From gazing at bikes to developing them — the incredible journey of Jagan Kumar

Riding into the sunset: Jagan managed the perfect bookend to his glittering career, winning his 11th title. , Photo: Special Arrangement

Timing exit from sports is often tricky for sportspersons, especially those who have enjoyed enduring success. While most hope to bow out on a high, only a few succeed.

Over the last decade and a half, Jagan Kumar has shown clinical efficiency on the race track, competing in the Indian National Motorcycling Championship.

In October, the rider from Chennai managed the perfect bookend to his glittering career when he bowed out of the sport after winning his 11th title.

Heading into the final race of his career, Jagan trailed his TVS teammate KY Ahamed by two points and was ahead of Sarthak Chavan by a similar margin. The equation was simple: whoever wins the race would emerge champion. As Ahamed and Sarthak were battling among themselves on the last lap, it allowed Jagan to pass them on the final corner to clinch the Pro-Stock 165cc title for a staggering 10th time.

“When I started, I wanted to win one title. Then, once I got three, I wanted five as a whole number but never thought I would win seven consecutive titles or 10 overall (Pro-Stock 130-165cc),” said Jagan in a chat with The Hindu recently.

“It has been a big journey. I have been lucky to be part of TVS racing. I used to gaze at a TVS Apache bike at Spencer Plaza. From there, god has been kind to me to help develop the same bikes and feature in an ad for it,” adds the 36-year-old, who once delivered newspapers and couriers to fund his career before setting the tracks ablaze.

Though he has hung up his helmets, Jagan will continue to be part of the TVS family, doing R&D work and will be involved in driver development and coaching. It is an area he feels he can make the most significant difference.

“I had to learn by making mistakes, which took a lot of time. There is a big list of what one shouldn’t do. I know some things that I couldn’t implement, but these youngsters can do them. It is important that they can do these things when they are the right age and at their peak. It would have made a huge difference if I had known these things during my peak.”

“If I can help them, they can reach the next level easily without thinking much. With the right training, a four-year development can be crunched to 1.5 years,” says Jagan.