Enthusiasts gear up for nitro racing

Imagine driving your vehicle really fast at a speed of 90km per hour, with empty roads to cruise on facing not much traffic and no signals to put a break on your speed. The best part is still yet to come, there is no age restriction to drive and there will be no pesky traffic policeman to stop you and make you cough up a hefty fine.

Well this is no ordinary drive, this is the nitro car racing that had started a few weeks ago in Mumbai by the duo Chetan Hansraj and Kujhar Kochhar. Nitro car racing is a newly introduced adventure sport in Mumbai. "I gifted my three-year-old son a remote control car and thus an idea struck me to get more such cars and make it accessible for the general public," said Hansraj.

There are few places in the city where one can actually go and race these cars, the rooftop of Atria Mall and Khar Gymkhana are two of the most prominent locations.

There are tracks made on the ground, where an individual can drive these cars with the help of controls and race with one's friends or even strangers. There are remote controlled racing cars that respond precisely to your command.

One gets to see different kind of cars be it buggies, monster trucks or on road cars like Ferrari. There are also electric cars which operate on battery. Beginners are recommended to try their driving skills on these cars first and then move to nitro cars.

Nitro cars are faster and more expensive than battery-operated cars. "The only drawback of this sport is the high maintenance charges, each vehicle costs around Rs30,000 to 40,000. At times, it is difficult to get the spare parts," informed Hansraj.

Chetan has noticed that even seven-year-old children come to race. "It's a different thrill altogether, the sound of the nitro car itself gives you a high," Rylan Pereira, a 16-year-old racer informed. Pereira is planning to buy his own nitro car and bring it to the race course.

Twenty laps of racing cost Rs400, which is a very reasonable charge, for many racing aficionados. Reuben Pereira another fan of nitro car racing has visited the place five to six times since it has been opened. "Since they provide ample space, it gives racing fans like me great pleasure," informed Reuben.

Nitro car racing encourages speed enthusiasts to test their competitive spirits with other racers. The adventure sport is a stressbuster for many people. So fasten your seat belt and gear up for an excitable drive of your life.