Death rush on road

Facebook, September 9, 2011Ayaz: Sunday morning ORR (Outer Ring Road, where bike racing is banned)Ajmal: Time?Ayaz: 4.30, 4.45 (am)Ajmal: That’s too early. We will go a bit lateAyaz: No, that is perfect timeOn Sunday, about two hours after they started, Ayazuddin, son of ex-cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin, riding at nearly 200 km/hr, crashed his imported Suzuki GS X-R 1000cc bike into a divider. His cousin Ajmal-Ur-Rehman (16), riding pillion, was killed instantly, while Ayaz died six days later in a private hospital.The tragedy comes as a grim reminder that ‘macho’ bikes have arrived in India and are turning into killer machines.  Caught in the grip of an ad-driven adrenaline rush, the youth looking to unleash their ‘racing DNA’ are on a thrill ride, unmindful that they may lack the focus, skill and training to handle these metal monsters.Want a first-hand experience of the pedestrian nightmare? Go take a walk on Besant Avenue, the lengthy stretch leading from Aavin Park to Besant Nagar, on weekend nights. It’s ‘stunt mania’ at the worst: the war cry, screeching tyres, dazzling zigzags, dangerous speeding... as the bikers try to outrace each other riding at over 100 km/hr onChennai’s congested streets. And every time, a young biker whizzes past, the uppermost thought that comes to mind is: ‘Is he going to be another statistic?’ For, the figures released by the Chennai Traffic Police are alarming. Of the 5,150 road accidents recorded last year, 621 were fatal and 25 percent of the vehicles causing deaths were two-wheelers. Of the 621 victims, 236 were motorcycle and pillion riders. As many as 142 (60 per cent) of them were in the 18-34 age group, followed by 42 (20 per cent) in the 35-49 category. Says Md Shakeel Akthar, IG (Headquarters), who had to grapple with the problem as additional commissioner (L&O) during the previous regime: “We found that most of the bike racers are in the 19-25 age groups and are either college students or employees working in the IT sector... some of them are mechanics.” Echoes R Sudhakar, DCP Traffic-South: “A majority of the riders are students from respected institutions and engineering colleges. Mechanics, who help in modifying the bikes with refitted gadgets, accompany them sometimes.”Interestingly, the probes showed that many of the bike racers belonged to a particular community. “One reason could be the fact that many of the garages in the city are owned by them,” a police officer points out. Sudhakar identifies four specific stretches where the racers unleash their mania -East Coast Road, Old Mahabalipuram Road, Besant Nagar and Kamarajar Salai to North Chennai. No wonder, they have emerged as the major killer roads of the city. Police statistics show that 188 accidents (41 fatal) took place on OMR, 150 (46 fatal) on ECR and 124 (21 fatal) on Kamarajar Salai last year. Of the total 260 pedestrian victims in the city, 61 were killed and 661 injured by two-wheelers. Make no mistake. The racers are not risking their life and limb, not to mention those of others, merely to experience the ‘speed highs’. A lot more is at stake. Betting rules the game. “Organised groups in north Chennai are behind these races,” says Akthar. “The bets may vary from a simple lunch or cash or the losers may have to give up their bikes.” Over-speeding, rash driving, helmetless riding and, in many instances, without headlights... Needless to say, growing level of concern over the threat to public safety has pressured the police to act. “The main challenge has been in apprehending the racers,” claims Sudhakar. “Chasing them would mean that my men have to be ready on their bikes and ride at 100 km/hour,” the Traffic DCP says. “And at red lights, the racers climb onto the pavements and escape.”Hence, the special police teams chalked out other strategies. “One team maintains vigil at vantage points along the routes and collects information such as the registration numbers of the vehicles, the models and identity of the frequent racers,” he said. Finally, the net is spread in the form of an artificial traffic jam created somewhere along the route and the racers are caught. “We block the pavements to cut-off all escape routes,” Sudhakar added.Book them under the Rash and Negligent Act, penalise them, they happily shell out the fine and walk away, police officers rue. Their vehicles are seized and deposited in court, yet the exercise has not been effective.Cracking the whip, therefore, Additional Commissioner (Traffic) Sanjay Arora ordered the arrest of 12 bike racers caught in the city recently. “For the first time, the offenders were arrested and remanded,” he claimed.Besides, the police have also turned up the heat on their parents. Come Saturday and Sunday, a call goes to them and their wards and they have to report at the police station, where they undergo ‘counselling’ the entire day, sources said. Police also grill them for information about other bike racers. The efforts have paid off, Arora claimed. A reality check by ‘Express’ in Besant Nagar on Saturday showed that he was not entirely off the mark, but any slackening means the menace will raise its head again.As a long-term solution, the government must think of creating facilities for adventure sports by roping in the private sector, the police feel. “It is the natural tendency of youth to participate in adventure sports,” a police officer says. “If there are opportunities, like racing tracks or sea surfing, they will serve as an outlet for all that pent-up energy of the youth.”‘Shell Out Just Rs 6,500, Vroom at 160 kmph’Behind every successful racer is a phenomenal mechanic; that’s a saying that few racers, international, national or underground would dare to dispute. For the last category of racers, the ‘underground’ kind (a fancy name for city-traffic racers), the role of the mechanic is beyond essential — it is mandatory.Maadhesh*, an engineering student from a top college on the OMR, reveals, “Anyone who comes on to the street to race invariably has their bike tuned up for speed and you need a good race-mechanic for that.”  “We are identified by which mechanic works with us and that’s how ‘unofficial crews’ are formed,” he adds. For the uninitiated, student racers and those with extra rushes of ‘young’ blood and adrenaline tend to take their Bajaj Pulsars, Hero Honda Karizmas and the like to have them ‘boosted’ for illegal racing. Explains ‘Fancy’ Rafi, a mechanic-cum-legend in his own right who has modified and boosted bikes for close to two decades in Pudupet “We modify the .bores in the engine, work with the engine head and install imported clutch plates and air filters to make the vehicles fly.”Babu, another mechanic famous for his speed tweaks, adds, “It all comes down to how the carburetor timing is set. That will determine acceleration and high speed.” The results can be frighteningly large. “You can make a 150 cc bike, capable of a top speed of 120 kmph go as fast as 160 kmph,” and all it will cost is approximately `6,500, according to Rafi. When asked about safety features, he shrugs saying it will only weigh the bike down.But merely standing on the sidelines has never quite been enough for quite a few talented mechanics; most of them are regulars at the Irungattukottai race track for the 2/4 stroke heats and have won in the past. “I tuned my Suzuki Shaolin and put it together myself and managed to place third two years ago,” recounts ShakeelMohammed, a Pudupet-based mechanic with a penchant for speed. “Lots of people congratulated me and said I should pursue racing, but after that nothing changed.” Only grease and tuning other bikes have dotted the youngster’s career since, as he quit racing this year. “I just couldn’t keep spending the money,” he rues. However, despite their riding skills, none of them race on city roads and prefer sticking to the track, opines Rafi. “We mechanics are not welcome to race on the streets first. Students are afraid we’re better.”Name changed.Superbikes Give a Slip to City, Take on HighwaysThere used to be a time when the sight of a snazzy, aerodynamic Suzuki Hayabusa or the lean Yamaha YZF-R1 would grab eyeballs as they zipped past, anywhere in Chennai.Four years after Yamaha finally brought their much-ogled superbikes to India, the number of people whistling as one of them swept past has reduced considerably, much like the chances of actually seeing a superbike on Chennai’s streets today.Don’t for a minute think that sales are down, it’s simply because the super-bikers prefer the well-metalled national highways, that too before daybreak. “This is the ideal time for anyone who has a superbike to get out. The traffic is low, the weather is better and there aren’t too many cops around,” reasons Siddharth, a 26-year-old bike enthusiast. While weekend mornings, specifically Sundays, are preferred, making it a habit has had disadvantages, he adds, “After about two months of revving up my Yamaha V-MAX on the Tambaram-Maduravoyal bypass, a small bunch of watchers would gather at a hamlet near Porur.” The numbers gradually grew and a month later, Siddharth found two boys on Pulsars waiting for him to come, so that they could try to match his speed. “Not only was it foolish, they didn’t even bother wearing helmets while trying to match a bike that had 10 times the engine capacity.” Eventually he switched to NH4. “I would take the bike out on random weekdays every week so that the same thing didn’t happen again,” he says.While the bikes can easily shoot up to over 280 kmph, the majority of Chennai’s super-bike community maintain a sober speed limit, reveals Gautham Mayilvaganan, a city-based pro-racer who has raced for India (600 cc class) in the Asian GP. “I have noticed that most people who own superbikes are in their mid-30’s and as far as I have seen rarely cross 120-130 kmph while on highway rides.” Recalling his times with the Chennai Superbikes Club, a group of bikers who ride down to Mamallapuram every Sunday for breakfast and return, he says, “no true superbike enthusiast will race without a full protective body kit, nor will they race in traffic.”With the sales of Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, Ducati and now Harley Davidson improving, despite steep prices (costs range from ` 6-14 lakh), one thing that racers advocate to speed-seekers is the need to keep a low-profile and get a good helmet. “Any helmet that costs under `3,000 will probably crack like an egg shell on impact,” advises Siddharth.Promos prompt dangerous driveYou can’t deny it. If you’re a bike lover, everytime the pulsing-fast ad

