Dhoni talks about pressure with his SuperSport bike riders

Greater Noida: India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni shared his mantra of handling pressure with his Supersport team riders Kenan Sofuoglu and Fabien Foret, asking them not to worry about results.

Sofuoglu and Foret met Dhoni, the owner of the Mahi Racing Team India, yesterday and had a first look at the Buddh International Circuit today, where they will compete in the season-finale in November. They were driven around the BIC track as competition rules do not permit them to ride on the track they would race in the season. Dhoni, who had formed Mahi Racing Team India in 2012, spent over three hours with his two riders, talking about bikes, strategy to win races and cricket. The two riders were surprised by Indian cricket skipper`s knowledge about bikes. "I follow the progress of the team very keenly and want to see more and more Indian youths take to Superbikes in the future," said Dhoni. Sofuoglu was extremely happy with the meeting. "It was a great evening. We were supposed to meet for about 15 minutes but once we got talking about bikes, strategy to win races and of course cricket, time just flew," said Sofuoglu after their meeting with Dhoni. While the talk between Dhoni and the two riders revolved mostly around the racing team, the Indian captain also explained them the nuances of cricket and even how bats are manufactured and how the players test them. Foret, who is a Frenchman and hasn`t followed cricket before, said that more than the technical details of cricket we were keen to know how Indian cricketers, and especially Dhoni, handle the pressure of expectations. "He explained to us how he follows his passion of playing cricket and not get baulked down by the pressure of getting results," said Foret adding that he and Sofuoglu (from Turkey) have started following a bit of cricket after their last meeting with Dhoni during the team launch. "He also told us that the pressure would build by the time we come here in November for the race and I am sure we will be prepared for that," said Foret, who also promised Dhoni his helmet after he finishes on the podium in the next race in Spain. While the two riders had to be satisfied with a drive around, 35 members of Group of Delhi Superbikers (G.O.D.S.) burnt rubber on the race track in front of a sizable crowd that had come to see them in action. Both Sofuoglu and Foret praised the layout of the track and said that they are looking forward to race here. Mahi Racing`s Chairman and Managing Director Arun Pandey said, "the idea behind bringing the drivers to India was to let them know how passionate we all are for the sport and also promote Superbike racing in India." PTI