Dude, There’s Your Car!
A race driver, a stuntman, a drag racer and an off-road driver tell us about the cars they love
A race driver, a rally driver and a stuntman all share one thing in common – a passion for cars. They know exactly what they want from their trusted companion and they know how to get it. Right from the basics to steering control, from installing a nitrous kit to ensuring the rubber stays on track, they tell us about their mind-blowing roadsters…
The Race Driver
Aditya Patel, a 23-year-old Chennai boy always dreamed of racing for the biggest car companies in the world while growing up. Today he is the favourite Indian driver at Volkswagen’s Sirocco Cup where he is pitted against vastly experienced international race drivers.
“As a kid, my dad would take me to the tracks and I would sometimes scream out in fear,” Aditya starts off candidly. But then he started go-karting at age four, driving around in circles, accelerating and steering on his own.
Patel went crazy for go-karting since it first launched in India. “I won the go-karting junior category in 2000 and moved forward from there.” His career stats include winning the National Go-Karting Championship in 2004, racing in a one-seater three consecutive years (2005, 2006, 2007) and then racing for Formula BMW Championship in 2008 where he finished top 5 at the season’s end. In 2009, Volkswagen roped him in for the Sirocco Cup, Germany.
“F1 was a dream, but today it’s a completely different platform. Now I want to be a driver for a manufacturer,” says Aditya.
His car is a saloon (Volkswagen’s Polo), which is bright orange and eco-friendly. “Since it’s not a very expensive championship, mine is a basic racing car and nothing too high-end.”
“We can only modify them to a certain extent. For example, change the tyre pressure as per our convenience. When you are more senior, you can change the suspension and customise it,” he adds.
Since he started racing in his Polo, he’s had many podium finishes. In fact, he has dominated the track and ousted more experienced drivers in the last few races. But Patel still vouches for his one-seater. “The single-seater is 20 seconds faster than a saloon since it’s lighter in weight. Also, in saloons when you hit the accelerator to turn, you need to be more careful as they can flip,” he tells us.
The speed difference also makes the single-seater faster. The saloon’s top speed is 215 kph, while a single-seater goes up to 225 kph.
Apart from his official car, Patel owns a 1988 Land Cruiser and a 1981 Mercedes Benz. He hasn’t made any modifications to them. “Being a racer, you want total control of the car rather than have automated buttons do the work,” Patel says.
The Stuntman
Ronny Wechselberger played the Russian cop in The Bourne Ultimatum and if you don’t remember him and then go watch the movie again. When he’s not shooting, he is a stuntman and trainer at the Volkswagen camp and is considered one of the best drivers in the world and an ace at parallel parking.
Ronny C-Rock – as his fans call him, started speeding at 11. Go-karting, motor sports and Formula cars, his passion grew with age. “I started racing in Formula 3 and went on to win quite a few races, but then my interest shifted to the other side – doing stunts and being a driving coach,” he says.
The stuntman now works for Volkswagen, apart from performing stunts in movies and commercials. He took part in the MTV Polo Ultimate Drive 2010 and MTV Made 2011. He also made it to the Guinness World Record Show this April for the tightest parallel parking. He squeezed his Volkswagen Polo in a parking space only 10.4 inches longer than his car. However, his victory was short-lived as a Chinese driver parked his car in an even tighter spot.
“I have always been interested in cars and even studied car mechanics. I’m a self-made stuntman,” Ronny tells us.
He is also the proud owner of a Porsche 944, which was built in the year 1985 and costs between €6000-8000. “It has a 4-stroke Porsche 2500 ccm engine, 163 bhp and can go from 0-10 kph in just 8.4 seconds.”
“I haven’t modified it at all. In fact, I don’t like modifying my cars, as I don’t want a support system. I like driving a truly loaded car (which the Porsche is), but unfortunately the new ones have too many gadgets,” he adds.
Talking about his official set of wheels, he tells us, “Polo is an absolutely new car, which has a Volkswagen 2000 ccm – 4-Stroke Turbo Charged engine and 6-Speed DSG Gear Box. It’s also faster than the Porsche and takes 5.7 seconds to go from 0 to 100 kph.”
