Team OD breaks 24 Hour Endurance Record in Audi A3s
For us at Team OD, the end of the year was a time to push the boundaries a little. Not only of ourselves, but also of machines. We decided we didn't want the year to end without setting ourselves a challenge and ensuring we accomplished it. And what could be more challenging than running our own version of Le Mans. Two Audi A3s, one racetrack, and the clock ticking with 24 hours at the wheel.
In order to complete the record, we took one petrol A3 and one diesel A3 to the 2.1km long Kari Motor Speedway. The track was completely lit up for the long night stint of driving, and we had a set of nine skilled drivers at the wheel. Professional racers, Aditya Patel, Armaan Ebrahim, Rayomand Banajee, Vishnu Prasad and Chittesh Mandody, as well as Bertrand D'souza, Halley Prabhakar, Alan D'Cruz and Rishaad Mody from Team OD. And to make sure all went according to plan, we also roped in Volkswagen India's head of Motorsport, Sirish Vissa who has seven years of Le Mans experience under his belt.
With the race flagging off at 19:20 everyone knew that the running would be tough. The battle between the petrol and diesel Audi A3 was close, with the diesel managing to just about edge ahead of the petrol. While we were nervous about whether we'd manage to achieve our target of crossing the 2,000km mark, what with surprise pitstops and driver fatigue, when the clock stopped 24 Hours later, each car had done more than 2,000km, having completed more than 960 laps each. Mission accomplished.
For the full story on how we lived life in OVERDRIVE Le Mans style, watch this space.