CHENNAI: The stage was set for IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Cup NSF250R's concluding race of the season. The technicians from the team were at it too, crossing out all the checklists required in order to ensure a smooth ride for the participants. Tyre pressure: check; brakes: check; suspension: check (part of the checklist).
In that atmosphere, one of the riders, Mohsin Paramban, seemed calm and relaxed. The 21-year-old from Mallapuram had already done his homework well before the technicians had taken over at the Madras International Circuit on Sunday. That eye for detail is one of the reasons behind Mohsin's smooth ride in the championship, an initiative by the Honda Racing India to nurture promising talents for both national and international championships.
Having pocketed the overall title with a victory just 24 hours or so ago in the six-lap Race 1 of the fifth and final round, Mohsin could afford to relax. But that didn't mean he wasn't willing to go full throttle in his last assignment as he was hunting for his eighth win of the season. However, he was denied by Savion Sabu, who displayed nerves of steel, to capture the 8-lap Race 2. Mohsin's run was only good enough for second spot. "I'm not happy with my performance. I was hoping to finish on a high," Mohsin later reflected.
He's mindful that he needs to keep producing the Ws in order to climb the ladder that is generally considered to be steep (motorsport is still considered a niche sport with sponsors being hard to come by for riders like Mohsin). Though they get all the support from Honda Racing India, most riders don't have a steady income and they have to fend for themselves sometimes.
Honda Racing India, on their part, are cognizant of the challenges the riders face and have been looking to enhance their support in the near future. It's mainly performance-driven. Miss out on a race due to injury and that could hurt their chances of generating income.
"I need a good back up, then I could get the license to push more. That is something that is lacking. Most people see this as a hobby," Mohsin noted.
Despite the uncertainties related to finance, Mohsin has done well to earn a spot in the Honda Racing India team in the Asia Road Racing Championship.
Mohsin, despite dominating the just-concluded championship, is not content. "I'm not happy where I am. Honda has given me a good opportunity to ride in an Asian event. Winning here doesn't give me much happiness. I couldn't get the desired results in Asia and I was one of the backmarkers. I don't like to be at the back," Mohsin, who got into his current team through Honda Talent Hunt programme in 2018-19, assessed.
Mohsin, who got the bug for racing after watching MotoGP in his childhood years, felt his confidence soared after acing the talent programme. But that was just the beginning and it has been a continuous learning process for the young racer.
"That's when I recognised my talent and I felt that if I push hard, I can do well. So I just try to learn more. Affording track time has been hard for me, so the best thing I can do is learn from the race and learn from other riders. That has been my thing till date. I try to stay curious."
That was the mantra he was applying during the opening race of the fifth round. "I was leading in the first lap (Saturday's race) and after that I had grip issues (front tyre) because of tyre pressure. I couldn't push more and I needed to slow down. I needed to know who were the other riders behind me so I got them in front of me. For four laps, I was just learning from them, getting to where they are faster and what lines they are taking and where they brake."
IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Cup NSF250R (Top 3): Race 2: 1. Savion Sabu; 2: Mohsin Paramban; 3: Beedani Rajender.