Castrol Biking Brings John Abraham Even Closer to Bikers

“Four wheels move the body. Two wheels move the soul.”

This is probably the most renowned quote among bikers. Biking is a religion, and members of the brotherhood are fanatic followers. Faithfuls of a religion go to temples, mosques, churches, gurdwaras, etc. Likewise, hardcore bikers head out on rides and attend events which enable them to meet people of the same faith.

One such event was organized by Castrol Biking on 9^th April, 2013 at Taj Land’s End, Bandra. They wanted to showcase the new PowerBiking app launched by Castrol for the benefit of us bikers. The celebrity who would unveil it and walk us through it was John Abraham.

I reached the venue at the allotted time. The 1^st thing that immediately impressed was that Castrol Biking had reserved a parking lot inside Taj Land’s End’s campus for us bikers. A bike is not allowed to park in the hotel’s campus. But I’m probably one of the few who did. So yeah, +1!

Bikers Posing before Parking

We got a chance to interact with other bikers during the event. It was delightful to meet Sigmund, Sharvari, Vikram, Amandeep, Tanmay, Urvashi, Saurabh, Sanket, Nikhil, Pratik (bikers must follow each and every one of them) and others. I was blown away on hearing that the event’s main compere Nikhil Kashyap owns 28 bikes! I had a good chat with him after the event. 1 hell of a warm and generous guy!

Popular bikers who attended the event

John Abraham displayed the app on a phone, showcasing various features in it. Some include:

John Abraham having a blast with fellow bikers

1. Logging in with your social media account
2. Listing your ride, finding friends and connecting with them
3. Best routes + maps for a ride depending upon your preference
4. Castrol Bike Zones at locations across India
5. DIY tips for your bike

The app is currently available only on the Google Play store. Castrol is working on launching it for iOS too.

Answering fan questions with his 'Rambo'

The usual Q&A session followed, with John answering questions from the audience as well as those posted on Facebook. He was patient and his answers were well thought through, showing clarity in thought. John was asked whether there should be separate schools for teaching women to ride. He responded saying that schools to teach better riding were essential, not just for women but for men also. He exuded passion when he spoke about biking, and regrets not having ridden his new Aprilia RSV4. He keenly wants to promote biking in India, along from football and hockey. His biking tales and experiences were awesome, despite him declaring upfront that he doesn't travel as much as some of the resident tourers. The event ended with the celeb posing with all bikers – individually and in a group.

My respect for John Abraham has gone up manifold. He hasn't just heard of John McGuiness, he reveres him. John is trying to shoot climax of his upcoming movie on bikes at the Isle of Mann. He doesn't follow only MotoGP; he tried to co own the Kawasaki team in World SBK. He knows about Evo bikes and Formula E. He has ridden on roads I haven’t even heard of. And he believes riding a bike is not about merely going fast; it is about being part of a ballad. John Abraham is not a Bollywood celebrity who rides fast bikes. He is a biker who acts and produces movies.

Selfies with individual bikers and with the group

Thank you Castrol Biking for letting me be part of this event. Regarding the goodies, Castrol can replace 1 item among them with a litre of their best 4-stroke biking oil. Once a rider uses it and likes it, s/he will stick to that oil for her/his bike for a long time and also refer it to others. That will help increase sales. After all, we bikers treat our bikes better than we treat humans, don’t we?

Rossi Back To Yamaha!

Yes, Valentino Rossi is back at Yamaha! Most MOTOGP fans are delighted; some (including yours truly) are groaning, others are confused... All the hype of Ducati and Vale being a match made in heaven, expectations on Rossi to turn Ducati’s fortunes around and world championships have fizzled. Rossi is back to the only mainstream team which will listen to him.

Rossi has now been with Ducati since 2 seasons, right? The Doctor hasn’t won a single race, while Stoner won 23 in his stint at Ducati. Meanwhile, Stoner has won a world championship on Honda, Lorenzo looks set to win it this year, while Italians are baying for Rossi’s blood. They feel cheated. Ducati spent a fortune to lure Rossi; they even backed out of World Superbike Championship. Italians were sure Rossi would lead this all Italian partnership to a comprehensive win. Stoner had done it... Rossi is considered far better than him, isn’t he?

What went wrong? For one, everyone (including Rossi himself) expected Lé Doctor to turn the team’s fortunes around. He was awesome on the Honda. Yamaha’s success was attributed mainly to him and Jeremy Burgess (JB). But Yamaha listened to Rossi; Ducati & Honda didn’t. Even before Rossi had moved to Yamaha, Ducati were courting him. But, JB warned, they didn’t seem keen to listen to him. That year, while the world watched Loris Capirossi struggle onboard the Duke, JB’s eyes told Rossi “I told you!” Ducati have always expected the rider to adapt; Capirossi did it, and so did Stoner. That’s why they were so successful. Rossi, Melandri, Hayden, Elias and others, however, wanted a bike custom made to their needs. That’s why, while Stoner would lead the pack, Melandri would languish somewhere in 18^th place. Rossi expected to change that culture, took JB with him and the move backfired.

Lorenzo v/s Rossi at Yamaha again!

So why did Rossi move from Yamaha? Well, for one, Lorenzo’s presence discomforted him. He wanted the manufacturer to reduce benefits for Lorenzo. During recession, Rossi got a € 5 million pay cut. The following year, Lorenzo performed commendably and Yamaha raised his pay by € 15 million. Obviously Yamaha would invest in Lorenzo; he’s younger blood and the future of MOTOGP. Rossi felt this fee was from what belonged to him and started getting sour. What haven’t Yamaha done for Rossi? Switched to Bridgestone tires for him while the rest of the team rode on Michelins; worked day and night to make all changes he demanded to accommodate his riding style... Rossi went on to win 4 world championship titles with Yamaha. In fact, Yamaha even allowed him to test the Duke while he was on contract with the former. When at Honda, Rossi would steal into Yamaha’s garage to check the bike out (obviously he wasn’t allowed to ride it). Still, Rossi made Yamaha look like villains when he moved to Ducati. Anyone see a hint of Max Biaggi here?

It was evident from Rossi’s behaviour that he was uncomfortable with Lorenzo’s success. He moved to a team where he expected to get royal treatment like he got at Yamaha. That didn’t happen. Instead, he severely damaged his own reputation, soured relations with many in the paddock and had to use Dorna’s intervention to buy himself out of Ducati’s contract.

Now he’s back at Yamaha; the team which made him a God from a star. Someone deserving and talented will have to make way for this twisted Machiavellist. Lorenzo looks at set to win the MOTOGP world championship this year. This is a formidable all star line up for the factory Yamaha team again. What remains to be seen is how the team will treat each rider. Who will be given more importance? Stoner retires at the end of this year, Pedrossa doesn’t seem consistent enough to win a world championship, Rossi is back with the team which patronizes him; the only thorn in his side is Lorenzo (and some other protégée, if a surprise springs up next season). You can bet he’s hoping with all his heart and soul that Yamaha helps him regain lost glory. Only time will tell.