He loves to take his Polo out for a spin at 240 kph on empty roads and also drifts it at 90, 180 and 360 angles by using the handbrake and controlling the accelerator. “The handbrake is necessary for any stunt – it’s the key. Also, the right energy and a good control of the steering can help you perform any stunt. Even parallel parking,” Ronny reveals.
“But of course, experience is needed,” he quickly adds, as he realises there are many maniacs around who’ll just jump into their cars to perform dangerous stunts.
Ronny has been a race driver since 1994 and has participated in more than 376 races, which includes indoor and outdoor Karting, Formula König, Formula Volkswagen, Formula 3 and Peugeot Spider. He also broke Michael Schumacher’s 1988 record of class Formula König. Schumi won 9/10 races, while Ronny in 2004 won all 14. Schumi was the first and Ronny is the last champion of that class!
Old dodge cars of 1970s and merlin-engined cars are his favourite. “I love to collect cars. The 1970s cars aren’t available today, but I would love to own one. In the future I want to buy a Lamborghini and an Audi R8. I don’t have that kind of money, but I’m working on it,” he ends.
The Drag Racer
Anant Pithawalla loves to drive around in his Contessa at night. His car, which is used as a demo car for audiences, is upgraded with imported performance products and resembles the cars we’ve seen in The Fast And The Furious…
As a part of N1 Racing Equipment – a Mumbai based company dealing in aftermarket street, strip or circuit performance products for automobiles and bikes, Anant gets to handle all kinds of cars and bikes. “Since a young age, I’ve always had a passion for cars. We had an old Ambassador, which of course I was not allowed to modify, so I went and bought a Contessa,” he recounts.
His car is metallic-iron grey in colour and he had bought it only for ₹25,000 back in 2006. One look at his mean machine and you'll instantly remember the old American cars. Sit behind the wheel, fire it up and that first roar will be enough to reel in any car enthusiast. The car is loaded with high-tech performance enhancers, but Anant doesn’t like to update it with new gadgets too often. “Since it’s used as a demo car, I keep adding the new parts that N1 imports, that’s all. I use the Contessa for drag racing too,” Anant tell us.
The car has a ISUZU 1.8L Petrol with FORGED Internals (Ross Racing Pistons, Piper High lift Race-spec Camshaft) engine. In order to dramatically increase its speed, the car is fitted with a Holley 45bhp Direct port Nitrous kit. “It has a MSD ignition System, NGK Racing Plugs and Autometer Performance Gauges to improve the performance,” adds Anant.
Kirkey Aluminium Racing Seats, Fibreglass body parts (doors, bonnet, boot), MOMO Steering Wheel, Pedals, Gear knob and Exedy Racing Clutch used inside the car makes it look like Vin Diesel’s 1970 Dodge Charger from The Fast And The Furious.
“To gain significant torque, we have also added Automech Performance Exhaust with MAGNAFLOW Mufflers. The stiff suspension too has been lowered for the car,” he elaborates. “But then it’s not only this Contessa that I have worked on. I have three other circuit racing cars including a Maruti Esteem that have also been enhanced with such parts.”
“At N1, we modify all Indian cars and bikes, but then they are only performance driven ones,” he tells us. For performance buffs, N1 offers all kinds of parts that give a boost to regular cars and are durable as well.
Anant has a lot of clients who come to him to transform their almost scrapped cars in to American-style racing cars that are perfect for drifting. And it’s marvelous to see how they are changed in to speed demons.
The Off-Road Driver
Amit Bajaj owns a yellow MM550, which he takes off-roading twice a month. It’s not an easy ride, but then off-roading and a love for cars is a male trait he has been familiar with from the time he was born.
“I wouldn’t dare go off-roading more than twice a month.” Why, we ask? “My wife has only allowed me those two occasions, else I have to take her shopping, which is bloody expensive,” he laughs.
He loves classic, vintage cars and that’s what made him buy a jeep. “I always wanted to own one, but then there were impracticalities like no AC,” he tells us. He got into off-roading three years back when he joined the Northern India Off Road Club and that’s when he bought his MM550. “It’s a 1991 model and was in shambles when I bought it. However, it was good for off-roading.”
