Hyderabad star Stephen Rogers dominates 4W Drag Championship

Hosur, April 21: Hyderabad ace Stephen Jyothi Rogers Pachigalla started his campaign in the FMSCI Indian National Drag Racing Championship 2025 (4-wheeler) with a grand triple crown in the premier Unrestricted class, besides setting a National record, as he topped the category in both first and second rounds held at the Taneja Aerospace in Hosur.

In the three-day event, promoted and organised by Speedway Motorsports and Vroom Motorsports, Pachigalla, driving an Audi R8 in the premier Unrestricted class, aced the highly competitive field, clocking 09.635 seconds for the 402-metre dash in Round 1 on Friday and improving it to 08.948 seconds in Round-2 on Sunday and setting a new National record in the process.

Pachigalla further underlined his status by winning the Indian Open M3 (Unlimited) category race on Sunday by clocking 08.955 seconds.

Later, in the Vroom Drag Meet, a support event, Pachigalla clocked 08.849 seconds to better the National record he had set earlier.

Meanwhile, veteran Vidyaprakash Damondaran from Coimbatore, the oldest participant at 80 and driving an Audi TT, remained unbeaten in the Pro-Stock 3061cc - 4002cc class across both rounds.

The massive crowd was treated to exciting fare as Bengaluru's Shreyas Mahendra won in three categories - Pro-Stock 2051-2550c cc, Indian Open M1 and M2 - in Round-1.

There were separate categories for petrol and diesel vehicles besides the Indian Open that was open to vehicles powered by either fuel.

Results (winners only):

Round 1:

Petrol - Unrestricted (N1): Stephen Jyothi Rogers Pachigalla (09.635secs).

Pro-Stock K2 (1151cc - 1450cc): Narayan Swamy (15.483s).

PS K3 (1451cc - 1650cc): Shaik Hussain Pasha (17.241s).

PS K4 (1651cc - 2050cc): Thrishal M.S (15.545s).

PS K5 (2051cc - 2550cc): Shreyas Mahendra (13.618).

PS K7 (3061cc - 4002cc): Vidyaprakash Damodaran (13.351s).

PS K8 (4003cc - 5100cc): Karthik KV (10.315s).

Diesel -

PS L4 (1651cc-2050cc): Naveen Reddy Kesara (13.749s).

PS L6 (2551cc-3060cc): Aakash Durai (12.571s).

Indian Open M1 (Upto 2750cc): Shreyas Mahendra (12.963s).

Indian Open M2 (Upto 4002cc): Shreyas Mahendra (13.259s).

Indian Open M3 (Unlimited): Yajur Miglani (10.656s).

Round 2:

Petrol - Unrestricted (N1): Stephen Jyothi Rogers Pachigalla (08.948s).

PS K2 (1151cc - 1450cc): Narayan Swamy (14.880s).

PS K3 (1451cc - 1650cc): Vinay SM (15.036s). PS K4 (1651cc - 2050cc): Thrishal M.S (15.790s).

PS K5 (2051cc - 2550cc): Vijay Raju (13.846s).

PS K7 (3061cc - 4002cc): Vidyaprakash Damodaran (13.830s).

PS K8 (4003cc - 5100cc): Karthik KV (10.230).

Diesel -

PS L4 (1651cc-2050cc): Naveen Reddy Kesara (13.624s).

PS L6 (2551cc-3060cc): Aakash Durai (12.415).

Indian Open M1 (Upto 2750cc): Vijay Raju (14.195s).

Indian Open M2 (Upto 4002cc): Vidyaprakash Damodaran (13.236s).

Indian Open M3 (Unlimited): Stephen Jyothi Rogers Pachigalla (08.955s).

Reader Comments

R

Rahul K.

Stephen is absolutely killing it! Three wins and a national record? That's insane performance 🔥 Hyderabad should be proud!

P

Priya M.

The most inspiring part is Vidyaprakash Damondaran at 80 years old still dominating his class! Age is just a number when you've got passion.

A

Arjun S.

While the racing was impressive, I wish the article had more details about the cars' modifications. The tech specs would've been interesting for gearheads like me.

S

Sanjana R.

Shreyas Mahendra winning three categories deserves more attention too! Great to see such depth in Indian drag racing talent 🚗💨

V

Vikram J.

That 8.948s run is mind-blowing! For context, that's faster than many supercars do the quarter mile. Stephen is rewriting Indian drag racing history.

N

Neha P.

Would love to see more women competitors in future events. The sport is growing so fast, hope we get more diversity in the field soon!

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.