India’s best driver’s cars; the title is simple enough. What it doesn’t convey, however, is that this story, in essence, is a highly controlled laboratory experiment. Conducted under strict conditions, with a sharp focus on standardisation, our annual track day measures the best driver’s cars launched during the calendar year against the same consistent yardsticks.
One of these is India’s first purpose-built race track, the Madras Motor Sports Club’s facility situated outside Chennai. Officially known as the Irungattukottai track at Sriperumbudur, this tongue twister of a facility is also famous for the constant volley of corners it throws at you — ideal for putting the handling, grip and balance of road cars through the wringer. This is why we’ve been using Sriperumbudur since our first track test back in 2008.
Another consistent yardstick of measure is ex-Formula 1 driver Narain Karthikeyan who, over the years, has brought his raw natural pace and years of single-seater track experience to the party. Just back from two hard days of testing in Japan, where he is competing in the Super Formula championship, Narain looked incredibly pumped for two days of some more hard driving. Of course, from where he’s coming, this is a leisurely drive around the parking lot.
The third consistent measure we use during our track day is our trusty V-box data acquisition system that actually works by triangulating and correlating data from a dozen or so satellites. And it’s not just lap times we look at and analyse. The V-box system allows us to ‘play back’ the entire lap, with all manner of data available for every single point on the lap. Of course, we get speed and acceleration in all four directions, but then there’s also g-forces and the ability to split the lap into various sectors.
It’s not all about data, however; subjective feel is just as important. What it’s like to drive, after all, is what Autocar is really about. And though you’d never be able to tell from the manner in which the cars are hurled around the track, tail out and tyres smoking, there are plenty of intangibles gleaned from laps behind the wheel. What’s the steering like, is the front end nice and grippy, does the engine have a strong top end, and even what the driving position is like... a couple of hot laps in each car gives us the answers.
Our objectives are actually quite simple: to tell you just how fast these cars are in comparison to other cars in their class and just what they’re like to drive flat out. We also want to tell you where they are fast, why they are fast and where some of them lose time. Of course, it’s important to remember that a race track is not a road and that there are differences between the two. Corners are tighter on a track, you seldom use the brakes this hard on the road and you are generally driving at least a couple notches harder on a circuit. Still, all said and done, this is the best way to measure overall performance.
And then, of course, there are the bikes. We use the same measures as the cars, only here, Narain takes to the pits and out comes Rajini Krishnan. Having conquered the Losail Asian Road Racing Championship in Qatar (600cc) and the 165cc Group B category here, his are the safest and fastest pair of hands to push the motorcycles we’ve lined up to their absolute limits.
So, sit back and find out which are India’s best driver’s cars and bikes, and how quick they actually are.
