Renault Duster Track Attack special feature: Production SUV sets lap record at India’s F1 track

Remember Sebastian Vettel’s pole lap at the Buddh International Circuit? The 1:24.119. Him winning the championship and doing donuts on the main straight. A brief moment when India was hosting Formula 1 at a brilliant 5.14km race track nestled in the heart of Greater Noida. Around the same time, far away from kerbs and DRS zones, another machine was busy setting its own kind of benchmark. The Renault Duster.

It was rewriting the rulebook for what an Indian family car could be. Tough, simple, affordable, go-anywhere and, without realising it, it ended up creating the very segment that makes big bucks for manufacturers. Before the Creta, before the Seltos, before the Victoris – there was the Renault Duster. At evo India, we have a bit of a soft spot for stories that come full circle. So the idea was simple: take something that defined an era, bring it back to a place that did the same – and see if there’s still some magic left. Except we didn’t just go to the Buddh International Circuit for a few pretty pictures. We went there to set a record.

The brief sounded almost ridiculous on paper – set the fastest lap time ever recorded in a production Indian SUV. And just to make sure it wasn’t straightforward, we picked a day when the tarmac was baking at nearly 50 degrees Celsius. It was sweltering: the sun beating down with a ferocity that tests machines, tyres and patience in equal measure. Because there was a point to prove. “SUVs don’t belong on race tracks.” “Turbo-petrol engines need cool weather to perform.” You’ve heard them. So have we. And to be fair, there’s some truth buried in there. But playing it safe rarely makes for a good story – or a memorable car. And if you’re going to challenge the rulebook, you don’t do it half-heartedly. You make sure both the machine and the person behind the wheel are up to the task. Which is why the keys went to Karminder Singh – a man who understands how to extract the last tenth without overdriving the car. And then there was the car itself.

The Duster is back and it isn’t playing the nostalgia card alone. Under the bonnet sits a 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine – a motor that makes 160bhp and 280Nm, which on paper is the highest in its segment. In fact, it even comes with a blow-off valve that makes the whistling sound every time you take your foot off the gas pedal if you’ve built enough boost. In conditions such as these, a car needs to run at its best. Castrol stepped in as our performance partner, which made sure that the engine was properly lubricated at all times and the pistons were running smoothly.

Out of the pits at the Buddh International Circuit, Karminder knew what he needed to do. The first few laps weren’t about setting the record, but about understanding the car. Feeling the brakes, judging how much front-end bite you could lean on, figuring out how the chassis would react when you carried speed into the faster sections. This isn’t a low-slung sedan or a purpose-built track tool – it sits higher and demands a slightly different approach. Karminder knew that. There was no forcing the car into submission, no overdriving to prove a point. Through Turn 1, the Duster held its line with more composure than expected. From the pits, that’s all we could see. But watching a record attempt from a distance never tells you the full story. So I made my way up to race control. Race control is where the circuit unfolds in its entirety. Every corner, every braking zone, every straight and every mistake – all laid out across a wall of screens. Karminder was starting to get comfortable with the car. Through Turn 2, you could already see him starting to lean on the suspension. Clipping kerbs, tidying up lines, carrying that little bit more speed on exit. You could see him building into the session. A smile crept in. I’ve seen Karminder drive enough to know that this is where the shift happens. The transition from understanding to attacking. He had already driven the car a fair bit on the track the previous day to figure exactly how it feels. And right on cue, the Duster began to look less like an SUV finding its feet and more like a car settling into a rhythm.

The back straight arrives quickly after Turn 3, and here, there are no half measures. Pedal to the metal, no matter what you’re driving. The Duster stretched its legs, the turbo-petrol motor pulling cleanly as speeds climbed. Turn 4 is another right-hander and one that comes a bit faster than you expect because you’re flat on the throttle before approaching it. Turn 5 is a fast left-hander where bravery is rewarded. Carry that speed through the next few corners and you enter the parabola. The parabola is actually the biggest surprise element when you’re driving on the BIC. It disguises itself as a long right-hander but in reality you actually need to take two apexes to get through this section. Exiting the parabola is another tricky bit and this is where not only skill but even your tyres’ grip is tested. The Duster was shod with JK Tyre Ranger HP tyres that helped with excellent grip and braking not only on track but even when we drove the car on roads outside the BIC. It features a specialised compound designed for high-speed stability and heat cycles, ensuring consistent performance. Engineered with variable tread stiffness and Ultra Sipes, these tyres work with your suspension rather than against it, giving you full control and predictable traction, irrespective of the conditions. You also get best-in-class NVH levels because of the anti drag dimples. A few laps in, everything was where it needed to be. Driver, car, tyres – all up to temperature. This was it. The timed run began.

The first flying lap was clean, but conservative. A banker. You could see Karminder leaving a margin, not committing fully, but making sure there was a solid reference on the board. The second lap was different. Braking points crept forward. Throttle inputs got sharper. Through the fast sections, the Duster carried more speed than before, the engine delivering consistently despite the punishing heat. The 6-speed MT kept up with Karminder’s sharp and quick downshifts and upshifts. By now, the rhythm was locked in. Corner after corner, the lap started to flow. There’s a moment in any fast lap when everything aligns – where inputs feel natural and the car responds exactly as expected. This was that moment. From race control, you could sense it even before the lap ended. When Karminder crossed the finish line, the timing screen took a second to update. Just long enough to build anticipation. 2min 49.99sec. A new benchmark. The fastest lap time set in a production Indian SUV at the Buddh International Circuit. And just like that, the brief that had sounded almost ridiculous didn’t feel so far-fetched anymore.

The record is a testament to many things – the Duster’s performance credentials, its handling prowess, its ability to be pushed to the limit and occasionally, past them. The Duster is positioning itself as a driver’s car and in our first drive review, we said that this is quite possibly the new dynamic benchmark in the segment. A record such as this cements that fact. The record was achieved while the Duster remained a perfectly practical machine, with the air-conditioning and ventilated seats turned on, and on regular fuel – the same car you’d drive to work in if you’ve got one in your garage. The Duster’s beauty lies in its breadth of ability. It has features, practicality, safety and in the same breath, it can head to the track and set records such as this. Not every family SUV can do that.