[sam92]

Driving is a passion for these two, which made them attempt this record.

6000Kms in 79 Hours and 30 mins----

AVR Prabhakar Rao and Mandapaka Bhaskar, engineers by profession attempted
this drive with a slogan called “Safe drive “.

The word safety has three simple letters of English ABC “ “ Always Be Careful” ”. Absolutely true, all through the trip their only intention is to drive safe and reach the goal on time. They were not running for the record , however wanted to prove that safety is in our hands, though you are attempting for the record drive.

AVR Prabhakar commonly known as Probiker—has passion and a hobby to know about the new cars/ Bikes performance and also a well known performance Tuner and Bhaskar Mandapaka known as BM is a software engineer in HCL Technologies.

This duo started in Bengaluru on May 5th at 4:05 PM, drove day and night covering 13 states and reached bengaluru on 8th May at 11.33 PM creating a record.

The route: Bengaluru Nice road  Devengere Hoogli Kolhapur Pune Mumbai Ahmedabad JaipurDelhi Agra KanpurAllhabad Durgapur KolkataBhubaneswar Visakhapatnam Vijayawada chennai Vellore  Bengalure Nice Road.

The earlier record was set by a Trio Tarun, Ashish and Prateek from Chennai who drove in Honda CRV( SUV) from Chennai to Chennai in 2009.

Now AVR Prabhakar and Bhaskar Mandapaka has reset the previous record with 79 hours and 30mins.

Kudos to the car- Fiat Punto. The original tyres “ Goodyear “ were replaced by Yokohama Tyres—Though the original Good year tyres are good, however for better performance and Grip on the road they have replaced these tyres with Yokohama

The back seat was pulled out and was filled with daily essentials like food, clothing water medicines and Tool Kits.

Such a big drive is not possible without sponsors: Thanks to Yokohama for the Tyres, Spitfire Automotive Performance for the Unichip for a better mileage, Motul for Engine oil and Shiva Kalyan for the Token financial support.

Road Conditions:
Driven on 11 National Highways and have different experiences over the road and traffic conditions:
Longest Stretch ----- Andhra Pradesh- NH 5--1014 Kms, shortest Stretch ---Delhi-- NH 2 & 8 26 Kms, However the time taken to cover from Icchapuram to sullurpet ( AP) is 12 hours during day time and the 26 Kms drive in Delhi is 3.5 hours during night, Navi Mumbai 55 Kms and the time taken is only 1.5 hours so one can imagine the traffic and road conditions.

The speed breakers set in Orissa are very dangerous, which may actually damage the under parts of the car.

Drive in the Ghat roads and Mumbai Express highway and Chennai to Krishnagiri , Durgapur to Kolkata took a lot of time.

Highway between Mumbai to Delhi is the best. According to the GPS the next fastest drive is again on Andhra pradesh Highway.

A special Note Of Thanks to HVK Kumar who stood with us throughout this ride by guiding and motivating us to accomplish the goal. He was awake all through the night to make us pass certain critical bottle necks.

[sam92]

Some Snaps from the Record attempt -

[hvkumar]

Congrats, Prabhakar & Bhaskar, indeed a fantastic new record!

I must also mention here Map My India, who installed a tracking device in their car which enabled me to track them live through the trip and also some of our friends who guided them through cities like Madras in the middle of the night so that the duo did not lose any time.

Speed runs like these are more in the nature of endurance than break-neck pace, and but for the delays they faced in the Jaipur-Delhi and Bhubaneswar-Berhampur sectors, they could have perhaps been faster too!

[NinadJoshi]

Congratulations to AVR Prabhakar Rao and Mandapaka Bhaskar for the undertaking that is now a record. More than a record it will be an experience that will stay for a lifetime with them. Things like these make a life rich and well lived.

Endurance runs like this one are successful not just from good planning but also from the resilience of the participants. The players have to have big hearts in addition to plain skills to counter the unanticipated and move ahead. One can plan every minute of the 80 hours on paper, but real life is rife with contingencies and unforeseen obstacles that can deter and divert many a well penned plan. So kudos to the duo for taking this all the way!

