When Tata Motors launched the T1 Prima Truck Racing series four seasons ago, I don’t think anybody ever imagined that they would take things forward at such a brisk pace. From doing the unimaginable in creating a truck racing championship here in India to getting Indian truck drivers to go through a rigorous training program to race on a track, the company has managed to surprise us each time around.
Designed and co-developed with Cherwell Trucks Limited, this beast has a 1040 hp engine!
At the fourth edition however, the unveil of the full-blown 1000hp T1 Prima Race Truck not only got us enthusiasts in a tizzy, but has managed to get the attention of the truck racing community across the globe – and for good reason too! While the T1 Prima Race Trucks have garnered a lot of attention across the globe over the years, this new track-only truck is truly world class and has all the bits and pieces to go up against the best of the best in international truck racing.
Built to race!
Having said that, Tata Motors hasn’t divulged any details as to the plans that they have for the 1000hp T1 Prima Race Truck, but if they have come this far, we do expect to see it out on the track next year (fingers crossed) and make an international debut sometime soon as well!
The new T1 Prima Race Truck is a thoroughbred performance vehicle
Designed and co-engineered with Cherwell Trucks, Great Britain, the T1 Prima Race Truck boasts of a 12 litre Cummins ISG12 engine that is capable of churning out 1040hp and 3500Nm of torque. It does the dash from 0-167 km/h (100 miles an hour) in 10.1 seconds and has a top speed that takes it straight into supercar territory. Incidentally, Cherwell Trucks is owned and run by Steve Horne, who also happens to be the mentor and part of the team that has driven the Tata T1 Truck Racing Program in India till date.
The Cummins ISG12 is a 12 litre engine that delivers 1040 hp and 3500Nm of torque
The Cummins engine is a piece of work and weighs close to 840 kilograms (which is light for a truck engine). If you are looking for comparisons, the torque that the engine generates is twice that of the fastest production car and it delivers six times the power of the Tata 3118 truck! The engine boasts of an extremely high cylinder pressure and if I were to define that in layman terms it would work out to the pressure of five elephants standing on the head of a nail. It sounds like nothing else and the way it powers up this 5 tonne behemoth is a sight to see. Incidentally, MotorScribes is the only publication to have reported about the Cummins ISG12 engine way back in August 2015 where we mentioned that this engine could be the driving force behind Cummins comeback in the European Truck Racing scene (We have enough reason to believe that this truck will mark Tata’s debut on the European truck racing scene).
Shorter, longer and a smaller cabin than the existing T1 trucks, this new truck is already setting records at BIC!
The chassis of the T1 Prima Race Truck fitted with the Cummins ISG12 diesel is a modified version of what does duty in the existing Prima Truck. The air disc brakes have been developed by WABCO and JK Tyres has developed the tyres that it runs. Incidentally, JK Tyres is the only tyre manufacturer in India to produce racing tyres for trucks and the existing T1 Prima Race Trucks also come fitted with tyres developed specifically for the purpose by JK Tyres.
A blast to see out on the track!
Out on the track, the 1040hp T1 Prima Race Truck managed to clock a lap time on the shortened 3.1 km track at the Buddh International Circuit in 1:35:06. The current breed of T1 Race Trucks (which run 400 hp engines) do a lap anywhere between 13 to 15 seconds slower! In racing, where every second counts, this is a massive gain and will surely take the sport to a whole new level of excitement.
The cockpit doesn’t look like a truck’s cabin at all.
Of course, it remains to be seen if the 1040 hp truck will actually make its debut on the Indian truck racing scene or will it remain a product that Tata Motors uses only to compete in the European Truck racing series. Tata Motors has remained rather tight-lipped about what’s in store for this truck; however we are hopeful that it will be used in the Pro Class next year and hopefully be the truck to replace the current breed in time to come.
Hopefully we see this truck compete next year.
On a personal note, for all those who were out there at the Buddh International Circuit on the 19th of March, remember that you got to witness history in the making.