All About NATRAX Race

The National Automobile Test Tracks, or NATRAX facility, in Pithampur, Indore, is a godsend to automotive manufacturers for vehicle testing, spanning about 3,000 acres with a dozen separate tracks and a bevvy of test facilities. However, many of these proving grounds are available to the public and may be hired out for supercar/bike owners to drive their machines safely and to levels not permitted on public highways.

The Madhya Pradesh Auto Expo was split into three sections, each with its own set of events. The first was the NATRAX tour, which gave participants an overview of the facilities and gave them an idea of the many tracks and test centres available. The second event was Public Engagement, which allowed people to ride ATVs and Go-Karts as well as experience NATRAX’s Fatigue course. The race events, which took place on four distinct circuits within the venue, came in third. We competed in the Time Attack, V-Max, Off-road Event, and Natdrag races, which were separated into four categories. Chequered Flag, in partnership with Indian Automotive Racing Club, organised the Time Attack and Natdrag (IARC).

The Time Attack took place at NATRAX’s two- and three-wheeler track, which was the country’s first of its sort. Participants were required to manage the challenging turns and complete the lap in the quickest time feasible. There was a diverse assortment of automobiles on display, ranging from a raging Lamborghini Urus to a modest Maruti WagonR. The WagonRs, on the other hand, were not quite so. Instead, they were substantially customised and tuned vehicles, as were many Maruti Swifts and Honda Citys from the first generation.

Most participants breezed through the difficult route, but a few made mistakes that resulted in their cars going off the track and being trapped in the gravel.

Vidyut Jain set the quickest time on the lap with an Audi RS6, clocking in at 2:57:101 seconds. In his customised Maruti Suzuki Ignis and Volkswagen Polo, Achintya Mehrotra finished second and third, respectively, with lap speeds of 3:04:878 seconds and 3:05:976 seconds. In this event, vehicles performed 311 runs, while motorcycles completed 38.

The V-Max challenge took place on an 11.3-kilometre high-speed track with flawlessly symmetrical 2.6-kilometre parabolic bends with big radius and shallow banking that elegantly transition into the lengthy straights. This makes driving at really high speeds a breeze. In fact, in July of last year, we hit 300 kph in a Mercedes-AMG GTR.

Due to the extreme heat of the event, few competitors were ready to try their vehicles’ peak speeds. A Porsche 718 Boxter, Lamborghini Urus, Porsche Cayenne, BMW X6, and even a previous-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class were among the few automobiles that queued up for the run.

The competitors were strapped with V-Box testing equipment and had just one goal: to drive as quickly as they could around the circuit. Sean Rogers of Vizag earned first place with his Audi R8, which officially broke the 300km/h barrier by registering 329.8kmph on the V-Box equipment.

Aside from the trophy-winning R8, automobiles made 37 additional runs, while motorcycles tried 18 more.

The muddy Ford Endeavours, Maruti Suzuki Gypsys, and Mahindra Thars were on display at the previous BAJA SAE India location. The circuit is designed for hardcore 4X4s and has slush, inclines, and berms. The SUVs completed a total of 123 runs on this course.

The basic Mahindra Thars handled the terrain admirably, and upgraded Gipsy looked to be clamouring for more, while a Land Rover Defender served as a tow vehicle for those who got their 4X4s trapped. There were three classes in the competition: SUV, Modified, and Stock. On day three, Shreyans Jain took first place in the SUV category, while Jitesh Puri and Shawak Singh took first place in the Modified and Stock categories, respectively.

NATRAX’s Dynamic Platform includes the drag strip. The 1.5 km straight path leading to the circular platform has a 0% grade. This event included a number of supercars, tuned vehicles, and superbikes.

A customised Audi S6 competed against an Audi R8, a tuned first-generation Honda City, a Skoda Laura, and a standard Hyundai Santro in one fun round!

Sankar Daryani in a Porsche Taycan finished first in the drag race with a time of 11:023 seconds. Sean Rodgers finished in 11:346 seconds in his Audi R8. With 11:353 seconds on the clock, he took the third position as well.