24 Hours Speed Endurance Challenge: In conversation with Team Mahindra
The 24 Hours Speed Endurance Challenge was a true test of reliability and performance of the Mahindra XUV700, and in our effort to break a national record, we were joined by the very team who tested and developed the XUV700!
In addition to our earlier driver line-up, members from Mahindra’s vehicle development and validation team would also be driving the SUVs during our record run at the Mahindra SUV Proving Track. Talking about the nature of the event, Ganesh Adiga, Platform Engineering Head said that the 24 Hours Speed Endurance Challenge was a hardcore engineering test for the XUV700. Adiga rightly went on to add that in regular driving conditions, the maximum time that a car would be driven is six to seven hours, before the driver would stop for a break or to refuel. With the XUV700 being driven for 24 hours at a stretch with only short pit stops, the Platform Engineering Head for Mahindra added that the 24 Hours Speed Endurance Challenge would be a true test of the engineering that has gone in the XUV700.
Ryan Lee, manager at Mahindra Adventure, said he was thoroughly impressed with the capabilities of the XUV700. “I had my foot completely to the floor – and all I had to do was steer!” said the former evo India journo. Ryan also stated that driving the XUV was not tiring at all, thanks to the comfort that it offered and added that he had great fun driving in an event which brought together several enthusiasts, along with the teams from both Mahindra and evo India.
We also had a chance to have a conversation with Husain Agha, the man behind the Mahindra SUV Proving Track. Talking about the facility, Husain mentioned that the MSPT allowed greater freedom to engineers for testing and validating vehicles. The head of MSPT also said that earlier the vehicle development team had to travel to different parts of the country to test vehicles, but since the MSPT was operational, the development and testing process of a vehicle has been simplified greatly, as the facility offers multiple tracks to simulate various driving conditions. Hussain stated that due to an outdoor ‘proving lab’ like the MSPT, Mahindra is able to create world-class products like the XUV700. The drivers from Team Mahindra were extremely confident of the SUV that they had developed, and the trust they had in the machine was reflected fully in the way they drove the XUV700 flat-out at High Speed Track of the MSPT.
By this point of time on Day 2 of the 24 Hours Speed Endurance Challenge, we were nearing the final stages of the event, as the XUVs approached closer to breaking the existing national record of covering 3161km. It was only a matter of time before we would see the XUV700s break the record – and the anticipation began to see how much further the cars would be travelling.
Stay tune to know more and read all our stories about the 24 Hours Speed Endurance Challenge here.
