WHAT IF?

On the cusp of turning 30, Dhruv finally gets an opportunity to find the answer to the biggest 'what if' question of his life

- DHRUV PALIWAL

What if I had started racing at an early age? – it’s a question that has plagued me often, and one, that despite my level-headedness, I’ve never been able to answer. Those who know me, know that I always have an answer to everything, and often it’s the right one. But do I have it in me to race? If you are wondering why it’s such a difficult question to answer, I’ll say this: racing isn’t just about going fast around a track; it’s about going fast around the track with a bunch of people who are willing to push themselves to their limits. And so, when one fine day, Shivank posed the following question, “Paliwal, do you want to go for the TVS Young Media Racer Program this year?”, my answer was a resounding YES!

However, before I could race, I needed to qualify for the racing season. And that is why TVS had organised a day-long session at the track. We had classroom sessions explaining the rules of the track and the best ways to get the most out of the motorcycle. All this was required because there were 31 of us, and only 12 of us were going to make the cut for the Young Media Racer Program. Plus, we needed an FMSCI license for the race, and the day-long track session was the mandatory training required to get one. In the second half of the day, we were required to set lap times, based on which the fastest 12 were to be selected for the racing.