Five races as Volkswagen Polo R Cup series

At its Indian debut on May 30 2010, the new Polo presented itself with a record field of contenders: 20 firmly registered young drivers aged 16 to 24 met on the track in cars with identical technology that are centrally tuned and maintained by highly skilled Volkswagen India Factory mechanics.

Season 2013 will guarantee the same fixtures including races at the country’s Formula One circuit, the Buddh International Circuit.

Night Street Race

Season 2011 saw a new turn of events as Volkswagen Polo R Cup entered a Night Street Race in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It was the first time that Polo R Cup or any national racing

hampionship in India raced on foreign soil. The Night Street Race will once again be a part of our Race Calendar for Season 2013.

Rules

The Volkswagen Polo R Cup, with excellent performance parity for every driver, is the first step-up the touring-car racing ladder.

The main points of the regulations:

• To be eligible to contest the series, a candidate must have successfully passed an evaluation and qualification course conducted by Volkswagen.
• Since season 2012, the participants get divided into three categories, on the basis of their age and racing experience:
  • Participants falling in the 16-26 years’ age-group, with less than eight races’ experience (within the last five years) fall into Junior category.
  • Participants falling in the 16-26 years’ age-group, with more than eight races’ experience (within the last five years) fall into Pro category.
  • Participants above 26 years in age, irrespective of their racing experience, fall into Master category.
• There is a nominal registration fee per season is Rs 7 lakhs (for Junior and Pro categories) and Rs 12 lakh (for Master category). This fee covers 6 racing weekends (with a little more than a hundred thousand rupees per weekend) which includes preparation, maintenance and transportation of the vehicle as well as the, team wear (racing overall sourced at factory price to be paid by the drivers), admission to the Volkswagen Hospitality and support by instructors and technical staff.
• To fulfill the entry cost for the races the drivers can also bring in their sponsors who would be approved by Volkswagen for a commercial display on the car, the racing suit and helmet.
• The drivers may not perform any modifications on the vehicle. Only the front stabilizer is three-way adjustable, in addition, the inflation pressure of the tyres may be adjusted.
• Per race weekend and driver a maximum of six JK slick tyres are permitted and four rain tyres.
• For the drivers, including the helmet, the HANS system and fireproof clothing, a standard weight of 75 kilograms has been established. Drivers weighing less than that will be given respective ballast, which is installed under the driver‘s seat, to compensate for the difference.
• Per event a free practice and a qualifying session, each lasting 30 minutes, are scheduled.
• After the free practice and qualifying sessions, respectively, a driver‘s name is drawn from the top five who will disclose the data recorded for his or her fastest lap to all the other contenders.
• Points are awarded according to the following scheme: 60–48–40–34–32–30–28–26–24–22–20–18–16–14–12–10–8–6–4–2. For the first two races of the season, half-points are awarded in order to reduce the advantage of the experienced drivers over the rookies.
• Guest entrants receive no points and no prize money. Registered contenders move up in the points and prize money classification.
• The title winner is not allowed to compete again in the Volkswagen Polo R Cup the following year.
• The winner in Junior category is given a free seat in the next season of Volkswagen Polo R cup.
• The winner in Pro category is given a chance to represent India in the Scirocco R Cup, Germany.

Exchange program for the drivers

Motorsport on a global scale: Volkswagen cars are not only at home on the roads but also on the race tracks all over the world. One-make cups like the Polo R Cup in South Africa, the Golf GTI Cup in Japan, The Jetta-TDI Cup in the USA and the Scirocco Cup in China span the globe. A unique exchange programme for motorsport talent provides the connecting link between these international activities.

Every year the best contenders from the Polo R Cup India travel to other countries and foreign championships to further their race driving education. These trips give the emerging talents the opportunity to prove their skills in highly different conditions and to get to know the respective countries and people in the process. In return, participants from the partner series contest races in the German Polo R Cup as well.

Aditya Patel, our very own Chennai born Volkswagen driver has made us proud at the Volkswagen Scirocco R Cup. He completed 5th overall at the 2011 Scirocco R Cup with several podium finishes. Sailesh Bolisetti who was the 2010 Polo Cup winner also completed a commendable 15th at the 2011 Scirocco R Cup race series. 2011 season’s first runner-up Oshan Kothadiya, a Pune lad, represented India in the 2012 season of the Scirocco R Cup, Germany.