Tata T1 Prima Truck Racing season 4: We two ours four

Day 1

It was a balmy morning as we entered the Buddh International Circuit for a day of heavy-duty racing. To kick things off, we got taxi rides in the racing trucks and what a crazy experience it was! Having driven here before, I was aware of the braking points and the lines. However, it was obvious that the pilot was well beyond my capacity as she was going much faster through the corners than I would normally do.

A particularly vivid moment was her braking hard from 140kmph at the end of the back straight. That might not seem like a large number but you have to realise that this is a five tonne racing truck and you are sitting well let’s just say a lot higher than seems comfortable.

Taxi ride done, we settled down for an afternoon of free practices and qualifying sessions. The racing was quite a lot of fun to watch. Firstly because it was good competitive stuff (Indian and Foreign) and also because no matter how many videos you watch or pictures you look at, it’s only when you see them race do you realise their capability.

The qualifying also showed us that the times set by the Indian drivers as compared to the times set by the professionals were not all that far apart indicating progress for the local heroes.

Day 2

While the slightly slower pace of day made it a bit relaxed there was no denying that day 2 was going to be action packed and Tata decided to kick things off bybringing out the big gun a.k.a the 1040bhp Prima Racing Truck. Painted in a shade of shiny red this Diesel gulping monster is powered a Cummins 12-litre straight six which produces 1040bhp and a mammoth 3500Nm of torque with power going to the rear wheels via 16-speed ZF. It made all the right kind of sounds and moves while attempting to set a lap record which it managed to do making it the fastest truck to lap the BIC.

As the sun got brighter, we marched our way to a vantage point near the final chicane to witness a physics lesson in action. As you can see in our many photos the action was quite captivating especially among the foreign drivers who took the term ‘competition’ quite seriously.

At the end of the day it was David Vrsecky of very yellow Dealer Daredevils team that dominated the proceedings throughout the day and ultimately took home top honours. Among the Indian drivers, it was Nagarjunaa A taking the top step in the champion class while Pithambar, a first time entry into the sport was able to clinch the top prize in the newly formed Super Class category.

It had been a crazy weekend and everything that I had expected in terms of racing action was on point! What I’m hoping for is Tata will open up a new category next year and bring the 1040bhp truck into the fray.