Jagan Kumar, 11-time national champion, rides into the sunset

NEW DELHI: It has been an emotional time for Jagan Kumar, the illustrious rider who decided to roll his bike into the garage for good after dominating Indian circuits for around 15 years.
After clinching his 11th national motorcycle racing championship last month, the Chennai racer took a short break to contemplate his future career before deciding to retire with fulfilment the overriding emotion.
“This was my last year in racing. I am retiring. I have been doing the same thing every season for so many years. Also, I am 36 now. I feel this is enough. I’ve done everything. I have achieved whatever there is to,” said the multiple times champion.
“I am very happy to win the title (in October) after two years, which is why I feel the value of this championship. I had been continuously winning before that. I am a little tired now. It is also getting a little difficult as many young talented riders have joined in,” said Jagan, who demonstrated his skill and speed one last time with a final corner overtake to clinch the Pro-stock 165cc Open category title at his favourite Madras International Circuit (MIC) one last time.
It has been an incredible journey for Jagan, son of an autorickshaw driver who was the sole breadwinner of his family of five. Growing up in the bylanes of Chennai’s bustling Mylapore and Triplicane localities, Jagan was always enthralled by the sound and speed of motorbikes. But coming from a modest background, the future 11-time national champion never had the means to buy one of those well-tuned machines himself.
To fulfil his dream of buying a bike, he started delivering newspapers and worked as a courier boy in the morning, attended college in the afternoon and then frequented local garages in the evening to gather knowledge about bikes and engines.
In 2006, Jagan and his friends decided to visit MIC in Irungattukottai on the outskirts of Chennai to watch motorcycle races. He fell in love with the spectacle as he watched bikes zoom down the pit straight.
Seeing riders accelerate, brake and attack corners at great speed, Jagan decided this is what he wanted to do. He returned home, borrowed a friend’s bike and began practicing. Then, even without discussing with his family, he applied for an FMSCI (Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India) racing licence in 2007.
Taking part in the TVS One-Make Championship, Jagan finished second in his first race and won the second, thus announcing his arrival among the newbies. After racing as a private rider for two years during which time he regularly climbed the podium, the organisers welcomed Jagan to race in the national championship as he was “too good” for the one-make series.
But a lack of funds started to bite. Luckily, TVS decided to take him on board as a factory rider after it was impressed with his performances, solving his problems with funding, bikes, mechanics and repairs.
Riding for TVS, Jagan won the Novice Stock 125cc category in his debut year in the national championship in 2009, moving to the Pro-Stock 165cc category the next year. After floundering for two years, Jagan got into the groove to win the 165cc national title for seven consecutive years from 2012 — a dominant, record-breaking run that established him as the preeminent motorcycle racer in the country.
He then won two successive titles in 2020 and 2021 before clinching the 11th and final one in October. In 2015, he also became the first Indian to win a race in the Asia Road Racing Championship in Indonesia, apart from achieving podium places in the next few years.
Jagan now wants to pass on his knowledge to the younger generation. “My plan is to train young riders. I will still be with TVS as part of their rider training programme. I will also be testing their bikes,” said Jagan.
“I learned a lot in my initial stages. I want to share my experience. I committed many mistakes. I don’t want young riders to go through the same. I will help them grow to the top level.”