The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 4 letter word GRAND PRIX
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
G
R
A
N
D
P
R
I
X
More clues leading to the result GRAND PRIX
- Race K9 around park regularly?
- Haughty pair, one given wrong mark in top event
- Eric heartily cross after relative loses last big race
- Majestic king seen in pictures sporting crown
- High-octane event in which farceur falls under £1,000 piano
- Relative died getting pictures incorporating river race
- Old man almost runs international times in race
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "High-octane event" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case high-octane event = grand prix.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.