Highways turn into racing tracks

Highways turn into racing tracks
Hemanth C S & Gayathri L
With the 11.30 p m deadline being followed strictly in the city's watering holes, the weekend drives are the only option for those who want to party till late in the night or even up to the wee hours. Armed with liquor bottles and a designated driver, groups head out in cars and bikes for some wild fun.


Young twenty somethings speeding at high RPMs in fast cars and bikes, the drags chases and criss-crosses seem as if they are straight out of the memorable car and bike flicks ‘Fast and the Furious’, ‘Too fast too furious’ and our very own ‘Dhoom’ series.

However, the speeding tracks referred here are not the Circuit de Monaco or the Indianapolis Motor Speedways but the highways in and around Bangalore.

The newly laid roads around the City - the Bangalore-Mysore highway, Bangalore-Kanakapura Road, Bangalore-Bellary Road, Old Madras Road and the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor... are some of the popular tracks which are set on fire late in the night by these racing enthusiasts in the recent months.

Bikes ranging from the humble two-stroke categories to the thunderous R-1s, Hayabusas and Ninjas are the most sighted ones on these roads on the raceday which is usually reserved for Saturdays.On the four wheeler front, it’s the small, mid-sized, modified racing cars and SUVs.

Unwind

This late night weekend activity is pursued both as a hobby and stressbuster by these enthusiasts.

“We started these trips a year ago as the roads in Bangalore started getting more and more congested with vehicles moving bumper-to-bumper, while the roads around the city got a face lift especially the four lane Mysore-Bangalore highway. These late night trips which usually start at around midnight and end early in the morning are a perfect way to unwind over the weekend,” says Sirish Chandra, an engineering student who along with his bunch of friends makes such trips once in a week.

Similarly, the weekend trip is also a hobby for a few others who prefer to hit the road after a drink or two. “The frequency of the trips is once in two weeks and usually on Saturdays. We go with a fixed bunch who have a passion for long drives. There is also a navigator who has to be on the look out and keep the driver awake,” says Dev Kumar who works in a leading IT firm.

Tippers paradise

With the 11.30 p m deadline being followed strictly in the city’s watering holes, the weekend drives are the only option for those who want to party till late in the night or even up to the wee hours. Armed with liquor bottles and a designated driver, groups head out in cars and bikes for some wild fun.

The pit stops for them are open fields, farm houses, dhabas, deserted temples and buildings and even coffee shops on the highways where they can have a drink without having to bother too much about the city cops.
“As the city sleeps a bit too early, it’s a routine for us to head out on weekend nights. There is no time limit to serve liquor at the dhabas or at wine stores on the highway unlike Bangalore where the cops are on the vigil throughout the night,” says Melvin a budding amateur rallyist.

Fast and furious

As these newly laid roads are free from the citys pereneal traffic jams and endless traffic signals, they provide an opportunity for these enthusiasts to enjoy road tripping to nearby cities as well.

Mysore, Shimoga, Madikeri and even Puducherry overnight and back to the city after a cuppa chai in the morning is possible, they proudly claim.

With these roads paving way for smooth accelerating, most of the bikes can do about 100 kmph while the imported ones can even touch 200 kmph plus.

This apart many of the highways in and around the city are also a hotspot for drag races,
There are typically two to five bikes that race anywhere from 1 km to 40 km. The races are with bikes of the same calibre but when it comes to cars, a Mercedes can be seen competing with a Mondeo.

Cops on prowl

Its not that the police are turning a blind eye to the weekend activities. They keep a close watch with highway patrolling and erect checkposts on new moon days.

During the last six months the police have booked around 480 cases of drunken driving.

“There are a number of instances which have come to our notice and we have booked cases against the offenders. Though not many deaths or accidents have been reported, we consider these trips dangerous and to curb these activities there should be more awareness, probably a drive against drunken driving will help.

Besides, the public should also report to us when they spot such activities,” R Srinivasa, Superintendent of Police, Bangalore District told Deccan Herald