Over 10 months of bickering, debating and putting their heads together has finally landed the boys from MCKV Institute of Engineering with Gavin — their beloved self-made sleek and smooth speedster, which was officially unveiled at “Gavin, by Hero Falcon Racing, in association with The Telegraph”, held at the Avani Riverside Mall on Sunday morning.

A formula racing car, customised and built from scratch by Team Falcon Racing, a 24-member group from MCKV under the guidance of professor Prodyut Das, Gavin is named so because it means a “white hawk”. It is also in keeping with the team’s bird connection. “Falcons are a species of bird known for their smooth flight and speed, which is why we are called Team Falcon,” said Sushovan Mukhopadhyay, a team member.

But it is not just speed but strength, endurance and a whole lot more that will be put to the test when the boys head to Delhi on September 4, to compete in SUPRA SAEINDIA 2012, a national-level student racing competition to be held at Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida, between September 6 and 9.

“We already had a round of virtual testing in Pune, where we qualified alongside 64 other teams who will head to Delhi. From there on, we will have Static and Dynamic events,” explained Avishek Kar, the vice-captain of the team.

Team Falcon Racing show off Gavin at the Avani Riverside Mall on Sunday morning. City Centre, Salt Lake, also extended an invitation to the Gavin guys to showcase their hotwheels on its premises on August 14 and 15. Pictures by Rashbehari Das

The first category will test them on grounds of cost analysis, designing and marketing techniques, noise and brake and tilt test. The second, for which only 20-25 teams qualify, will see them compete on track in competitions like Acceleration, Skid Pad, Auto Cross, Endurance Run and more.

“Last year we were within the final 14 that went into the second round, but we had cooling issues and had to stop after the seventh lap. So this year, we started rectifying all our previous mistakes and improvising from there,” said Madhusudan Kabra, the captain.

And boy have they improvised! The front of the car, is shaped like a dolphin’s snout to give it minimum friction and maximum speed. They have designed their own knuckles, springs, used custom-design dampers, bell-crank suspension to go with a Maruti 800cc BS3 engine.

“We are all into racing. Though it’s difficult for us, we try to catch most F1 and any other motorsports races on TV and we can’t wait to get on track and try our luck,” said Anish Agarwal, the second driver. “See, though one guy drives the car, most of the coordination and crucial teamwork get done off-track if a team has to win. And we have that dedication and spirit. We have loved working on the car and can’t wait to get out there and try to win!”

Go for it, Gavin guys!

Madhurima Chatterjee