Competing against 600 racers from around the country, Abdullah Khan won five positions at the 2nd edition of Vroom in Bangalore recently. “Racing is in my blood,” says Khan, whose father was also a racer. Khan modifies and customises regular street cars and bikes into race ones. He has built a few for himself and his friends at his workshop, Autodrome. “My mother was worried in the beginning about me taking up such a dangerous sport, but my father managed to convince her. He said that he knew how responsible and good I was at the sport. Since we grew up in an atmosphere that was very familiar with racing, it didn’t take long for her to come to terms with my passion,” he adds.
The 25-year-old started to learn to drive a regular car 10 years back, but was already a Go Karting champion in 2002. He switched over to street cars as the scope for progress is wider here. His love for cars isn’t just restricted to racing, but he is even fond of the mechanics of the machines. Since Hyderabad does not have a race track, Khan often travels to Coimbatore to practice. “I have been asked by many people to race with them on the streets but I never agree since it is extremely dangerous. If you really are passionate, get onto the track and have fun responsibly,” he says. The promising young man aims to participate in the Formula 3 championship within the next two or three years and also plans to make it to Formula 1, in five years.
