5 things we learned about drag racing from Rickey Gadson

Traction is what you need

You can have all the power in the world, but without traction, it is useless. In dusty India, traction is at a premium. You can gain massive improvements by simply making sure the surface is dust-free. This could involve something as simple as a broom and elbow grease, or a leaf-blower, or even the sophisticated dust-vaccum equipment we see on our roads. The cleared path need not be more than a couple of feet wide, but the full length should be cleared for maximum traction. If that isn’t possible, do as much as possible, beginning from the start line. 

Marry your left and right hand

Clutch and throttle control are what will make you quick off the line, and getting the two to work together is what will give you consistently quick times. This is easier said than done, however – the amount of throttle, clutch and the way each is released or opened off the line will vary for each motorcycle. I thought I had it quite easy with the 20bhp, 200cc Apache, but I showed improvement even on that (relatively) small motorcycle.

Be smooth

Sure, the race rarely lasts much longer than ten seconds in any class of drag racing, but the excitement isn’t just of the winning and losing – it is in the danger. Will I launch correctly? Will I wheelie out of control and end up in the crowd? To minimise all the untoward things, smoothness is required. The violence of the launch needs to be tempered with a calm mind and smooth fingers and wrists. If the front wheel comes up on you, cut the throttle by a few mm but smoothly. When the front wheel touches down, open throttle again – but smoothly. This is the same mantra any racer will teach you, and it holds true for drag racing as well. 

Load the front, make yourself smaller

This may seem obvious, but it is surprising how many forget to sit as far forward as possible, and lean as far forward as they can, on the motorcycle. It is also imperative to make yourself as small as possible, to cut on aerodynamic drag. That wasn’t very successful in my case, on the Apache, but I tried my best. I also learned how important it is to load up the front the hard way – I popped the clutch on my first run, and the front threatened to wheelie on me. I can only thank my stars that the big bikes we’d asked for, for this story, didn’t show up. 

The little things matter

Just talking to someone as accomplished as Rickey Gadson can teach you a lot about the little things. For example, it is just as important for the racer to lose weight, as it is for the motorcycle. Then there are the components – we talk about lighter wheels and bodywork all the time, but how many times have you heard someone talk about a lighter racing suit? Minimising movement on the motorcycle is just as important – both feet need to be down at the start and not just one, since that tilts the motorcycle ever so slightly, and you then have to steer it, losing time. Find the biting point of the clutch in the staging area and push yourself to the start line – using the clutch to roll the motorcycle to the start line means that you’ll lose that perfect biting point. Oh, and don’t look for the green lights turning on; just launch when the amber ones turn off. Lastly, practice – nothing can ever replace hard work. 

It isn’t every day that you get coached by a legend of the sport; Rickey Gadson is a 11-time champion, has won the most races in AMA Drag Racing history and is the first rider in the sport’s history to get factory-backed support. We thank Rongom Tagore Mukherjee of Elite Octane Inc and Rickey Gadson who made this happen for us. 

Photos by Kapil Angane