Spitfire Motorsports to organise FMSCI Indian National Drag Racing

Spitfire Motorsports Pvt. Ltd, a long established motorsports organisation, has joined hands with Speedway Motorsports, Hyderabad to organise the first ever FMSCI Indian National Drag Racing Championship 2011. A drag race is a straight 400 metre run of 2 cars or bikes alongside. There is a special starting light system which will first be amber in colour and the driver has to start as soon as the green light comes on. The timing will be recorded as soon as the vehicle crosses the 400 metre mark. The system will also record the reaction time of the driver (i.e. the time the vehicle takes to start moving after the green light has come on). In case of a tie of 2 vehicles having the same timing, the driver with a lower reaction time will be placed ahead.

Round one of the Drag Race has been completed in Hyderabad and the next round will take place in Coimbatore from September 24th to 25th, 2011. The bikes in the engine cc range between 130cc to 350cc and above can participate in the race. Therefore you can take your Hero Honda Hunk, Kawasaki Ninja 250, Harley Davidson Bullet Classic 350, etc., in the race. Foreign bikers can also join the race with their 500cc to 750cc and above bikes.

Drag racing is an extremely popular form of motor racing and attracts a large number of entrants. In order to accommodate all the entries to participate in a single day, the entries are limited to about 200 for one weekend. Drag Racing is often referred to as the most popular form of “grass roots” motorsport. Unlike other forms of racing, a drag race is one where regular cars and motorcycles with no modifications also can take part under the “showroom stock” or the “street stock” category. This is an ideal form of motor racing for novices to take part.  The results are classified based on various classes which are based on type of vehicle and cubic capacity.

Although drag races have been conducted across the country from the 1990s, a Championship has never been organised in India. Drag Championships are extremely

popular in the US and Europe. In order to provide a competitive platform for this increasingly popular form of sport, Spitfire and Speedway are organising the FMSCI Indian National Drag Racing Championship for the first time in India.

This Championship is expected to give a major fillip to the sport and increase the competitiveness and quality to international events. The organisers have visited and studied the European Championship at close quarters and aim to progressively enhance the sport to international standards.