where bikers on a black Indian-made sports bike plays on television,

your heartbeat hastens till the sunflower oil ad that comes next,

begins.While the slickly produced ads that beautifully exhibit the

stunt-capabilities and speed of Indian-made sports bikes are a treat to

watch, it is inevitable that they are promoting dangerous road games

among youngsters. Sure, they’ve got a little white disclaimer on

screen that says that ‘these actions were performed by professionals’

and shouldn’t be tried otherwise, but is that really a deterrent? 

Ravi*, a track official with the Madras Motor Sports Club, says that

half the youngsters today are inspired to try stunts, courtesy the

fast-paced ads aired by bike manufacturers.While slogans like

‘Racing DNA unleashed’ and ‘Rule the road’ doing the rounds, there is

little wonder that the city’s youth are gunning for these 150-220 cc

speed machines, even before they turn 18. Alok Joshua, a eleventh grader

who has a fixation for bikes and Bollywood, says that his ambition is

to coerce his father to buy him a Hero Honda Karizma ZMR. “After Hrithik

Roshan rode the bike into a tornado, he came out with a perfect slide.

I’ve heard the bike can top 140 kmph and can perform a ‘stoppie’ (stop

on front wheel while the rear is suspended). Is it true?” he asks.Meanwhile,

television-reality shows revolving around stunts sponsored by a

bike-maker rub wannabe stunt-riders the wrong way. Average youngsters

are shown on screen trying their hand at dangerous ‘wheelies’ and

‘burnouts’ on their normal bikes. Besides, there are regular stunt shows

by biking crews. Recently, after a stunt exhibition in the city, a

bunch of college students were spotted trying the same tricks in the

parking lot, right after. Expectedly, one of them fell and had to be

rushed to the hospital in the ambulance stationed there. “If people want

to try stunts they should go to the stunt school in Pune,” advised

Saravanan, a stunt-biker with the crew.