The Valley Run drag race is one of India’s most popular and anticipated motorsport events, where enthusiasts from all over the country gather at the Aamby Valley airstrip to compete in a timed quarter-mile (or 402m) sprint with their cars and bikes. The event was first held in 2013 and has since grown in scale and popularity, attracting some of the country’s fastest and most powerful vehicles. The event is organized by Elite Octane Inc., a company that specializes in motorsport management and promotion.

About The Valley Run organizer

Elite Octane is an Indian company that organizes The Valley Run drag race, a popular motorsports event in India. Rongom Mukerji a.k.a Insaneroller, who himself used to drag race & ride India’s loudest Kawasaki ZX14R, founded the company and has plans to expand the event into more cities in the future. The Valley Run features drag racing for both bikes and cars, with various categories and fees. The event has been held for 10 years and is celebrated annually by December and January. Elite Octane also organizes other motorsports events such as the Hyderabad Speed Fest.

The 2021 edition of the valley run drag race was held on February 19-21, after being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the 8th edition of the event and also marked its 10th anniversary. The event saw over 500 participants across two- and four-wheelers, with a wide range of vehicles from classics to supercars. Some of the highlights of the event were:

The fastest vehicles from the event

The fastest time of the weekend was set by a BMW S1000RR tuned by Faheem Zahran, which clocked a blistering 9.522 seconds in the quarter-mile run.

The fastest car of the weekend was a Nissan GT-R R35 piloted by Imran Majid, tuned by Alpha Logic Performance Dubai & Kikshift from Mumbai, which clocked an impressive 10.432 seconds, making it one of the fastest times ever set at the Valley Run.

The fastest Indian two-wheeler was a modified Yamaha RD 350, which clocked 11.951 seconds, showing that old is gold. The fastest Indian four-wheeler was a tuned Skoda Octavia RS, which clocked 13.075 seconds, proving that front-wheel-drive cars can also be fast.
The fastest diesel car was a tuned BMW 530D, which clocked 12.886 seconds, demonstrating that diesel power can also be fun. The event also introduced a new class for electric vehicles (EVs), which saw the Mercedes-Benz EQC beat the Audi e-tron by just 0.36 seconds.

The event also awarded special prizes to female drivers and riders, with Samantha D’Souza setting the fastest time on a modified KTM 390 Duke and Divya Debi Prasad Das setting the fastest time on a tuned Skoda Octavia RS.

Apart from the drag strip, the event also featured other activities such as drifting and stunt shows, tuners’ meets, and adventure sports. There was also a supercar parade, which saw participation from over 30 supercars and sportscars from various cities.

The next edition of The Valley Run Drag Race is announced for December 8/9/10^th, 2023 at Aamby Valley Airport Strip, Lonavala. Online registrations for participants are open and you can register on Elite Octane’s website. The event promises to be bigger and better than ever, with more categories, more participants, and more excitement.

If you are interested in drag racing or motorsport in general, you should check out The Valley Run Drag Race. It is a great opportunity to witness some of India’s fastest cars and bikes in action, as well as to meet and interact with fellow enthusiasts. To spectate, you can get your passes from PayTm Insider. You can also participate in the event if you have a vehicle that meets the eligibility criteria and safety standards.

Some recommendations from our side would be, to carry a hat, sunscreen protection, an umbrella & plenty of water as heat & dust will be available in abundance. Buy your entry tickets in advance & try reaching early by 8 or 9 a.m. to avoid last-minute rush as the narrow lane outside the airport entry gets clogged. The organizer arranges food & refreshment stalls. AC tents will also be available & can be accessed at an extra cost.

The event will be split across 3 days over the weekend, Friday being for Indian bikes, Saturday for Indian Cars and Sunday for Imported Cars and bikes, but this can be changed by organizers for smooth flow of the event.

You can find more details about the event on its official website or Facebook page.

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