Maruti Suzuki Autocross Comes To A Dramatic End

If you think Maruti Suzuki only makes pure point-A-to-point-B cars that get the 'job' done, you're right. They then make the 'job' more challenging by throwing in some obstacles and hairpins between the two points to make it more fun. It gives the cars an opportunity to stretch their legs while the owners get to push their set of wheels to the limits.

After all, there's an enthusiast inside all of us that just wants to shove the pedal and drop the clutch to attain eternal glory every time the traffic lights turn green. But, it's not safe to unleash our inner self on public roads. That is why Maruti Suzuki organises several competitive events to quench that thirst of tasting the redline for a nominal registration fee. And their cars' reliable mechanicals make them perfect for having some fun.

Maruti Suzuki has its hands deep in the world of motorsports. They make cars that people can thrash around the track on weekends and drive to work on weekdays without having to worry about big repair bills.

After Dakshin Dare, Raid De Himalayas and Desert Storm, India’s biggest carmaker turned its attention towards Autocross 2016, looking for precision racers to battle it out for the title of the National Autocross Champion. After all, this is where Maruti Suzuki intends to turn the participants into adrenaline junkies.

The 2016 season of Autocross kicked off with the Southern leg on October 22, 2016, in Kochi. Subsequent matchups in the South zone took place at Bengaluru and Hyderabad in November and December, respectively. For the North zone, Maruti Suzuki organised races in Chandigarh, Gurgaon and Jaipur in November, December and January, respectively. A wild card competition was also held in Mumbai in January 2017 before moving on to the grand finale at Buddh International Circuit with only the finalists.

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Autocross is open to all and anyone can participate with a car regardless of its maker as long as it meets the guidelines. It was exciting to see the car that got the country on four wheels race in the finals. The 33-year-old 800 caught a lot of eyeballs as it had only what’s essential and nothing that’s not.

On a makeshift dirt track in the backyards of Buddh International Circuit, finalists from the north and south were ready to find out who's faster. The 3-day event kicked off on Friday, March 3, with qualifying rounds. Meanwhile, visitors were allowed to race their cars on a hard gravel track with lots of tight turns. Just watching cars of all shapes and sizes flick their boots left and right was a lot of fun. As an Alto K10 attacked the track with one wheel in the air for every turn and two wheels up on the last one, critics of the entry-level hatchback's performance would've agreed that you can have a great time even in that little rev-happy car. Having support staff and an ambulance on standby made a big difference in their aggression and hence, in the lap times.

On the second day, drivers of all 24 classes divided into six groups jumped and drifted in pairs on the dirt track to knockout their opponents one at a time. On March 5th, winners of respective classes had to prove their skills behind the wheel of a brand new unmodified Swift ZDi to win the title of the National Autocross Champion. After a series of elimination rounds, we were left with only two racers.

Achintya Mehrotra and Amanpreet Ahluwalia made it to the final showdown. In a close match, Achintya caught the checkered flag with a massive two-and-a-half-second lead. But, while he was in the dirt section, a cone that had made very little contact with his car, wiggled for a while before succumbing to gravity. Thanks to the cone, he earned a five-second penalty while Amanpreet scored the shiny trophy. The 2016 Autocross could not have ended in a more dramatic manner.

Winners of the respective categories were awarded Rs 1 lakh each. Amanpreet Ahluwalia won the title of the National Autocross Champion, taking home the trophy and a brand new Swift ZDi worth Rs 7.5 lakh. Achintya had to settle with the six-figure cash reward. The conical bugger that felt dizzy at the wrong time has been sentenced to stand for eternity in Achintya's cabinet, where he was hoping to park the trophy.

Winners:

- Achintya Mehrotra (2WD 1100-1400cc)

- Arpit Mangal (2WD <1100cc)

- Amit Sharma (2WD Open)

- Amit Sharma (2WD >1600cc)

- Dr Bikku Babu (2WD 1400-1650cc)

As the level of heart-pounding excitement and number of participants is reaching new highs with each passing year, we are already looking forward to the next season of Autocross.