Street Smart – Ajmera Cup 2022

Racing is something that is bound to excite all petrolheads. The thrill of speed and the spirit of competition can be addictive, so much so that it even drives some people to take part in it outside the safe confines of the racetrack. It’s a common sight on our roads, isn’t it? Bikers travelling at breakneck speeds, swerving in between traffic and putting multiple lives at risk every time they hop on to their machine. And not to forget, you rarely see them with any protective gear.

This is exactly the sort of behaviour that the organisers of the Ajmera Cup 2022 want to discourage. “If you want to race and show off your skills, you come to the track!” said Rustom Patel, an eight-time national Motocross champion and Ajmera head coach, who was the brains behind the entire event.

The Ajmera Cup, which took place on May 28, was held after a COVID-19-induced hiatus of three years. The organisers had split the event into multiple categories, meaning irrespective of which two-wheeler the competitors ride or their age or gender, there was a category for everyone to take part in. Some of the categories were Foreign Class Open, Scooter Class Open, Ladies Class Open and even a Veterans Class above 40 for old timers to show their skills at the Ajmera go kart track in Wadala.

The day started off with competitors flocking to the registration desks and entering themselves into their respective categories. And despite the three-year gap, there were over 150 participants across all the categories, from all over India. Being one of Mumbai’s biggest two-wheeler racing events, the Ajmera Cup 2022 also attracted some of the finest and most diverse machinery. There were plenty of scooters, from Suzukis to Aprilias, a plethora of KTMs, Xpulses and Impulses, Ducatis and Triumphs, and even two Ohvale GP mini race bikes that competed in the Foreign Class.

And it was not just the machines that were diverse at the Ajmera Cup 2022. Competitors taking part were from all ages, like 11-year-old ShreyasHareesh, who dominated and won the foreign class on his Ohvale GP mini race bike, or 86-year-old Minoo Fitter – who has been riding two-wheelers for the best part of 60 years – who took part in this event on his lovely vintage Vespa scooter.

With such a wide variety of two-wheelers and competitors involved, the racing was bound to be exciting. There were plenty of thrills and spills and some great overtaking manoeuvres on the tight and twisty AjmeraIndikarting track. And if the wheel-to-wheel racing wasn’t enough, renowned stunt biker SachinRiderboy and his crew wowed the spectators with some physics-defying stunts.

The evening concluded with some veterans of Mumbai’s biking scene, including Fitter on his Vespa, parading the track on their classic and vintage motorcycles like a BSA, Norton and a BMW. This was followed by the felicitation ceremony, where winners of each category were given their awards.

All in all, the Ajmera Cup 2022 was a fun day out and surely got a few bikers hooked onto track racing rather than street racing. Here’s to more such events in the future!