Volkswagen Motorsport India concluded their driver selection process for the upcoming season of Vento Cup here.
The process received over 560 entries from across the country and lasted for over 45 days. A total of 62 racers made it to the final round who were invited to the Indi Karting Track here for a two-day final selection. After being judged on various criteria such as fitness, driving skills, grasping and learning ability and discipline, 12 were selected for the 2016 season.
Eight drivers from previous season's Vento Cup and Polo Cup will complete the grid of 20 along with the 12 new. The 20-driver grid comprises of racers from 11 different cities. The 20 will now undergo a fitness camp and a pre-season test before the first competitive round.
"Every year we receive a number of entries from aspiring racers showing their willingness to participate in the Vento Cup. 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," Volkswagen Motorsport India head Sirish Vissa said on Wednesday.
"We have selected 12 new drivers this year who will join eight drivers from our previous seasons and battle for championship honours. Interestingly, 17 are up to the age of 26 which is good because they are the young ones whom we really want to groom."
Volkswagen Motorsport India will run their premium one-make touring car racing series Vento Cup as part of the 2016 Indian Racing Championship. The season will comprise four rounds across three tracks -- Kari Motor Speedway (Coimbatore), Madras Motor Race Track (Chennai) and Buddh International Circuit (Greater Noida).
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The season will commence in June.
The following are the final 20 drivers selected for the Vento Cup: Aditya Mhatre (Mumbai), Amit Mete (Aurangabad), Arfath Mohammed (Chennai), Arunshowry Vallabhaneni (New Delhi), Eswar Bolisetti (Visakhapatanam), Gowdham Murugan (Coimbatore), Harjee Wadia (New Delhi), Harshavardhan Saravanan (Chennai), Hatim Shabbir (Chennai), Ishaan Dodhiwala (Hyderabad), Ishan Bhardwaj (New Delhi), Keith Desouza (Goa), Mohamed Jamil (Pudukkottai), Nachappa Sivanesan (Chennai), Neha Dabas (New Delhi), Niranjan Todkari (Pune), Pradeep Rao (Mumbai), Rashad Khan (Pune), Sailesh Bolisetti (Visakhapatanam), Venkatraj Ellendula (Secunderabad).