Introduction
Every year many supercars, tuners and modified bikes roll up and show their capabilities at the Aamby Valley air strip in Lonavala. This was the 11th edition of the Valley Run and it was no less in terms of action and power, be it the attendees or the cars. Since it was my first time attending Valley Run, I had a lot of expectations from this event. Here’s a gist of it.
Organised by Elite Octane, the Valley Run is a three-day event sponsored by JK tyre and Monster Energy. Day 1 was reserved for two-wheeler categories and drift/stunt practice, while the second day saw two-wheeler and four-wheeler race classes, GoKarting, Hummerchutes, and much more. We landed on the third day which had schedules for supercar and superbike race classes, supercar parade, and extreme drifting.
How it started
The day started with a lot of adrenaline and excitement. We entered the air strip to the welcoming sound of loud and aggressive exhaust noises of the supercars and bikes marking their arrival. This further peaked my excitement. I saw an array of diverse cars and their enthusiastic drivers lined up, eager to show off their extraordinary skills.
JK Tyre being the prime sponsor of the event, we also got to see their drifters Sanam Sekhon, Bobbie Bhogal, Badboi Drifts doing what they do the best: drifts and stunts. And that’s not it, my colleague, Sonam and I even got the opportunity to have a taxi ride with Bhogal behind the wheel.
I was a bit nervous as I was on the back seat. I held the grab handle as tightly as possible. Looking at the confidence and expertise of the driver, I could calm myself a bit but as soon as the car started drifting, my anxiety came to rest and all I had was a big smile on my face throughout the ride. It was indeed a breathtaking experience.
Cars performing these stunts included a stock Baleno. To add to the fun, Gautam Singhania, Gaurav Gill, and Hari Singh also joined just in time and entertained the audience with some madness. We also interviewed Hari Singh, Head of Operations, JK Tyres which you can see on our social media channels.
After this, I headed towards the race section to see the supercar parade. The airstrip was lined with gracious Rolls Royces, Bentleys, Lamborghinis, Mustangs, G-Wagons, Ferraris, and McLarens.
Witnessing drag races
The day I went, there were different categories of stock and modified bikes, along with excitement and enthusiasm in riders to record the fastest possible time. The superbikes were consistently improving their time with each new run. As the sun set in the horizon and winter winds of Lonavala hills cooled the weather down, the action on the drag strip was only heating up. After the superbikes showcased their wheelie prowess, it was time for four wheelers to take over.
We saw heavily modified Hondas (some putting over 700horsepower) outrun Porsches and Mustangs. There were McLarens and GT-Rs making a perfect show of how to launch off on a drag strip. And then there was a blue-coloured M5 which gave a lesson or two about being a perfect “sleeper”. Putting over 1200horsepower, the M5 clocked a time of 9.970 bagging the fastest time of the event.
CarWale at valley run 2023
Not only did I get to see the exciting races but we were also participating under the EV segment. My colleague Bilal Firfiray made his drag race debut with the MG ZS EV, and being the experienced driver he is, he nailed it with a time of 15.50 seconds, bringing home the trophy in the Q2 category.
This was not the first win for CarWale at the Valley Run. Last year we placed our bet on the Mercedes-Benz C300d and conquered the diesel category by demolishing the quarter mile race with a time of 14 seconds flat!
What will next year bring from The Valley Run and CarWale’s trophy cabinet? Well, I can’t wait to find out.
