Volkswagen Motorsport India                                             

 

 

 

12 new & aspiring racing drivers selected for Volkswagen Vento Cup 2016;

The new ones will join eight drivers from previous seasons for the 2016 championship

 

  • Over 560 aspiring racers from across the country registered for the selection process to participate in the Volkswagen Vento Cup 2016
  • The final round of driver selection process concluded in Pune at Indi Karting Track where top 12 were selected out of 62 finalists
  • Four drivers from New Delhi make it to the final grid of 20 for the Volkswagen Vento Cup 2016 season

 

Pune, March 16, 2016: Volkswagen Motorsport India concluded the driver selection process for its upcoming season of Vento Cup in Pune last week. The selection process gathered an overwhelming response receiving over 560 entries from across the country and lasted for over 45 days. Out of these 560 entries, 62 racers made it to the final round of the selection process and were invited to Pune’s Indi Karting Track for a two-day final selection process. After being judged on various criteria such as fitness, driving skills, grasping and learning ability and discipline, final 12 were selected for the Vento Cup 2016 season.

 

Eight drivers from previous seasons of Volkswagen Motorsport India’s Vento Cup and Polo Cup will complete the grid of 20 along with the 12 new drivers. The grid comprises of 20 drivers in all who hail from 11 different cities. The final drivers of the 2016 season will now undergo a Fitness Camp and a Pre-Season Testing before the first competitive round of the year.

 

Mr. Sirish Vissa, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport India, commented “Every year we receive a number of entries from aspiring racers showing their willingness to participate in the Vento Cup. It has been Volkswagen Motorsport India’s goal to develop and nurture young talent since its inception in 2009 and we are happy that we are able to coach so many drivers every year and provide them with a strong and robust platform like the Vento Cup.” He further added, “This year too we witnessed some very talented individuals who are willing to learn the skills of racing and make their mark in Motorsport. We have selected 12 new drivers this year who will join eight drivers from our previous seasons and battle for championship honours. Interestingly 17 drivers are up to the age of 26 years, which is good because they are the young ones whom we really want to groom.”

 

Volkswagen Motorsport India will run its premium one-make touring car racing series Vento Cup as a part of the 2016 MMSC FMSCI Indian Racing Championship. The 2016 season will comprise of a total of four rounds across three race tracks in India – Kari Motor Speedway, Coimbatore; Madras Motor Race Track, Chennai and Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida. The season will commence from June 2016.

 

The following drivers will form the grid of the Volkswagen Vento Cup 2016*:

 

Sr. No.

Name

Age

City

1

Aditya Mhatre

22

Mumbai

2

Amit Mete

27

Aurangabad 

3

Arfath Mohammed

19

Chennai

4

Arunshowry Vallabhaneni

21

New Delhi

5

Eswar Bolisetti

20

Visakhapatanam

6

Gowdham Murugan

26

Coimbatore 

7

Harjee Wadia

17

New Delhi

8

Harshavardhan Saravanan

19

Chennai

9

Hatim Shabbir

20

Chennai

10

Ishaan Dodhiwala

25

Hyderabad

11

Ishan Bhardwaj

24

New Delhi

12

Keith Desouza

22

Goa

13

Mohamed Jamil

24

Pudukkottai

14

Nachappa Sivanesan

29

Chennai

15

Neha Dabas

25

New Delhi

16

Niranjan Todkari

22

Pune

17

Pradeep Rao

26

Mumbai

18

Rashad Khan

19

Pune

19

Sailesh Bolisetti

27

Visakhapatanam

20

Venkatraj Ellendula

20

Secunderabad

 

*The list of drivers is provisional and subject to changing under certain circumstances

 

About Volkswagen Motorsport India: Taking ahead 50 years of enriching global motorsport legacy of Volkswagen, Volkswagen Motorsport India commenced operations with the Polo Cup India in 2010. The series started off with a first- ever iconic race being held at Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex at Balewadi in Pune, the hometown of Volkswagen in India. The vast global expertise, coupled with rich dynamic history of the Group has enabled Volkswagen Motorsport India to progress swiftly and become the best one make series in a short span of time. The Volkswagen Polo R Cup enhanced awareness as well as underlined the technological advancement and power of Volkswagen Polo in India. In 2015, Volkswagen Motorsport India shifted to Vento Cup and continued to provide a vital platform for the talented young racers to demonstrate their capabilities nationally and internationally by nurturing them. In the one-make series, all participating cars are technically identical with the same performance making it possible for only the most skilled drivers to leave an impact.

Successes in Indian Rallying: Under the Customer Sport Initiative, Volkswagen Motorsport India started providing teams and individuals running Volkswagen Polo rally cars in the Indian Rally Championship (IRC) with technical assistance and spares from 2013. The Volkswagen Polo ended 2013 and 2014 season by winning the 1600-cc class and grabbing numerous rally wins.

 

Volkswagen Group India Communication

 

Adhish Alawani

Communication

Mobile:  +91-7875557435

adhish.alawani@volkswagen.co.in