CONTROL FREAKS

Fast cars, great food and a cricket match in the pit lane make for a proper car weekend

I CRUISED IN WITH A RATHER INTRIGUING AUDI – THE Q8 E-TRON

ONLY PETROLHEADS WOULD dare have an automotive event on the day of the cricket world cup finals. And to make matters worse, fate decided to throw India into the finals mix. Now, common sense would dictate that no one in their right mind would bother showing up. But that’s where you underestimate the sheer tenacity of the nutters present at the Buddh International circuit. When the city streets resemble a ghost town, and the best damn racetrack in the country is at your disposal, cricket can take a backseat. (Oh, they did stream the match in the pit lane, but let’s just casually gloss over that inconvenient fact, shall we?)

Now, Launch Control was gearing up to be an absolute riot with a lineup of insane modified cars ready for drag racing and hot laps. Imran Majid got his devilishly quick GT-R for the drag races and the M2 Competition for some track day action. The latter happens to be the fastest M car in all of India, holding the BIC lap record for M cars, and it’s been tuned to stages that would make purists blush. We also had a mean Audi TT from GT Tunerz, a beastly machine hell-bent on giving everyone a run for their money, not to mention Vivan Bhathena’s lightning-fast S5, sharing the tarmac with the likes of stock McLarens, Ferraris, and Porsches from all corners of the country.

Now, as for me, I cruised in with a rather intriguing Audi – the Q8 e-tron, the fullfat, no-gas SUV stealthily packing 402bhp and 664Nm of torque. With a bit of quick acceleration and a lowered air suspension, the grand plan was to run quick laps around the circuit come Sunday. I wasn’t the only electric chariot in town though. We had an RS e-tron GT and a Taycan Cross Turismo lurking in the pit lane, patiently waiting their turn. A rapid luxury electric SUV amidst a sea of roaring sportscars and snarling supercars was quite the comic relief on a competitive weekend. Remember, it’s all about the driver, or is it the other way around? Honestly, I can’t quite recall.

The day before, after a long drive from Dharamshala, I strolled onto the track late for the drag races – the one domain where the e-tron could flex its electric muscles and leave a few combustion engines in its dust. It was downright hilarious witnessing the RS e-tron GTs and Taycans outpacing the Ferraris and McLarens though, making one

thing abundantly clear – run-of-the-mill performance cars were no match for the electric brigade. If you wanted to keep up, you had to throw in some serious tuning, and leading the charge was Imran’s GT-R, clocking a mind-bending 9.924 seconds – insanely fast, but not as fast as the beast’s 1400bhp engine could potentially manage. 1: The GT-R was unsurprisingly the fastest car on the drag strip. An AMG GT on carnet burning rubber. 3: A Huracan on the drag strip. A 720S alongside an Urus. The Q8 e-tron on a hot lap

Slap on a set of drag tyres, and you’re talking about breaking into the 9/sub-9 second territory. This eye-wateringly fast Nissan is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it kind of spectacle. Coming in hot on Majid’s tail was Vivan Bhathena’s N1 Racing-tuned S5, posting a respectable 10.873-second run, closely trailed by Diven Batra’s ludicrously swift M5. The drag strip is where straightline heroes lay it all on the line.

The more skilled drivers waited for some TC off runs in the parking lot in the drift arena and for track runs the next day. The e-tron, despite its weight, surprised with agility on the new BIC track layout. While the straights might be too long for its 200kmph top speed, throw in some corners, and this big SUV becomes a nimble ninja with AWD and instant acceleration. It’s a battery-draining beast on the track, shedding 40-50km on a hot lap, so track days need careful planning. But there’s a certain satisfaction in watching a comfy luxury SUV bruise egos by catching lowslung fast cars. Pit it against a loud sporty ICE SUV and I’m leaning towards the former. Try and weigh it for yourself. ⌧