Hemanth Muddappa holds Indian flag high, breaking Jordan’s Fahim record over quarter-mile

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], May 19 (ANI): Indian drag star Hemanth Muddappa, a 12-time national champion, was in his elements once again, becoming the fastest quarter-miler in India as he broke the record at the 10th edition of the Vroom Drag Meet on his way to a grand triple in the Bikes Open event, which is held along with Round 1 of the FMSCI Indian National 4w Drag Championship at the Taneja airstrip, near Hosur, on Sunday.

Muddappa of Mantra Racing set a time of 09.264 seconds in the Super Sport 4stroke 1051cc to 1650cc class to break the previous record of 9.298 sec set at the same Taneja track by Jordanian Fahim Zahrani in 2023. The Bengaluru-based champion put the 2016 Suzuki Hayabusa built by Mantra Racing to good use, touching top speeds of 270 kph.

He also broke his own record in the Super Sport 851 to 1050cc class with a 9.415sec run that erased the 9.480sec he set at Amby Valley in 2016 astride a BMW S1000RR.

He won the ‘Unrestricted 551cc and above’ class to complete the grand treble as he brought the Indian flag to the mast once again with two records on the final day of the event. Muddappa’s next outing will be at the Drag Nationals in Chennai.

Provisional Results (Vroom Bikes Open):

D2: 4s Super Sport 4stroke 1051cc to 1650cc: 1. Hemanth Muddappa (09.264 seconds); 2. Alimon Saidalvi (09.815); 3. Faraz Ahmed (09.879).

E3: Unrestricted 551cc and above: 1. Hemanth Muddappa (09.372); 2. Ataulla Baig (09.647); 3. Aymaan Baig (09.734).

D1: Super Sport 4stroke 851 to 1050cc: 1. Hemanth Muddappa (09.415); 2. Niranjan R Kumar (10.404); 3. Saurabh Parab (10.471).