The inaugural edition of the Hyderabad Speed Fest saw the sport of drag racing return to the city after a decade. Over 500 participants showed up to take on the quarter mile run at Narsingi Service Road, with Mohammed Riyaz setting the fastest time of 9.351secs on a Suzuki Hayabusa.
Held as the first night drag race in the city, the Hyderabad Speed Fest served as Round 2 of the Elite Cup. The first round was the Aces of Speed at Hosur, while the finale will take place at this year’s Valley Run.
- Fastest car: Nissan GT-R (Imran Majid), 9.552secs
- Fastest bike: Suzuki Hayabusa (Mohammed Riyaz), 9.351secs
Hyderabad Speed Fest: Fastest cars, bikes
The supercar classes saw a grand turnout, with cars from Mercedes-AMG, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Audi and more in attendance. But familiar names dominated the timesheets.
Just like at the Aces of Speed earlier this year, Imran Majid’s tuned Nissan GT-R ended up being the fastest car with a time of 9.552secs. Darshan Saasalu completed the quarter mile run in 11.105secs with his BMW M340i X-Drive to take home the accolade of ‘Fastest Indian Car of the Event’. Meanwhile, Uvashri Kannadasan Balajeyanthi was the fastest female driver, setting a time of 12.622secs behind the wheel of a Skoda Octavia vRS.
Over in the bikes classes, the Suzuki Hayabusa tuned by Faheem Zahran once again set the fastest time of the event at 9.351secs. But this time, it was Mohammed Riyaz who was astride the Hayabusa. A Kawasaki Ninja 400 was the fastest Indian bike of the event, with Shahrukh Khan setting a time of 11.707secs. Another repeat winner was Shwetha Chithrode, with a time of 10.437secs on a Suzuki Hayabusa making her the fastest female rider at the Hyderabad Speed Fest.
Rongom Tagore Mukerji, director of Elite Octane (organisers of The Elite Cup) said the strong turnout bids well for the Hyderabad Speed Fest to return for a second edition. “As they say, the first [edition] is always difficult and Hyderabad Speed Fest tested my team on many levels. However, the sheer support from the participants and community kept motivating the team to make it special. With that kind of passion, the end result is always fruitful.”
“I thank all who contributed immensely to make this edition a reality and specially the tremendous support from respected visionaries from the Government of Telangana. This was an important edition to showcase the potential of the sport and the positive impact will ensure that we are back to Hyderabad with a mega second edition of Hyderabad Speed Fest – Reloaded very soon.”
The inaugural Hyderabad Speed Fest was powered by Monster Energy, Ceramic Pro, Super Selec, Safe Tree, Show Boat, Continental Coffee, and supported by Deccan Heritage Automobile Association, HMDA, Government of Telangana.
2023 Hyderabad Speed Fest results
| 2023 Hyderabad Speed Fest results | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prize | Name | Vehicle | Class | Time (secs) | |
| Fastest Indian Car of the Event | Darshan Saasalu | BMW M340i X-Drive | R3 | 11.105 | |
| Best Tuner - Indian Car | Harmonix | BMW M340i X-Drive | R3 | 11.105 | |
| Fastest Foreign Car of the Event | Imran Majid | Nissan GT-R | N | 9.552 | |
| Best Tuner - Foreign Car | Kik Shift/Alpha Logic | Nissan GT-R | N | 9.552 | |
| Fastest Car - Diesel | Presly Chakrothvalappil Fernandez | BMW 530d | L6 | 13.134 | |
| Best Tuner - Diesel Car | TuneOfTronics | BMW 530d | L6 | 13.134 | |
| Fastest Foreign Bike of the Event | Mohammed Riyaz | Suzuki Hayabusa | E3 | 9.351 | |
| Best Tuner - Foreign Bike | Faheem Zahran | Suzuki Hayabusa | E3 | 9.351 | |
| Fastest Indian Bike of the Event | Shahrukh Khan | Kawasaki Ninja 400 | C4 | 11.707 | |
| Best Tuner - Indian Bike | Mantra Racing | Kawasaki Ninja 400 | C4 | 11.707 | |
| Fastest Rider (Foreign Bike) - Female | Shweta Chithrode | Suzuki Hayabusa | D2 | 10.437 | |
| Fastest Driver (Indian Car) - Female | Uvashri Kannadasan Balajeyanthi | Skoda Octavia vRS | R1 | 12.622 | |
| Elite Cup Round 2 results – cars | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class | Category | Name | Vehicle | Time (secs) |
| K5 Cup | Pro stock petrol, 2051cc-2550cc | Shreyas Mahendra | Maruti Suzuki Esteem | 14.807 |
| K6 Cup | Pro stock petrol, 2551cc-3060cc | Abubakr Artani | Skoda Octavia | 13.143 |
| K7 Cup | Pro stock petrol, 3061cc-4000cc | Abhishek Rangaswamy | Skoda Octavia vRS | 13.276 |
| K8 Cup | Pro stock petrol, 4001cc-5100cc | Karthik KV | BMW M340i X-Drive | 11.419 |
| K9 Cup | Pro Stock Petrol, 5101cc and above | Vivek Ramchander | Audi RS6 | 10.321 |
| R2 Cup | Indian open up to 3500cc | Kasaraneni Dhana Sreeram Chowdary | Skoda Octavia vRS | 11.373 |
| N Cup | Unrestricted | Imran Majid | Nissan GT-R | 9.552 |
| Elite Cup Round 2 results – bikes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class | Category | Name | Vehicle | Time (secs) |
| B3 Cup | 350cc and above (2 stroke) | Shahrukh Khan | Yamaha RD350 | 12.597 |
| C4 Cup | 361cc-550cc (4 stroke) | Shahrukh Khan | Kawasaki Ninja 400 | 11.707 |
| C5 Cup | 551cc-850cc (4 stroke) | Mirza Jahangir | Triumph Daytona | 10.564 |
| D1 Cup | 851cc-1050cc (4 stroke) | Sourabh Parab | Suzuki GSX R | 9.706 |
| D2 Cup | 1051cc-1650cc (4 stroke) | Hafizulla Khan | Suzuki Hayabusa | 10.018 |
| E2 Cup | Unrestricted open (396cc-550cc) | Shahrukh Khan | Kawasaki Ninja 400 | 12.079 |
| E3 Cup | Unrestricted open (551cc and above) | Mohammed Riyaz | Suzuki Hayabusa | 9.351 |
Also see:
Aces of Speed: Suzuki Hayabusa, Nissan GT-R set fastest times