My first lap on the TVS Apache RR310 ARRC OMC racebike was a disaster. For the uninitiated, ARRC refers to Asia Road Racing Championship, and OMC means One Make Championship. This bike, while based on the RR 310, is far from the road version.

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At Sepang International Circuit, I trailed another rider closely through Turn 7. As I exited the apex and rolled on the throttle, the rider ahead didn’t. Facing a potential collision, I gently applied the front brake, but it had far more bite than I expected, and I squeezed the lever too hard.

The bike locked its front wheel and tumbled into the gravel, shedding parts along the way. I slid into the gravel as well, bringing an abrupt end to my ride.

I spent the next 30 minutes watching fellow journalists lap the RR with joy. Luckily, I’d get another chance—but more on that later.

The whole picture

The race RR310 is derived from the road-going model, but TVS has transformed it into a true race machine. The frame is the same as the stock RR, and the engine shares its construction and displacement. However, much of the rest is custom.

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The engine still displaces 312cc but features titanium valves and ram air intake to get a denser charge into the cylinder. It also has a twin exhaust for better gas flow, significantly boosting power. The result? A staggering 60bhp, up from the stock bike’s 38bhp. Additionally, the engine runs aggressive cams and a race ECU with customizable maps, allowing riders to fine-tune the performance for different tracks.

TVS focused heavily on weight reduction. The race RR has carbon fiber bodywork, seat, and rear subframe. It also runs lighter forged wheels, race-spec Dunlop slicks, and fully adjustable Öhlins suspension. The brakes are among the sharpest I’ve experienced, featuring a 340mm front disc and a 240mm rear rotor, with J. Juan calipers.

The bike weighs less than 130kg (wet), compared to the stock RR310’s 174kg. It also has a slimmer 140-section rear tire instead of the stock 150. Remarkably, the TVS RR310 ARRC bike can reach 216kmph at Chang International Circuit, a MotoGP track, despite being just a 312cc motorcycle.

Second chances

After half an hour of waiting and apologizing to the TVS team, my bike was repaired, and I jumped at my second chance when the pit lane reopened. This time, we were riding under the lights at Sepang. It was surreal but more difficult than in daylight, with shadows obscuring my view of key reference points.

The RR310 race bike was easier to ride than I had expected. It’s fast, with sharp handling and incredible stopping power. However, I found myself braking too early and running tighter lines than I should have. My cautious throttle control also kept me from fully utilizing the track on corner exits.

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While I didn’t make major mistakes like in my first session, I still struggled with lines and speed. I entered corners too fast, ran wide, and leaned more than I liked to get back on track. Yet, the bike handled my errors effortlessly, impressing me with its forgiving nature. Despite my lack of pace, the bike felt smooth, enjoyable, and surprisingly easy to manage.

The physical toll was significant. The aggressive riding position was demanding, and my lack of fitness made it hard to tuck behind the front fairing on straights. Constantly shifting from side to side in corners exhausted me, and before I knew it, the session was over. I dismounted, drenched in sweat from both the humid weather and the effort, but I was grinning from ear to ear after the experience.