In off-roading, where a vehicle can tilt 65, modifications need to be made to minimise damage. “I’ve added a snorkel to the system so that it intakes less water since we drive in waist-deep water. I’ve also sealed the starter motor and used an air-based oil filter,” he adds.
Amit has taken out the plastic parts because they damage easily and since jeep seats are coarse, he’s replaced them with Innova seats. “They are more comfortable, even though they’re heavier.”
During restoration, he also changed the less powered engine (64 bhp) to a higher, more powerful one – 74 bhp XD3P and fitted the jeep with bigger tyres for better grip while slope driving.
Quiz him on how long a jeep takes to go from 0 to 100 and he replies modestly, “I’ve never timed it. A jeep takes its own sweet time and off-roading’s about skills, not speed.”
Amit bought his jeep from Mayapuri for approximately ₹1.5 lakh, but after redoing it, the yellow 4x4 eventually costed him 2.5 lakh.
The Rally Race Driver
Harjeev Singh Chadha is a rally driver who sold his MM550 in favour of a Maruti Gypsy. His red car is perfect for speed and for maneuvering uneven surfaces, except that it’s a petrol, which is the one thing he dislikes (for obvious reasons)!
Being a part of the Northern India Off Road Club, Harjeev is one of the fanatics who fills his weekends with either off-roading or rallying. “I was interested in vehicles since a long time. I drove a MM550 earlier, but after driving it around for a year, I realised the suspension wasn’t good enough for sharp turns, so I went in for a Maruti Gypsy,” he says.
“Plus, the parts of a Gypsy are easily available. Also, as I was slowly getting into rallying, I wanted speed, which of course a Jeep could never be associated with,” he adds.
Harjeev, like others, has modified his car for better performance. “To smooth out the engine and get better combustion, I’ve done porting and polishing, which is also essential for the air intake. I’ve also got the engine block shaved to increase pick-up.”
“For rallying, the gypsy has been installed with a Free Flow Exhaust, which is used especially for races. Even the suspension has been changed to suit the tracks,” Harjeev mentions.
He further states, “Differential tube strengthening and leaf spring set-up has been changed to match the rally set-up and I have installed an additional fuel tank that increases the vehicle’s range.”
The car is fitted with a 1300 cc Maruti Esteem engine. And after all these alterations, his gypsy is now a two-seater, which is great for a rally since it adds to the aerodynamic. The car has auxiliary lights and an air conditioning unit, which wasn’t there when it was purchased. “I spent somewhere between ₹3.5 to 4 lakh on the purchase and modifications. A little expensive than the MM550.”
For him, the gypsy is any day better than a MM550 as its less problematic during repairs. Its car parts are easily available in the market, while for the jeep one needs to hunt everywhere for the right part and mechanic.
Apart from this gypsy, Harjeev owns two Willys, a sedan and SUVs. He travels extensively, covering the distance from Delhi to Bangalore in just 3 days. He of course goes for off-roading with his friends from the club every month and is a total motor freak. “I love to drive long distances on uneven roads, which are a challenge. Last I traveled to Leh Ladakh, speeding on the uneven terrain. It was simply awesome,” he ends.
Gypsy vs MM550
According to Amit, the Gypsy stands nowhere near his yellow MM550, but Harjeev recommends the Gypsy over the Jeep. Having driven both, he finds the latter sluggish. For us, both have their ups and downs. We recommend you try your hand on both and then pick your best bet!
Is expensive to run as it’s petrol based
Speed-wise, it’s faster and reaches top speed in seconds. But when it reaches the highest speed, it bumps because it’s light and one can easily lose control
It’s costlier, but much more durable with parts that don’t damage easily
A Jeep generates more torque, more power to the wheel, but less speed
For off-roading, it’s the best vehicle as one needs more power than speed
It doesn’t take in water quickly. Whereas in a Gypsy, water can seep in really fast
Its parts are cheaper, but availability is a problem and it’s tough finding a mechanic who knows the make and the functionality
From the November 2011 issue of FHM India.
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