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Mahendra Singh Dhoni took time out for his passion for biking at the Buddh International Circuit, in Gurgaon, a day after guiding Chennai Super Kings to their second Champions League Twenty20 crown.
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'A bit different to my other bikes'
Cricketers' presence is known to cause chaos and the scenes were no different at India's only Formula One track.
Dhoni showed up to promote a bike festival but all attention turned towards the Indian captain the moment he arrived in the presence of a sparse crowd.
After spending substantial time looking at a variety of vintage and sports bikes, Dhoni joined a bunch of riders for one lap of the track in a Yamaha R1.
One of the garages was dedicated to Dhoni's prized possessions ranging from the mighty Hellcat to the obsolete Yamaha RD350, a bike he could not afford to buy once upon a time. Now he has got as many as 30 of those outdated machines.
"It was a great experience to be here. I could not take my eyes off some of the machines on display. I wanted people to see how my bike is different from theirs. You can't try these powerful bikes on the road so to be able to see them and know about them is fantastic thing for me," said Dhoni, who spent maximum time in the heritage garage which had bikes as old as 100 years.
As fans and media were kept at a distance from the star cricketer, a source who was with Dhoni throughout his time at BIC, said he promised to drop in quietly sometime soon.
"He played the Champions League final last night so obviously felt a bit tired. That's why he chose to ride a lighter bike than Hellcat. Since he had got the feel of the track earlier, he was comfortable at turns and especially liked the parabolic part. He also expressed to come here again when not many people are around," the source said.
Dhoni zoomed around BIC in his Hellcat early last year after India whitewashed Australia in a home series. Then he was accompanied by batting legend Sachin Tendulkar and speedster Ishant Sharma.