Volkswagen India will flag-off of the first ever Polo Cup India 2010 with the first race of the season to be held on May 30, 2010 at the Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi in Pune, the hometown of Volkswagen India. The final 20 drivers will compete in a series of six races held between May and December 2010.
"Volkswagen India is happy and proud to announce the final 20 aspiring racers who have been short listed for the first-ever Polo Cup India 2010. These final drivers represent the best raw talent the country has to offer. Polo Cup is the boost that the young drivers in India deserve and have been waiting for. We are thrilled as this is the first year of Polo Cup in India and we are really convinced that this first single-make manufacturer-backed series in India will become a new milestone in the success story of Volkswagen India”, expressed Mr. Joerg Mueller, Volkswagen Group Chief Representative India, President and Managing Director, Volkswagen India Private Limited on the occasion of a media briefing today at the race track at Balewadi Sports Complex.
Over 1,100 motor sports enthusiasts from across the country registered to compete in the Polo Cup India 2010 and become a part of Indian motor sport history. After a strict selection process 20 young talents were chosen to form the starting grid in the first race in Pune. The selection process ran from the last week of March to mid of May. The aspiring racers were divided into 2 groups – first-timers and experienced racers, and were put through two rounds of selection. The young racers were narrowed down to 45 drivers through an adrenalin-pumping go-kart selection. The short listed drivers were then placed behind the wheel of the Race Polos, for the second round of selections held in Coimbatore, to earn their place in the final 20 candidates for the races.
The candidates were selected with the support of the expert selection team. The team of selectors consisted of one driver selector & coach from Germany Polo Cup, two Indian driver coaches (experienced drivers from Volkswagen & JK Tyre) and one FMSCI representative, including some of the doyens of Indian motor sports like Akbar Ebrahim, India’s only principle instructor in racing, Farhan Vora, India’s guest F1 steward and Rayomand Banerji, six times National Champion. They personally followed the international structures and conducted the coaching camps to select the best young talent.
The 20 short listed drivers will celebrate their world debut at the Polo Cup India 2010 as part of the JK Tyre-FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship 2010. They will compete in six races across the country, the first in Pune, and then followed by five races on the race courses in Coimbatore and Chennai. Below is the starting line-up:
The first race of the Polo Cup India at the Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex at Balewadi in Pune will be the first major four-wheeler racing event to be held in Pune. The 20 short listed drivers, divided into two batches, will ‘burn rubber’ for the first time in a practice session at the circuit on Friday, May 28. Saturday, May 29 will witness a Free Practice session for the drivers followed by the Qualifiers. The fastest laps in the Qualifiers will determine the starting grid for the races to be held on Race Day, May 30.
Spectators will get a chance to see the final line up of the drivers in the drivers’ parade, marking the start of Race Day. This will be followed by two race sessions of 20 laps each. The final podium standings will be announced with a prize distribution the same evening. This weekend format will be followed for all the remaining races of the Polo Cup India 2010.
Like the spark that breathes life into a dormant combustion engine, the Polo Cup India was but a tiny idea conceptualised in October 2008. The journey of this thought into one of the biggest single-make touring car series in India is truly inspiring. The process of Volkswagen’s internal discussions in Germany and prospecting of Indian partners culminated in signing of the Letter of Intent with JK Tyre in October 2009. This is when the hard work truly began. Months of grease and sweat lead to unveiling of the Race Polo in the Delhi Auto Expo 2010. A fierce grill and clean lines form the perfect shell to the 1.6-liter R4 common rail diesel (CRD) engine, which can produce a top speed of 180 km/h.
Source: Volkswagen India