I would also like to speak of my admiration for the man (is he for real?) called H. V. Kumar. I can only judge him from his posts on this forum, and others' accolades for him, his knowledge, his massive database and his helpful nature. Based on that this man deserves nothing but deepest appreciation. Bashful and humble as he may be, he simply is one of the most valuable human resources available to us BHP-ians. Captain James Cook is universally acknowledged as the greatest traveler/explorer/navigator of all time. HVK is the Capt. Cook of our forum.

Here's a toast to three heroes... AVRPR, MB and HVK

[lloydofcochin]

This is a stupendous achievement Prabhakar & Bhaskar and you guys deserve every accolade that comes your way

At an average speed of 75kms/hr and over 6k+ kms it is just a mind blowing achievement!

And you guys were smart enough to select the best hatch for the highways - Punto rocks

Now I'm at loss of words to appreciate the Emperor of Indian Highways. Thank You HVK Sir for being there for everyone at anytime of the day.

[hvkumar]

I thought I will fill in some more details from the epic drive:

Timelines in various places:

Bangalore, 5/5, 405 pm
Chitradurga, 645 pm
Hubli, 905 pm
Belgaum, 1010 pm
Kolhapur, 1115 pm
Pune, 6/5, 130 am
New Bombay, 330 am
Vapi, 605 am
Surat, 745 am
Baroda, 1000 am
Ahmedabad Ring Road, 1100 am
Udaipur, 240 pm
Kishangarh, 615 pm
Jaipur, 800 pm
Delhi, 7/5, 200 am
Agra, 525 am
Etawah, 630 am
Kanpur, 810 am
Allahabad, 1000 am
Varanasi, 1130 am
Mohania, 1245 pm
Dobhi, 220 pm
Dhanbad bypass, 430 pm
Durgapur, 545 pm
Calcutta, 825 pm
Kharagpur, 955 pm
Jaleswar, 1055 pm
Baleswar, 1140 pm
Cuttack, 8/5, 130 am
Srikakulam, 645 am
Vizag, 745 am
Vijaywada, 100 pm
Nellore, 415 pm
Madras, 625 pm
Krishnagiri, 955 pm
Bangalore e-City, 1100 pm
Bangalore NICE Road, 1130 pm

[PAVAN KADAM]

Fantastic guys... LIVE TO DRIVE

Laudable effort by the Awesome TRIO The 2 men and the Mean Punto.

[bejoy]

Kudos to Prabhakar Rao and Mandapaka Bhaskar for this magnificent achievement. It really needs endurance of both man and machine!


But, personally I do not support this speed records on public roads. Do we really support this? I am sure there are others waiting to 'break' this record tomorrow. Avg speed of 76kmph means most of the stretch would be covered in triple digit speeds, flat out. Isn't this Limca record an endorsement of breaking the law? Please don't get me wrong, I am not trying to discount any credit to the guys. Just a thought.

[akshay4587]

^^ And to add to it,the drive was tagged with the slogan safe drive!!!
i mean how can you promote safe driving, by not following the legal speed limits

[phamilyman]

Yeah Akshay, let's call a spade a spade for once. There is no damn way anyone can honestly put their hands on their hearts and call this a safe drive.

yes, please sell it that way to sponsors, congratulate yourself privately but on a public forum - let's not kid ourselves.

A NET average of 76 kph over this distance while awesome for those who like numericals makes me shudder as to how many close calls you would've had or how many other vehicles you would've put at risk to make your record.

Congratulations my foot.

@hvk saab - I am sorry but this is not just about endurance but breakneck pace - how else can 76 kph all included be managed over 6000km? HOW? Please help me understand. Let me take your own example - you as the best car endurance driver i know of, did 2100km in 40 hours. That is just an average of 52.5kph.

As a DBHPian you should not be encouraging such activities publicly (as much as you are free to support them fully in private). I hate to be so explicitly negative but this drive (and others that may not get inspired) are beyond the realm of safe driving and must be discouraged not encouraged.

Last words on this -
While smaller rides are definitely tests of endurance - this rides and the next ones it will inspire will be about alot of speed at any costs.

As TBHP, do we want to encourage that? Is the momentary glory and clapping worth an incident like this tomorrow?

