Speeds, adrenalin rush mark drag race show

Ear-splitting roars of superbikes and cars filled the air on the first day of India Speed Week's Bengaluru edition at the Jakkur Aerodrome.

The annual drag racing event is a platform for those who are passionate about motorsports involving two-   and four-wheelers.

Unlike a regular circuit race, drag races are short, with a single race not lasting more than 15 or 20 seconds. Two contenders, kitted out in safety suits and helmets, compete against each other over a distance of 402 metres.  Drag racers need to be alert and quick because even a fraction of a second can be the difference between a win and loss.

Already, a trainee commercial pilot, Ayesha Inamdar is no stranger to danger. Though aviation is riskier and more thrilling, she loves the speed of drag racing.

"My friends were all into drag races and I used to accompany them for practice often. We needed a woman rider on our team so I joined them," Ayesha said. The Mumbai resident has been taking part in drag races for the past two years.

"It is all about the reaction time in drag racing. You have to shift gears on time or your opponent will get ahead. Hundreds of people staring at you also adds pressure," she said.

Ayesha rides a KTM-390 2-stroke bike. KTM bikes seemed to be the preferred machine for most, with a few others using bikes like Yamaha, Apache, and DSK Benelli.  Nearly all of them were modified for the drag race.

Among the cars at the races, there were Skodas, Renaults, Volkswagens and Suzukis. With most of them modified and splattered with stickers, it was hard to identify the makes.

Mithun M runs his family business but also nurtures his passion for cars on the side. He is part of a group called Tunotronics in Bengaluru. They tune daily drive cars to increase their mileage and improve their performance, without hampering emission norms. They also take part in drag races every chance they get.

Mithun and his team often conduct sessions for college students about the risks of drag racing and the safety measures they need to take. "Bengaluru should have a dedicated space and tracks for drag racing. This will prevent people from racing on highways at night," he said. Some other cities, like Chennai, Coimbatore and New Delhi have such racing tracks, he said.

Bollywood actor Ravina Tandon who was one of the speed ambassadors, visited the drag race on day one. On Sunday, the actor and another speed ambassador Suniel Shetty are expected attend.