Indore: National Automotive Test Tracks Indian has developed the longest high-speed track, This high-speed track in Pithampur near Indore is spread over 1,000 acres and has been developed by National Automotive Test Tracks (Natrax). This track inaugurated by Union Minister Prakash Javadekar recently.
This high-speed testing track could help the Indian automobile industry develop vehicles with more efficiency. It could be a major boon to the Indian auto industry, as it will help the industry stakeholders to test a wide range of vehicle tests in the country itself.
Here are some key facts about the Natrax test track.
The longest track in Asia
The Natrax is the longest such testing track in India and the fifth-longest in the world. It is 11.3 km in length and 16 metres in width. This high-speed testing track is oval-shaped and comes with four lanes.
High-speed capability
The testing track has been designed for neutral speeds of 250 kmph and it is capable of handling a maximum speed of up to 375 kmph on the curves. Also, it comes with less banking on the oval. This means the testing vehicles will be offered more safety during different manoeuvres.
Wide range of testing
This high-speed track has been developed for testing a wide range of high-performance vehicles. These include two-wheelers, four-wheelers, commercial vehicles, three-wheelers and even tractor-trailers too. This means the supercar manufacturers like Lamborghini, Ferrari too can test their vehicles in this facility.
Various kinds of manoeuvres
This test track allows a variety of vehicle testing manoeuvres, ranging from braking, high-speed runs, mileage accumulation, high-speed handling, coast down, acceleration, fuel-consumption evaluation, stability etc.
This new test track could be a major boon for carmakers in India, especially premium luxury carmakers. That’s because a lot of high-speed testing is usually carried out on tracks abroad. Now, with this track at Pithampur, a significant chunk of the testing can be conducted within the country, thereby reducing costs and other overheads.
Other activities
Besides testing different types of vehicles, this test track can be used to host product launches, dealer events, and different motorsport events. With the capability of testing a wide range of vehicles here, it is already generating interest from different OEMs. This could reduce the cost of testing for the vehicle manufacturers and become a revenue generator for the government.