Sad News: Fellow biker crashed, Vinu.S.V is no more :( - xBhp.com : The Global Indian Biking Community
(The said gent had done 1600k in 24, 2500k in 36 but died trying to attempt 2500 in 24).

One can either do speed or distance, or both over a limited distance. But not BOTH over extended distances. TANSTAAFL.

[hvkumar]

All points noted, but are we all saying here in one breath honestly that we have never broken the official speed limits? As you know, in most highways of India it is 60 kmph, and in some instances 80 kmph and just a few expressways are above that.

Yes, it is not just a speed record, but also an endurance record.

We have seen many travelogues here written by those who have talked of driving at speeds - that I can only dream of - on public roads, and the degree of danger or risk is marginally higher in case of this drive. Just to quote an example, all those who are doing Bombay-Bangalore 1,000 kms drives in 12-13 hours (of whom there are several) are all driving at a faster average speed than this duo.

I guide many people on their drives daily, and I never form any judgement on how they propose to do their drives, each is expected to take a balanced & responsible view of his capabilities & what they are doing. I do caution them. It is easier to aspire to emulate something a stranger may have done, than to listen to conservative advice. For every type of drive, there are enough benchmarks for everyone here to look up to.

Needless to say, I am not a speed run guy - as phamilyman has already said - but I do exceed legal speed limits during my highway drives and take risks which may appear to be either excessive or uncalled for - from different perspectives. I may also add that a speed run of this sort is not something I would like to do.

Thanks again for all the comments, I am sure all of us here must take whatever is read here - or elsewhere in the press (this feat has been reported widely in the regional press) -in the correct spirit.

[ASHISHPALLOD]

What HVK says is correct, what Phamilyman says is also correct, then who is wrong?
Do anyone watch Chidiyaghar on S-max?

[ramkya1]

Much as I would love an endurance run, these gents were clearly stretching it IMHO. Looking at the timings, the car and having covered the very same route in 5 days with about 4-5 hour sleep every day, I know how difficult it was in SUV's!! Can't imagine what risks they might have taken to do this feat. I sincerely hope this would not kill people trying to better the record.

I also have experience of bailing out 2 friends on the GQ drive who were speeding through and tumbled before Gujarat border. Fortunately, they both got out alive, the Angels were working overtime on that day, on that curve!!

As always, HVK's support, knowledge and willingness to help people on the road is awesome!!

--Ramky

[San Phrangmung]

So many have lost their lives trying to reach the Everest. But people from world over keep coming and keep trying.

If someone likes doing something, despite the risks involved, its their take.

So many other activities and sports around us are risky, but those who enjoy it and can do it never backs down.

How many of us have tried free fall, bungee jumping, deep sea diving, para gliding, white water rafting, etc etc.

Would it be nice to ban such sports activities for the risk involved.

I could not have done this drive, but if someone has safely finished it, feel good for their personal achievement.

[sameerg001]

Originally Posted by ASHISHPALLOD

What HVK says is correct, what Phamilyman says is also correct, then who is wrong?
Do anyone watch Chidiyaghar on S-max?

OT- Hey, it comes on sab tv, not max

Coming back to topic,

How many times do we all drive in legal speed limits on highway, which are just 60km and 80km, on most of the highway ??

Aren't we breaking the rule then, not to forget there are some stretches like NE-1, where we can keep have average speeds of more then 90km .

Personally nor i like to do this kind of drives, nor i encourage them, i can imagine what speeds they must be doing to keep up the average pace .

I really loved this kind of runs, but when few time back, the biker's incident happened, my thoughts changed, and now, even if given a chance, i won't this kind of drive.

I completely agree with phamilyman's point that, speed runs should have been limited to short distances, for a distance of over 6000km, simply it's stretching it .

But if someone's has completed this drive, we can give them wishes, after all it's an achievement for them , not that i am encouraging them .

Risk is always involved, whether you are doing adventure activities like rafting, bungee jumping, or driving on highway, but we can't ban such activities right.

So, there are people who love adventure, and it's their choice, that they are ready to take such risk or not, To each is his own, right

I guess everyone here, should read this in correct spirit .


Cheers
Sameer