I haven't done any other work but automotive journalism, the humble person in him, says when asked about his overall experience in the automotive industry. A man who has curated articles for magazines since 2002, and has now dedicated himself to the new age digital world. A patron who has been a part of almost every other automotive organisation the country has, and a person who boastfully still commutes to work, on a motorcycle, by choice! Vikrant Singh is someone who has seen and been a part of the transformation of the automotive industry over the decade, also known as a coach, mentor, and as a well-appreciated automotive journalist.
1) How has the automotive industry changed over the past decade?
The significant difference is that digital media has gained more importance over magazines or print media. It has also changed the audience concerning whom you are writing for. Back in the magazine days from 2002, we were only reaching out to the enthusiasts. The crowd was limited, but now, the audience has become versatile and global. Today a person you're reaching out to is essentially a commodity buyer. Nowadays, you don't need to showcase what the vehicle is capable of doing or what extremes can it survive through. The audience today wants to know how a car or a bike would feel or will be used, in their day to day life if they buy it. Back in the day, people were dreamy as the audience was aspirational, but today's audience is smart, they are practical, and that is one of the colossal changes. The audience tells you what they want to know about, and we are here to solve their queries.
When we used to work on magazines, we had ample time to shoot the vehicle, to write about it and also to decorate a good strong story around it. Now we don't have the luxury of time. We have to wrap up a shoot in one day, write it up immediately in the simplest way, and publish it in no time. When I started my career, the only way to be a part of the industry was to be associated with a magazine. There were no digital avenues at our disposal to write/publish anything at our will. All digital and social media platforms have opened doors for the new generation to start their blogs and pages, and even this has proved to be a game-changer in the industry.
2) What are the attributes which contribute for you to be a part of the industry for all these years?
Apart from the cars, bikes and all things automotive, the only thing which is the backbone of all things revolving is my love towards writing. I enjoy writing as much as I love riding or driving any vehicle. I love writing for myself first followed by delivering that to the audience, but I write for my interest, that's what has kept me going in the industry for all these years. Ultimately at the end of the day, I write for the people to read it and if it isn't for that, I would've written a diary for myself. So, if the time comes when I have to decide between a practical and a funny story, and if the audience demands a practical feature, then I'll be delivering one, even though I would've loved to publish the funny one.
3) Which part do you enjoy the most as a coach at a prominent two-wheeler riding school?There's a light bulb moment in every student's learning period. It's that time when they unlock their full potential or explore their boundaries. An instructor describes how and what to do to his students on the track. But as a coach, our responsibility is to help the riders figure out their skills. Once they are capable of overcoming their difficulties or their fears, they are so thankful that they're glowing with joy, and that's the best reward for me! It is that unfathomable feeling which no emotion can imitate, and which I enjoy and value the most.
4) You have been riding both on the tarmac and off-road, which one do you prefer the most?
It is like asking me which of my boys do I love the most? My love for track and off-road is as identical as it is towards both my sons. I have to admit I love riding on the race-track as much as I love honing a motorcycle on the off-road trails. Race-tracks and off-road trails are contradictory in terms of their traction quotients, as well as considering the machines in question. Where on one hand if you lose traction on the track, it might prove to be one of your nightmares, on the off-road front, you are trying to stick the tail out and lose traction to carry it around the corner. The reaction to keep calm as your tail power slides over lose surface is not something you can carry on the track, however, complimentary it may seem, and I love doing both, without preference over any.
5) Which is your dream destination to ride?
My dream destination to ride will be riding on every other race track in the world. Over the years, I've had the opportunity to ride around the world, but my dream ride would be to spend some quality time at the race-tracks. Usually, when you're out on track days, you have your timeslots, you get calculated laps and also have time constraints due to some or the other reason. My dream destination is going about race-tracks around the world to spend some quality time to understand and study them at my pace. There's no specific time limit, but at least three days per race-track in the world should suffice!
6) What are your best memories around a two-wheeler?
One of my early memories are from when we did a 24-hour run on a two-wheeler for the first time, and it was way back in 2003-04. After that, one of the memories etched in my head is my first day at the track at MMRT to test-ride the TVS Apache RTR, needless to say, I even remember that it was a yellow one! Then comes memories from my California Superbike School exam, for which I had to prove my metal. On the track, the coaches are following you, and they are also judging your every move, your riding style and what you say, and observing almost everything that you do. Followed by the verdict of being selected as a coach, it was one of those days which I'll never forget. Among a million stories, these have to be the happiest moments that I've had around motorcycles.
7) What is your piece of advice to upcoming auto journalists?
It's considerably easy to start your blog or your channel in today's date. Eventually, when these individuals reach a critical benchmark, even manufacturers start entertaining them or don't mind approaching them. Although there's no specific time, to begin your own thing, my recommendation to all these budding enthusiasts is to start their career with a larger or any renowned media outfit.
What the industry is creating in today's time are motoring writers and not motoring journalists. People need to understand there's a big difference in motoring journalism and writing. When you work with a full proof media outfit, you get to understand the basics about journalism, the basics about how you should approach someone or some organisation for that matter. What new entrants need to understand, is that it's easy to criticise a product or OEMs for what they've made, but a journalist's job is to understand the fitness of purpose and also to understand who is the end consumer. He has to understand the OEM and their customers, along with their needs. What qualities does the customer seek is what he needs to put into his perspective, and this can only happen when the individual works with a full-sized company. The seniors there will get onto his back and make life difficult for him until he gets the things right. Sequentially you being at the receiving end, you will become more careful about what you say about any product. Also, the feeling of being entitled is one of the serious issues we all have. And that’s something one must overcome early in their career. Working with a renowned magazine or with a full-sized media company, under experienced motoring journalists, will drill that out of you.