THOROUGHBRED

The TVS Apache RR 310 ARRC at the Mandalika circuit - it proves why we chase perfection

- By Manaal Mahatme Photographs TVS Racing

What makes us wake up before the alarm even goes off? Why are we already on the road while the world still sleeps? Why run that extra kilometre, hammer out one more set at the gym, or stay up all night chiselling draft after draft of a story? It's that hunger for perfection, isn't it that pulse that insists you move faster, harder, further. That's what makes us tick. What makes us feel alive. TVS Racing is no exception to this sentiment, and the Apache RR 310 from the Asia Road Racing Championship One Make Championship is a testament to that drive.

But it all started with the production-spec RR 310. Since its debut eight years ago, TVS has relentlessly refined and evolved the motorcycle to the point where it now produces power rivalling its Japanese parallel-twin competitors. Over the years I've ridden every road-going iteration of this bike, feeling it grow smoother, quicker and more precise each time. The ARRC race bike is the ultimate expression of that evolution - and despite knowing that, nothing could have prepared me for truly understanding it better than a track day at Mandalika International Circuit.

I was almost as nervous as I was when I first rode a litre-class superbike on a track. Because it was a bespoke race machine? Yes. But more than that, because this RR 310 produced almost twice as much power as the stock bike while weighing nearly 50 kg less. Impressed already? The journey to achieving this will leave you awestruck.