in 2019. The second resolution is the improve my technical knowledge of motorcycles and cars, in order to understand them better than I currently do. In a nutshell, the resolution is to keep learning and improving.
A Riverside 120 and a Riverside 100 from B-Twin are new additions to Rohit's two-wheeler family in 2019
Do more than 2,019kms on my new bicycle. With everyone talking engines and lap times, a bicycle sounds like a step back doesn't it? Not quite. Majority of my life revolves around automobiles, driving roads and race tracks and I'm certainly not letting that change in 2019. In 2017, my goal was to fit in a regular size race suit instead of a plus sized one and fortunately, I achieved it. In 2018, the goal was to ride a lot more - and this year I have managed to cover a combined 25,000kms on Toothless (my Daytona) and Wall-E (my Tiger). In 2019 I want to correct my body position on the super sport. Shumi's gladly agreed to help, but I know I'll need better fitness (read: lesser paunch) to achieve it and I'm told cycling will help me to an extent (fitness experts, please advise). 2,019km would translate to an average of 5.5km a day, which isn't easy given how 'hectic' our job is.
That's Anand's helmet on Feroci during their epic big Adv ride into Ladakh. Which happened while I was nursing a broken leg. This time, I'm riding the Ducati Multistrada okay?
I've set myself two goals for this year. This year, I do want to take my Ducati and go to Ladakh. It's a pending to-do list item and now that Feroci has already been there, things should be easier, heh heh. The second is to fix my greatest riding problem - my fear of the dirt. I do believe the right people are already working on this and they'll help me out shortly
Time - I want more of it! We're always pressed for it, and the best way to deal with that is to make more time for myself, by being more efficient. That should leave room for life, and all the wonderful driving roads I've been meaning to explore in and around Maharashtra.
Learn how to drive a car on the track and generally spend as much time as possible behind the wheel of a car. I've not had much track time since the time I started working in this business but have been around many people who know how to get around a track quickly. I've understood it to be a necessary skill-set to have and also a great teacher of life's lessons. I want to also just spend a lot of time just generally driving because of how much it helps to get used to all the different cars we end up driving and understand them better.
I buy a lot of books, especially motorsport titles, as and when I stumble upon them. My to-read list has always been longer than my "already read" list, and, it seems like it will carry on like this for as long as I am alive. But for 2019, I hope to be a little more disciplined with my reading. After all, there is much knowledge to be gained between the endpapers of motorsport tomes.
Related Stories
