We saw a number of cool cars at the Valley Run, but this particular Škoda caught our eye. So, we decided to sit down and have a chat with the owner—Uvashri KB, also known as the Octy Girl — the fastest woman driver driving an Indian car at the Valley Run 2023. What’s so special about this understated Škoda, you ask? Well, this one might just eat up Ferraris and Lamborghinis out on the drag strip. This car recently ran a very impressive 11.9-second quarter-mile at the Valley Run
The car
A 2018 Škoda Octavia 1.8 TSI with an all-wheel-drive (AWD) swap and a stage three tune by Venom Performance India, putting out nearly 380 hp.
The driver
Uvashri Kannadasan Balajeyanthi, a 32-year-old IT professional from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, who turns into a drag racer on the weekends. They call her “Octy Girl” courtesy of her white Octavia, the one she uses to smoke all the supercars on the drag strip. Uvashri has been drag racing consistently for about three years now across various events in India and has managed to secure 15 trophies over the course of her racing career.
The reason
‘I used to drive the Octavia to my office every day and I had the itch go faster and increase performance, so I and my husband just went ahead and did it. It is a good thing we used the Octavia itself because there are so many possibilities finding after-market parts and retrofits for the Volkswagen AG cars, especially this one.’
Why not something flashy?
‘I wanted the car to be as sleeper-looking as possible. Not attracting the attention of the police or bystanders and to be used as a daily driver. I still take it to my office every day.’
What is the costliest modification on the car?
‘The Haldex AWD system costs around Rs 10 lakh. We got it imported all the way from Australia. All in all, we have spent nearly Rs 20 lakh for all the parts and modifications.’
Any issues you faced so far?
‘Not a single one! I’ve driven the car for almost 40,000 kilometres after the stage three upgrade and it runs good even today. As I said earlier, I drive it daily to my office. We used full OEM-spec products for all the modifications, hence there is not much of a window for failure.’
What is the biggest emotion or memory you have attached to the car?
‘This car put me on the map of the drag-racing scene in India. In a male-dominated sport, I was one of the first, if not the very first, woman to consistently show up, race, and win. I have over 15 trophies that I have collectively won over the last three years at various drag meets. My husband, Sharan, is a founder of Vagmaster, Chennai. Sharan is also the dealer for Venom Performance in Tamil Nadu and is well known for tuning and producing some of the fastest cars in the country.’
First car in which you learned to drive?
‘The first car I drove was a Maruti Suzuki Alto.’
Dream car?
‘Definitely the Porsche Cayman.’
What next?
‘An engine swap for sure.’
Specification Sheet
The following changes have been made to the Octavia to make it the monster that it is on the drag strip
Venom Performance stage 3 ECU tune
Venom Performance stage 3 TCU tune
Garrett Power Max stage 1 turbo
Volkswagen Golf R high-pressure fuel pump (HPFP)
Autotech HPFP upgrade
Volkswagen Golf R low-pressure fuel pump
DQ250 AWD gearbox swap
Haldex AWD system
Upgraded injectors
NGK 9 spark-plugs
RacingLine R600 air intake
Milltek downpipe
Integrated Engineering intercooler
Bilstein B6 suspension
AWD springs and Audi TT alloy wheels
Škoda Octavia vRS 340-mm brake discs
Škoda Octavia vRS 230 exhaust system
Volkswagen Golf R resonator
Škoda Octavia vRS front and rear anti-roll bar
Audi Sportline flat-bottom steering wheel
OEM direct tyre pressure monitoring system
Check out Uvashri’s instagram @octy.girl
